US Visa Bulletin December: Progress for Indian EB-1 and EB-2 Visas

The December update of the US visa bulletin brings encouraging news for Indian applicants, particularly in the employment-based immigrant visa categories. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has made some forward progress in Final Action Dates for Indian applicants in several categories.

For the EB-1 (first preference) category, the Final Action Date has moved ahead by one month to March 15, 2022. In the EB-2 (second preference) category, the date has shifted forward by one month and 14 days, setting the new cut-off at May 15, 2013. The EB-3 (third preference) category also sees a one-month advancement, with a new cut-off date of September 22, 2013.

However, the Dates for Filing Applications remain unchanged across all three categories. The EB-1 category holds at April 15, 2023. For EB-2, the filing date stays at December 1, 2013, and for EB-3, it remains August 15, 2014.

USCIS explains that a visa must be available before taking the final steps toward becoming a lawful permanent resident. When more individuals apply than the annual visa limits allow, wait times depend on one’s priority date, visa preference category, and the applicant’s country of origin. If demand is higher than the supply for any category from a specific country, the Department of State sets a cut-off date to ensure visa numbers stay within legal limits.

This movement in visa dates is a positive sign for many Indian professionals waiting in line for green cards under employment-based categories.

US visa bulletin, EB-2 India, EB-3 India, Green card backlog, Final Action Date