DOS shares visa bulletin for April 2023

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Adjustment of status filing charts from the visa bulletin

The April 2023 Visa Bulletin, released by the Department of State (DOS), included important changes for employment- and family-based visa applicants.


Employment-Based (EB) Categories

The EB-2 category experienced significant retrogression for most countries. For applicants from “All Chargeability Areas,” Mexico, and the Philippines, the final action date moved back to July 1, 2022. The final action date for EB-2 India retrogressed even more to January 1, 2011. This was due to high demand.

The EB-4 category also saw a retrogression. The final action date for most countries moved to September 1, 2018. The bulletin noted that this category, which includes special immigrant religious workers, now has a worldwide backlog of over five years.


Family-Sponsored (F) Categories

A major change was the creation of a final action date for the F2A category. This category is for spouses and children of permanent residents. Previously, it was “Current,” meaning visas were immediately available. Now, applicants generally need a priority date earlier than November 1, 2018, to be eligible for a visa. This was a result of steady visa usage.


Changes to Country-Specific Listings

The DOS announced a change to its charts. Starting with the April 2023 bulletin, it no longer includes a separate column for El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in the employment-based charts. This was based on a reinterpretation of the Immigration and Nationality Act

The bulletin also clarified which charts applicants should use. For April 2023, applicants in all family-sponsored categories had to use the Dates for Filing chart.

Department of State

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