November 2019 Visa Bulletin Trends—Where Are the Numbers Headed?

 Posted on November 13, 2019 in Immigration

No one can say definitively what future visa bulletins will look like, but Charlie Oppenheim, the U.S. Department of State’s Chief of Visa Control and Reporting Division, occasionally provides some insight into visa number trends and we are sharing them with you.

Family-Based Preference Categories

We have been happy to see the F2A (spouses and unmarried children under 21 years old of legal permanent resident) category across the board staying current recently, and the trend continues. Charlie reports that demand in this category remains low and there is no indication that a limiting date will be imposed in the near future. This is encouraging news!

As we have seen, all the Mexico categories, with the exception of the F2A category, have seen little forward progress and because demand remains high, it is expected that dates for Mexico will remain stagnant and not move forward significantly.

On the other hand, dates for the Philippines will continue to move forward aggressively due to low demand.

It is unusual to see low demand in the family-based categories. Remember that as dates move forward significantly, more demand will be created and the dates will then stall, move forward very slowly, or retrogress (move backward). This is why working with an experienced immigration attorney to monitor the progress of your date is important. At Unzueta Law Group, P.C., we use cutting-edge technology to track visa bulletin dates and compare them to the priority dates of our clients to ensure timely applications are made as soon as visas are available.

Employment-Based Categories

The EB1 category is expected to move forward at the pace of three months at a time for all countries except for India, which is expected to see little or no movement. Demand for all countries except for India in this category has been so low that it is possible that for all countries other than India, the dates in the EB1 category may become current (C) in the near future.

Again, the EB2 category for all countries except for India and China is expected to remain current for the foreseeable future. EB2 India moved forward only one day this month with demand coming mostly from upgrades from EB3 to EB2. EB2 China moved forward two months with less demand expected going forward as downgrades from EB2 to EB3 for China are expected to increase.

The EB3 category is seeing lots of demand, especially in the Other Worker category. However, despite this high demand, EB3 for all countries except for China and India should stay current through January of 2020.

EB3 China is holding at November 1, 2015, with downgrade requests from EB2 taking many numbers. EB3 Philippines saw lower demand with the date going forward 3.5 months to February 1, 2018.

EB4 is seeing a lot of demand from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras with those numbers not expected to see forward movement for the foreseeable future. EB4 Mexico advanced two months with all other countries staying current. EB4 India should stay current through the end of the year.

Contact a DuPage County Immigration Lawyer

If you or your loved one is hoping to immigrate to the United States, it is important to understand the immigration process and your options for legally entering the country. Family-based preference and employment-based visas are one way to obtain status. The Visa Bulletin provides information on visa number trends for different countries. The knowledgeable Itasca visa attorneys at Unzueta Law Group, P.C. have successfully handled many types of complex immigration cases. We can assist you with your visa application process to make sure the correct legal steps are taken. Call our office today at 630-509-2363 to schedule a consultation.