Greenberg Traurig, LLP  
 
 
 
HOME
BIOGRAPHIES
PRACTICE OVERVIEW
VISAS
COMPLIANCE & ENFORCEMENT
LINKS
CONGRESS
HUMAN RESOURCES
GLOBAL OUTBOUND IMMIGRATION
NEWSLETTER
NEWS FLASHES
LIBRARY
PROCESSING TIMES
CONTACT US

 

Immigration News Flash

August 30, 2011

September 2010 Visa Bulletin

The Department of State has issued the visa bulletin for the month of September 2011. All of the employment-based categories except for the second and third preference categories including other workers are current for all nationalities. Second and third preference categories including Other Workers remain severely backlogged.

The September 2011 priority date cut-offs for the employment-based categories are:

Employment- Based

All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed

CHINA- mainland born

INDIA

MEXICO

PHILIPPINES

1st

C

C

C

C

C

2nd

C

15APR07

15APR07

C

C

3rd

22NOV05

15JUL04

08JUL02

22NOV05

22NOV05

Other Workers

01AUG05

22APR03

01JUN02

01AUG05

01AUG05

4th

C

C

C

C

C

Certain Religious Workers

C

C

C

C

C

5th
Targeted Employment Areas/ Regional Centers and Pilot Programs

C

C

C

C

C

If a category is designated as unavailable, the annual quota of immigrant visas has been met and immigrant visas are no longer available in that category. Note that categories may become unavailable in the middle of a month, but it is rare.

The availability of visas is published based on data collected from consular officers and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Both are required to report to the Department of State the number of foreign nationals who qualify for immigrant visas in the different categories. Where the demand exceeded the available number of immigrant visas within a category, that category was deemed unavailable. Only applicants with a priority date earlier than the cut-off date may be allotted a visa number. These individuals then become eligible to complete the permanent residence process through the filing of an I-485 with USCIS or an Immigrant Visa application with the U.S. Consulate abroad. The complete visa bulletin may be viewed at: http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html.