What Is A Visa Bulletin?

A visa bulletin is a monthly bulletin that is published indicating the preference categories and the processing times for different employment and family-based immigration petitions.

The visa bulletin is published monthly by the Department of State. It tells you which applications for a green card can proceed based on their original filing date. It also gives you a good estimate on how long it might be before you get your green card. Once you file your I-130 petition with USCIS, you’ll be able to track your progress using the bulletin.

The visa bulletin is necessary since Congress enforces caps on the issuance of green cards each year. Year after year the amount of applications received exceeds those caps, so there are some serious backlogs.

As of today, there are a little over 360,000 green cards that can be issued annually. However, that total is distributed amongst several categories with a designated cap for each category that may vary. The two largest and most common categories are family-based green cards, (that includes marriage-based), and employment-based.

But wait, it gets more complex. USCIS also imposes a limit on green cards issued yearly based on the country of origin. Given this country of origin limit, no single country can make up more than 7% of green cards issued in the United States.

That may not seem like a big issue for a less populous country such as Samoa (202,500). In fact, not a single country in the South Pacific, Europe, or Africa has enough demand for green cards to reach that limit. No, the limit seems to impact Mexico, China, India, and the Philippines the most, creating a significant backlog problem.

Key Terms In The Visa Bulletin

To get the most information from the visa bulletin, you must be aware of some key terms. These terms will help you better understand not only the bulletin but your estimated wait time as well.

• Priority date:  The date the USCIS received your I-130. This is essentially your place in the green card “queue.” Your priority date is located on the I-797 form USCIS mailed to you approving your I-130 petition.
• Current:  This term simply means there is no backlog or wait time to get a green card. A priority date becomes current when it advances to the front of the line and a green card is available. Also, a preference category can be “current” if no backlog or wait time exists within the category itself.
• Chargeability area:  This is the “tick sheet” for applicants’ country of origin. Green cards issued will be charged towards the quota of each applicant’s home country. This is helpful so that you can estimate your odds of making it in before the quota is met for the year.
• Cut-off date:  This is a date you will see on the bulletin tables and it indicates the “front of the line” for green cards. What that means to applicants is that if their priority date falls before the cut-off date, they can apply for a green card. If it falls after this date, they have to continue waiting.

Does The Visa Bulletin Sound Confusing?

We understand that the entire green card process can be very confusing and overwhelming. So, if you are feeling confused, it’s completely understandable. Because the entire system is so complex and its so easy to stumble over obstacles, many hire Serrano Law Firm. We fight for your dream of thriving and building your new life in the United States. Contact us today and let us help you with all your immigration needs.

A: A visa bulletin is a monthly bulletin published indicating the preference categories and processing times for various employment-based and family-based immigration petitions.

The Visa Bulletin is published monthly by the Department of State. It tells you which green card applications are eligible based on your original filing date. It also gives you a good estimate of how long it might take before you receive your green card. Once you file your I-130 petition with USCIS, you can track its progress using the bulletin.

The visa bulletin is necessary because Congress imposes limits on the issuance of green cards each year. Year after year, the number of applications received exceeds those limits, resulting in some serious backlogs.

As of today, there are just over 360,000 green cards that can be issued annually. However, that total is distributed among several categories, with a specific limit for each category that can vary. The two largest and most common categories are family-based green cards (which includes marriage) and employment-based green cards.

But wait, it gets more complex. USCIS also imposes a limit on the number of green cards issued annually based on country of origin. Given this country of origin limit, no single country can account for more than 7% of the green cards issued in the United States.

This might not seem like a big deal for a less populous country like Samoa (202,500). In fact, not a single country in the South Pacific, Europe, or Africa has enough demand for green cards to reach that limit. No, the limit appears to affect Mexico, China, India, and the Philippines the most, creating a significant backlog problem.

Key Terms in the Visa Bulletin

To get the most information from the visa bulletin, you should be aware of some key terms. These terms will help you better understand not only the bulletin but also your estimated wait time.

• Priority date:  The date USCIS received your I-130. This is essentially your place in the green card queue. Your priority date is found on the Form I-797 USCIS mailed to you approving your I-130 petition.
• Current:  This term simply means there is no pending work or waiting time to obtain a green card. A priority date becomes current when you advance to the front of the line and a green card is available. Additionally, a preference category can be “current” if there is no pending work or waiting time within that category.
• Loading Zone :  This is the “tick sheet” for applicants’ country of origin. Issued green cards will be charged at the quota for each applicant’s country of origin. This is useful so you can estimate your chances of entering before the quota is met for the year.
• Immediate relative:  This term is self-explanatory, however, you need to be aware that this refers to a parent, child under the age of 21, or spouse of a United States citizen.
• Deadline:  This is a date you will see on the bulletin tables and it indicates the “front of the line” for green cards. What that means to applicants is that if their priority date falls before the cut-off date, they can apply for a green card. If it falls after this date, they have to continue waiting.

Does the Visa Bulletin Sound Confusing?

We understand that the entire green card process can be very confusing and overwhelming. So, if you’re feeling confused, it’s completely understandable. Because the entire system is so complex and easy to stumble upon, many people hire Serrano Law Firm.