A. STATUTORY NUMBERS (This communication provides priority dates
and other transitional information as taken from the State
Department's Visa Bulletin released April 9, 1998.) On the
following chart, the listing of a date for any class indicates that
the class is oversubscribed; "C" means current, i.e., numbers are
available for all qualified applicants; and "U" means unavailable,
i.e., no numbers are available.
PREFERENCES
FAMILY
All Charge-
ability Areas CHINA
Except Those Mainland
Listed born INDIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES
1st 15OCT96 15OCT96 15OCT96 01AUG93 09JAN87
2A* 01JAN94 01JAN94 01JAN94 15FEB93 01JAN94
2B 15OCT91 15OCT91 15OCT91 22JUN91 15OCT91
3rd 01DEC94 01DEC94 01DEC94 01AUG89 08DEC86
4th 08JAN88 08JAN88 22JAN86 22MAR87 01MAY78
*NOTE: For MAY, 2A numbers EXEMPT from per-country limit are
available to applicants from all countries with priority dates
earlier than 15FEB93. 2A numbers SUBJECT to per-country
limit are available to applicants chargeable to all countries
EXCEPT MEXICO with priority dates beginning 15FEB93 and earlier
than 01JAN94. (All 2A numbers provided for MEXICO are exempt from
the per-country limit; there are no 2A numbers for MEXICO subject
to per-country limit.)
EMPLOYMENT-BASED
All Charge-
ability Areas CHINA-
Except Those mainland
Listed born INDIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES
1st C 08JUN97 C C C
2nd C 01MAY96 15AUG96 C C
3rd C 15FEB94 08MAY95 C C
Other 01APR91 01APR91 01APR91 01APR91 01APR91
Workers
4th C C C C C
Certain 01AUG97 01AUG97 01AUG97 01AUG97 01AUG97
Religious Workers
5th C C C C C
Targeted C C C C C
Employment Areas/
Regional Centers
The Department of State has available a recorded message with visa
availability information which can be heard at (202) 663-1541. This
recording will be updated in the middle of each month with
information on cut-off dates for the following month.
ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MAY 1998 VISA BULLETIN
B. DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT (DV) CATEGORY
Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act provides
55,000 immigrant visas each fiscal year to permit immigration
opportunities for persons from countries other than the principal
sources of current immigration to the United States. DV visas are
divided among six geographic regions. Not more than 3,850 visas (7%
of the 55,000 visa limit) may be provided to immigrants from any
one country.
For MAY, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to
qualified DV-98 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible
countries as follows. When an allocation cut-off number is shown,
visas are available only for applicants with DV regional lottery
rank numbers BELOW the specified allocation cut-off number:
All DV Charge-
ability Areas
Except Those
Region Listed Separately
AFRICA AF 30,720
ASIA AS 11,110 EXCEPT: BANGLADESH AS 6,450
EUROPE EU 17,800 EXCEPT: ALBANIA EU 13,340
BULGARIA EU 16,680
NORTH AMERICA NA 3
(BAHAMAS)
OCEANIA OC 584
SOUTH AMERICA, SA 1,304
CENTRAL AMERICA,
and the CARIBBEAN
Entitlement to immigrant status in the DV category lasts only
through the end of the fiscal (visa) year for which the applicant
is selected in the lottery. The year of entitlement for all
applicants registered for the DV-98 program ends as of September
30, 1998. DV visas may not be issued to DV-98 applicants after that
date. Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to
join DV-98 principals are only entitled to derivative DV status
until September 30, 1998. DV visa availability through the very end
of FY-1998 cannot be taken for granted. Numbers could be exhausted
prior to September 30. Once all numbers provided by law for the
DV-98 program have been used, no further issuances will be
possible.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.