A. STATUTORY NUMBERS (This communication provides priority dates
and other transitional information as taken from the State
Department's Visa Bulletin released August 12, 1997.) 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
Except Those
Listed INDIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES
1st 15FEB94 15FEB94 15FEB94 15SEP86
2A* 15MAY93 15MAY93 22AUG92 15MAY93
2B 08MAY91 08MAY91 01MAY91 08MAY91
3rd 01APR94 01APR94 08NOV88 01APR86
4th 01FEB87 01MAY85 08AUG86 01MAR78
*NOTE: For SEPTEMBER, 2A numbers EXEMPT from per-country limit are
available to applicants from all countries with priority dates
earlier than 22AUG92. 2A numbers SUBJECT to per-country limit are
available to applicants chargeable to all countries EXCEPT MEXICO
with priority dates beginning 22AUG92 and earlier than 15MAY93.
(2A numbers subject to per-country limit are "unavailable" for
applicants chargeable to MEXICO.)
EMPLOYMENT-BASED
All Charge-
ability Areas
Except Those
Listed INDIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES
1st C C C C
2nd C C C C
3rd C 08DEC95 C C
Other 01JUL88 01JUL88 01JUL88 01JUL88
Workers
4th C C C C
Certain 01FEB95 01FEB95 01FEB95 01FEB95
Religious Workers
5th C C C C
Targeted 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 SEPTEMBER 1997 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 provide 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 SEPTEMBER, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available
to qualified 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 CURRENT
ASIA CURRENT
EUROPE EU 34,855 EXCEPT: ALBANIA EU 23,008
NORTH AMERICA
(BAHAMAS) CURRENT
OCEANIA CURRENT
SOUTH AMERICA CURRENT
(CENTRAL AMERICA,
and the CARRIBBEAN
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-97 program ends as of September
30, 1997. DV visas may not be issued to DV-97 applicants after
that date. Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or
following to join DV-97 principals are only entitled to derivative
DV status until September 30, 1997. DV visa availability through
the very end of FY-1997 cannot be taken for granted. Numbers could
be exhausted prior to September 30. Once all numbers provided by
law for the DV-97 program have been used, no further issuances will
be possible.
C. RETROGRESSION OF THE WORLDWIDE “OTHER WORKER” CUT-OFF DATE
For September, the last month of the fiscal year, it has been
necessary to retrogress the Other Worker (EW) cut-off date for all
countries to hold the FY-1997 issuances within the 10,000 annual
limit for this category.
The Other Worker cut-off date is expected to advance once again
with the start of the new fiscal year in October.
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. The information provided in this article has not been updated since its original posting and you should not rely on it until you consult counsel to determine if the content is still valid. We keep older articles online because it helps in the understanding of the development of immigration law.