The U.S. Department of State’s September 2024 Visa Bulletin reveals substantial retrogression in EB-3 categories, with no progression in any listed categories.
This update aligns with the Department’s earlier warnings about potential delays and backward movement in employment-based visa categories.
Key Points:
- EB-3 Retrogression: The bulletin shows that EB-3 categories, including All Chargeability Areas, Mexico, and the Philippines, have retrogressed to December 1, 2020. Additionally, the Other Worker categories for All Chargeability Areas and Mexico have also moved back to December 1, 2020.
- Category Stagnation: All other employment-based categories remain unchanged from August 2024.
- Quota Exhaustion: The State Department has indicated that the quota for most employment-based categories is expected to be fully utilized by the end of September.
The final action date chart from the State Department’s September 2024 Visa Bulletin is available below:
Future Outlook:
- October Advancements: Final action dates are anticipated to advance in October 2024, marking the beginning of FY 2025. This expectation is based on the historical patterns of visa allocation and the start of a new fiscal year.
- USCIS Updates: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will adopt the final action date chart for employment-based adjustment of status filings starting in September.
Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Trends:
- Visa Limits: The total annual limit for worldwide employment-based immigrant visas for FY 2024 has been set at 160,791, a decrease from 197,091 in FY 2023. This reduction is attributed to a decrease in surplus quota from family-based immigrant visas and indicates a shift towards pre-pandemic immigration trends.
- Demand and Backlog: The State Department and USCIS have reported continued growth in demand for employment-based green card applications for FY 2024. This increased demand has contributed to recent slowdowns and retrogression in visa preference categories. Notably, severe backlogs persist in categories such as EB-2 and EB-3 for Indian nationals.
