October of each year is the start of the visa “fiscal year”, where there’s a new annual supply of visas for the upcoming year. In the past, there has been significant movement forward on priority dates each October. But for October 2011, priority dates moved forward by only a few weeks or so. In fact, it is being predicted that in the coming months, the priority dates in the various categories may move forward only a couple of weeks at a time. Don’t expect the priority dates to jump forward six months or a year, as they did during the last months of 2010.
It is also important that if your priority date is current (meaning your visa is available), but you have not received any forms from the government, you may want to follow up. Perhaps you have moved since the time the petition was filed and the forms have been sent to your old address. This is important, because a person is typically given one year to respond, and if he doesn’t, the case is cancelled, he loses the priority date, and the file is destroyed.
Each month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. This means that visas (or green cards) would now be available for persons whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below. If your priority date was “current”, but later retrogressed (or became “unavailable”) before your immigrant visa was issued (or before you adjusted status in the US), you would have to wait until it becomes current again.
The October 2011 priority dates for the Philippines are as follows:
| FAMILY CATEGORY:
| ||
| First Preference | Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens (over 21 years of age) | Priority Date: January 8, 1997 (In September 2011, the priority date was November 1, 1996.) |
| Second Preference | 2A. Spouse and minor children (below 21 years old) of green card holder 2B. Unmarried sons and daughters (over 21 years old) of green card holder | January 8, 2009 In September 2011, the priority date was December 1, 2008.)
May 1, 2001 (In September 2011, the priority date was March 22, 2001.) |
| Third Preference | Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. | June 8, 1992 (In September 2011, the priority date was May 15, 1992.) |
| Fourth Preference | Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens. | August 1, 1988 (In September 2011, the priority date was July 8, 1988.) |
| Labor Certification: | ||
| Third Preference | Professional/Skilled Workers | December 8, 2005 (In September 2011, the priority date was November 22, 2005.) |
| Other workers | Non-Skilled Workers | September 15, 2005 (In September 2011, the priority date was August 1, 2005.) |
Four offices to serve you: PHILIPPINES: 8940258 or 8940239; LOS ANGELES; SAN FRANCISCO; NEW YORK: TOLL FREE NUMBER: 1-866- GURFINKEL (1-866-487-3465)
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Website: www.gurfinkel.com