Category: Processing Times

  The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for December 2010 notes that it is unlikely that any cut-off dates will be set in the employment first preference during the coming months. It also appears unlikely that it will be necessary to establish a cut-off date other than those already in effect for the second preference… Read More

On September 22, 2010, Charles Oppenheim of the Department of State’s (DOS) Visa Office met with the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s (AILA) DC Chapter, where he discussed the Visa Bulletin, family- and employment-based priority dates, and other issues. Among other things, AILA reported Mr. Oppenheim as noting that many EB?3 beneficiaries from India and China… Read More

Due to continued heavy applicant demand, primarily by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service offices for adjustment of status cases, the annual limits for the Mexico employment third and “Other Worker” categories have been reached. As a result, both categories have become “unavailable,” the Department of State Visa Bulletin for May 2010 notes. Visa numbers will… Read More

The Department of State’s April 2010 Visa Bulletin, section D, contains information on “frequently misunderstood points.” Topics include the reasons behind fluctuations in demand for visa numbers; per-country limits; and oversubscription. Among other things, the bulletin notes that there is a significant amount of demand each month from applicants who have priority dates earlier than… Read More

The American Immigration Lawyers Association has released a chart showing Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) processing times by case type, as of January 4, 2010.