The November bulletin for US visa applicants mostly remained unchanged. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services have released the US visa bulletin for November 2024. The official document prepares aspiring green card applicants for what’s to come ahead. Unlike October’s progress in the EB-5 category, the employment-based preferences have decided to sit still next month. Both rosters across the board for Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing employment-based cases are stuck to the previous update, stretching out the waiting period for global applicants. On the contrary, family-based preferences have witnessed some movement. Nevertheless, several dates remained unchanged there as well. The Philippines’ family-based cases were the most noticeable exceptions, as they barely saw any progress.
Key Takeaways of November 2024 US Visa Bulletin
The USCIS’ November US visa bulletin uses official jargon to distinguish between “Dates for Filing” and “Final Action Dates.” One’s priority date must coincide (or fall before) with the cut-off date listed alongside the country’s visa category. The Dates for Filing determine the application’s eligibility timeline, implying when applicants can submit their adjustment of status or immigrant visa applications. Conversely, the Final Action Dates signal the estimated time for one’s application approval, ultimately leading to permanent residency.
Employment-Based preferences
1st: Priority Workers – 28.6% global employment-based preference level + surplus numbers of fourth and fifth preferences.
2nd: Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees / Persons of Exceptional Ability – 28.6% of worldwide employment-based preference level + numbers left out by the first.
3rd: Skilled Workers, Professionals and Other Workers – 28.6% of global level + numbers left over by the first and second preferences, with 10,000 allotted to ‘Other Workers’.
4th: Certain Special Immigrants – 7.1% of the global level, with 32% set aside as follows: 20% for qualified immigrants investing in a rural area + 10% for qualified immigrants investing in high unemployment areas + 2% for qualified immigrants in infrastructure projects. The remaining 68% is unreserved and set aside for all eligible immigrants.
5th: Employment Creation – 7.1% of the worldwide level.
