US announces relief for Indian Green Card applicants
What's the story
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released its Visa Bulletin for July, bringing some good news for Indian Green Card applicants.
While Final Action Date (estimated wait time for application approval, leading to permanent residency) for employment-based categories EB-1 and EB-2 remain unchanged, the FAD for EB-3 is advancing by a week.
Meanwhile, family-sponsored category F2A is seeing a significant eight-month jump, while the FAD for F4 (another family visa) is being fast-tracked by a few weeks.
Key changes
Family-sponsored cases: Check out the changes
In family-sponsored cases, FAD for F1 category (unmarried sons/daughters of American citizens) has advanced to July 15, 2016.
The F2A category (spouses plus children of permanent residents) saw a jump to September 1, 2022.
Other categories like F3 (married sons and daughters of US citizens) and F4 (brothers and sisters of adult US citizens) also witnessed date changes.
This means those with an FAD on or before the above-mentioned dates are now able to apply for a Green Card.
Updates
Employment-based cases: What to expect?
For employment-based cases, the EB-3 (skilled workers) category is seeing a slight advancement to April 22, 2013, from April 15, 2013. However, FADs for EB-5 Unreserved categories remain unchanged. Note, there are no changes in dates for filing visa applications across all categories.
Explained
What is the Visa Bulletin?
The Visa Bulletin is crucial for Green Card seekers, offering insights into when they can adjust their immigration status.
It has two main sections: Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates.
The former indicates when applicants can file their adjustment of status or immigrant visa applications, while the latter estimates how long it will take for an application to be approved leading to permanent residency.