May 2021 Visa Bulletin
According to the State Department’s May Visa Bulletin, final action cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa will be as follows:
- EB-1: All countries, including China and India, will remain current in May.
- EB-2: China and India will both advance by three months. China will advance to December 1, 2016, while India will advance to August 1, 2010. All other countries will remain current.
- EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers: Cutoff dates for China will advance two months to May 15, 2018, and for India will advance five months to February 1, 2011. All other countries will remain current in May.
- EB-5: The Regional and Non-Regional Center programs will remain current for all countries except China and Vietnam. China will remain at August 15, 2015, while Vietnam will advance by two months to February 15, 2018.
To be eligible to file an employment-based adjustment application in May, employer-sponsored foreign nationals must have a priority date that is earlier than the date listed below for their preference category and country on the Final Action Dates chart.
Impact of President Biden’s decision to rescind the immigrant visa ban
In spite of President Biden’s February 24, 2021 order to rescind the Trump-era proclamation that suspended certain immigrant entries, visa application backlogs coupled with reduced consular operations due to COVID-19 public health measures will continue to limit the issuance of immigrant visas by U.S. consulates abroad. Immigrant visa (IV) applicants who are no longer subject to the immigrant ban may see their cases move forward, but should expect delays as consulates continue to phase in routine services and work through backlogs. Those previously refused under the IV ban should await further instruction from the U.S. consulate that handled their application.