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November 2020 Visa Bulletin

At a glance

  • EB-1 China and EB-1 India final action dates will advance by six months to December 1, 2018. 
  • EB-2 China will advance by over seven weeks to April 22, 2016, and EB-2 India will advance three weeks to September 22, 2009.
  • EB-3 China will advance four months to October 1, 2017, and EB-3 India will advance one and a half months to March 1, 2010.
  • Employment-based dates for filing remain largely unchanged from October. 
  • USCIS announced that it will continue to honor dates for filing in November. 

A closer look 

According to the State Department’s November Visa Bulletin, final action cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa will be as follows: 

  • EB-1: All countries except for China and India will remain current in November. China and India will advance by six months to December 1, 2018.
  • EB-2: China will advance by just over seven weeks to April 22, 2016, while India will advance by three weeks to September 22, 2009. All other countries will remain current.
  • EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers: Cutoff dates for China will advance four months to October 1, 2017, and for India will advance one and a half months to March 1, 2010.  All countries will remain current in November.

USCIS Employment-based Priority Date Cut-offs for November 2020

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it will honor the State Department’s Dates for Filing chart for adjustment of status filings in November. To be eligible to file an employment-based adjustment application in November, employer-sponsored foreign nationals must have a priority date that is earlier than the date listed below for their preference category and country. 

This is the second consecutive month in which  USCIS has chosen to honor the Dates for Filing chart, rather than the Final Action Date chart.  In October, there was significant advancement on this chart, particularly in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories for India and China, which allowed many applicants who were previously subject to lengthy backlogs to file adjustment of status applications.  Today’s announcement confirms that the agency will continue to accept these filings through at least the end of November. 

Impact of Presidential Proclamation

As a reminder, President Trump’s April 22 proclamation temporarily suspending the entry of certain immigrants remains in place through December 31, 2020. The proclamation continues to limit the issuance of immigrant visas by U.S. consulates abroad.

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