Introduction

The Visa Bulletin for November 2024 actually held a few surprises, but once again, not quite like last month's Visa Bulletin. We did not get some of those big wins that got so many people excited in the October Visa Bulletin. That being said, there was still some good news in certain areas.

These are really important changes for folks who were just about to get their priority dates from last month's update. Unfortunately, the work-based categories that usually perform well did not budge at all this time. While we were able to avoid catching any bad news, a little more progress was expected. This stagnation tends to be a little more worrying, especially in aspects that have seen an improvement.

This month's update is a bit of a mixed bag, with just enough good news to keep a little bit of hope alive, while at the same time there is enough slowing down that people might wonder if bad news is going to come. So let’s break down the November 2024 Visa Bulletin and determine what it all means for the future.

Employment-based categories

The following are the most recent cut-off dates for issuance of an immigrant visa or adjustment of status in the green card application, based on the State Department's November Visa Bulletin.

● EB-1: China and India remain unchanged, with their respective present dates of November 8, 2022, and February 1, 2022. All other countries remain current.

● EB-2: China - March 22, 2020; India - July 15, 2012; and all other countries - March 15, 2023.

● EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers: China - April 1, 2020; India - November 1, 2012; and all other countries - November 15, 2022.

● EB-3 Other Workers: The EB-3 Other Worker category for China remains at January 1, 2017, India at November 1, 2012, and all other countries at December 1, 2020.

● EB-5: The following EB-5 categories remain current, C5 and T5 subjects, I5 and R5 subjects. The current dates are July 15, 2016 and January 1, 2022 respectively. The remaining first, second and fourth preference, and third preference "Other Workers" categories are still open.

USCIS has announced that it will begin accepting applications for green card changes using the Dates for Filing chart in the Visa Bulletin for November. Dates for November are the same as the dates for October.

Here is the entire list of the Employment-based Final Action Dates:

● EB-1: China is under November 8, 2022, India under February 1, 2022, while all other countries remain current.

● EB-2: For China, it goes back to March 22, 2020; for India, July 15, 2012, and for all others, March 15, 2023.

● EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers: China goes back to April 1, 2020; India, November 1, 2012, and all others are under November 15, 2022.

● EB-3 Other Workers: China is at January 1, 2017, India at November 1, 2012 and all other countries on December 1, 2020.

● EB-4: All countries are at January 1, 2021.

● EB-5 Unreserved: Regional Center and Non-Regional Center China is at July 15, 2016, India on January 1, 2022, and all other countries are still open.

● EB-5 Set-Asides: The categories for rural, high unemployment, and infrastructure are still open.

What the update on the EB categories means

What is disturbing about the November 2024 Visa Bulletin is that it does not budge on EB-visa categories. Earlier visa bulletins brought good news for many of these categories over the past months, but this month, nothing is a big deal except the return of the Religious Workers category, which was removed from last month's list. Of course, this category has moved back and forth in the past between being available and not. While great to bring back, it definitely raises eyebrows that no other major movements were achieved whatsoever.

Has the USCIS taken a step backward to introspectively go forward on how many visas to issue and if they can process them? Maybe these slow changes can be a way for balancing the agency for how many people want visas and how many they could give to prevent everything from getting disproportionate.

This is the cyclical pattern that we have witnessed once after major advancements, it goes for a break. This could just be another such period where things require slowing down and pondering over them. But we are going to be watching this, for sure, because if things do not move, that might be a certain indication that things could get worse down the line.

Family-based categories

The final action dates for this categories is as follows:

● F1: Mexico is moving up by a year and 10 months, hitting November 22, 2004.
● F2A: Mexico is moving up by 1.2 months, hitting April 15, 2021. All other countries are moving up by 1.3 months, hitting January 1, 2022.
● F2B: Mexico is moving up by 5.5 months, hitting July 1, 2005.
● F3: Mexico is moving up by 2 months, hitting October 22, 2000. Also, except for the Philippines, all other countries are moving up by 2 weeks, hitting April 15, 2010.
● F4: Mexico is moving up by 1 week, hitting March 1, 2001. India is moving up by 1 week, hitting March 8, 2006.
The date of filing for this categories is as follows:
● F2B: Mexico is moving up by 11 months, hitting July 1, 2006.
● F3: Except for Mexico and the Philippines, all other countries are moving up by almost 10 months, hitting April 22, 2012.
● F4: Philippines is moving up by nearly 12 months, hitting July 22, 2007. India is moving up by 1.5 months, hitting August 1, 2006.

What the update on the Family-based categories means

But what really stands out to us in the family-based groups, though, is the fact that the same groups that changed last month are changing this month, too. That's pretty atypical because it doesn't often happen that the very same groups are experiencing major fluctuations from one month to the next.

Usually, the visa movements reflect a lot more variation in how different family-based categories are faring, so it is rather remarkable that the same groups are moving in similar ways.

If one looks at the family-based groups, surely it has not been a 'normal' year. The USCIS has been all over the place this year, making informed guesses about the future very difficult. But the consistently good news for the above groups is indeed a healthy omen for all the people waiting for a green card.

Final words

At Gehi and Associates, we constantly watch out for any new postings or adjustments in the process of applying for a visa. If you want to specifically know from where exactly you could apply for your visa, then just ask us. We will help you get the hang of how to go about this process.

To stay updated and informed, keep an eye out on our visa bulletin section or visit https://gehilaw.com or https://gehilaw.com/green-card-tps-lawyer-in-nyc/