March 2017 Visa Bulletin: Final Action Dates Continue Steady March Forward

The State Department has released the  March 2017 Visa Bulletin listing the priority dates eligible for “Application Final Action,” i.e. when an I-485 adjustment of status (AOS) application may be approved or an immigrant visa (IV) issued, and the priority dates eligible for “Filing Applications,” i.e. when an AOS or IV application may be filed.

There again will be small but consistent advances in the “Application Final Action Dates” in the family-based categories. Each of the family-based categories will advance between one week and four months, with the exception of the Philippines third-preference for married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens (F3), which will not advance.

In the “Application Final Action Dates” for the employment-based categories, the EB-1 category remains current for all countries. There again will be minimal movement in the other categories with the exception of EB-3 India, which will remain at March 22, 2005.

The “Dates for Filing” for all family- and employment-based categories and all countries will not advance at all, as has been the case for the past several months.

As a reminder, the “Dates for Filing Applications” are valid only for consular processing immigrant visa applications. USCIS will make a separate determination whether to allow the filing of AOS applications under the “Dates for Filing” chart or the “Application Final Action Dates” chart in the visa bulletin. USCIS has not yet determined which chart may be used for adjustment of status filings in March 2017. The agency will post that information on its website.

Looking ahead, the State Department expects continued movement in the family-based categories. They also expect most of the employment-based categories to continue advancing, although the movement in EB-3 for India will be limited. The State Department also expects to impose a cutoff date for the EB-1 category for nationals of India and China by August 2017.

You can view the visa bulletin in its entirety below. Please contact us with any questions.