The March 2006 Visa Bulletin has just been released by the Department of State (DOS).  The Bulletin continues to show significant forward movement for several employment-based categories.

For Chinese-born individuals, the EB-1 category moved forward six months to July 1, 2003, while EB-2 moved forward three months to July 1, 2002.   Similarly, for individuals born in India, both the EB-1 and EB-2 categories moved forward; EB-1 to July 1, 2004 and EB-2 to January 1, 2002 respectively.  India EB-3 advanced a full year to January 1, 2001.  World-wide cut offs (for individuals born in all countries other than India and Mexico) for EB-3 inched ahead eight days, to May 1, 2001.  EB-1 and EB-2 remain current for all individuals born in countries other than India and China.

While the forward progress in the immigrant visa numbers is encouraging, we would note that DOS cautions applicants not to expect this rate of progress to continue for the rest of the fiscal year.  DOS advises that movement over the past several months has been greater than originally anticipated as a result of low visa number demand by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS).   DOS notes in the March Visa Bulletin that "retrogressions are not likely in the immediate future, but readers should be alert to the possibility as the year proceeds."  DOS also stated "[r]etrogressions are normally preceded by a period of no movement of the cut-off date, as we attempt to limit future demand for numbers under the annual limit."

For more information on the Visa Bulletin and country quota movements, including information movement in the Family-Based Quotas, please see our DOS Visa Bulletin and Quota Movement page, which includes detailed charts of quota movement for the past decade.

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