EB-1 remains current for all countries.  EB-2 is current for all countries other than China and India.  For individuals born in China, EB-2 category is unchanged, and the current priority date remains at March 1, 2005.  For individuals born in India, EB-2 remains unavailable, and will not change for the rest of the fiscal year. 

In the EB-3 category, the priority date moved forward five months to March 1, 2002 for Chinese-born and Philippine-born individuals as well as for the world-wide cut off (individuals born in all countries other than India, China, Mexico, or the Philippines).  There was slight forward movement for India-born individuals to April 15, 2001.   The EB-3 cutoff date for persons born in Mexico is unchanged at April 22, 2001.

While the progress in the EB-3 category is encouraging, the Bulletin warns that this progress may not continue throughout the coming fiscal year:

"[A]pplicant demand for numbers, particularly for adjustment of status cases at Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS) Offices, is expected to increase significantly.  Therefore, it cannot be assumed that such advances will continue during the coming months.  It should be noted that the Department of Labor expects to complete its backlog reduction effort during FY-2007.  This effort will result in tens of thousands of cases, including many with very early priority dates, becoming eligible for processing at CIS Offices.  This could require the retrogression of the Employment Third preference cut-off dates at any time during FY-2007."

For more information on the Visa Bulletin and country quota movements, including information about 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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