USCIS Confirms that it will follow the Dates for Filing Charts for both Family-based and Employment-based immigrant visas for March 2020
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Link: https://www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo
Pasricha & Patel
In the March 2020 Visa Bulletin published by the U.S. Department of State, the USCIS has determined that for family-sponsored filings, filers should continue to follow the Dates for Filing Chart for the March 2020 Visa Bulletin.
But note once again that in the F2A category, there is a cutoff date on the Dates for Filing Chart. However, because the same F2A category is “Current” on the Final Action Dates chart, this does mean that applicants in the F2A category may use the Final Action Dates chart for February 2020).
For the employment-based preference filings, the USCIS has determined that once again, all filers should follow the Dates for Filing chart in the March 2020 visa bulletin. But there are some clarifications to follow:
Because Vietnam is not listed on the Dates for Filing chart, the adjustment applicants from Vietnam need to rely on the Worldwide dates found in the “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed” column of the Dates for Filing Chart in the March 2020 visa bulletin.
In the EB-3 Professional and Skilled Workers category, all countries, with the exception of India and China, will retrogress to January 1, 2017. This retrogression takes effect immediately. But USCIS will still continue to accept adjustment of status applications for this category for the rest of the month of February.
The Department of State’s explanation contained in the March 2020 visa bulletin also confirms that cutoff dates had to be imposed on EB-3 category due to high demand. And the Department of State even confirms that no forward movement of this January 1, 2017 date is expected for the foreseeable future.
Should you have any further questions about the different visa preference categories and filing procedures, please do not hesitate to contact our office to schedule a consultation to discuss your concerns further.