Visa Bulletin November 2024- Changes in Family Based Categories

Visa Bulletin November 2024- What Changes in Family Based Categories and Employment based Categories

The U.S. Department of State published the Visa Bulletin in November 2024, establishing per-country cut-off dates to regulate immigrant visa availability and processing Adjustment of Status (AOS) applications and consular Immigrant Visa application filings and approvals. To be considered “current,” the priority date of a person applying for permanent residence must be before the cut-off date specified in the monthly Visa Bulletin.

In this November visa bulletin 2024, there were updates in all family-based immigration categories, except for the F-2A category. The most notable changes were in the F-2B category for Mexico, which experienced an 11-month wait time increase, and in the F-4 category for India, which saw an 11-month and 1-week wait time increase. There were no changes in wait times for the employment-based immigration categories.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the visa bulletin November 2024 updates:

Family-Sponsored Categories

Final Action: 

• F1 Mexico will advance by 1 year and 10 months to November 22, 2004
• F2A Mexico will advance by 1.2 months to April 15, 2021
• F2A All other countries will advance by 1.3 months to January 1, 2022
• F2B Mexico will advance by 5.5 months to July 1, 2005
• F3 Mexico will advance by 2 months to October 22, 2000
• F3 Except for the Philippines All other countries will advance by 2 weeks to April 15, 2010
• F4 Mexico will advance by 1 week to March 1, 2001
• F4 India will advance by 1 week to March 8, 2006

Dates for Filing: 

• F2B Mexico will advance by 11 months to July 1, 2006
• F3 Except for Mexico and the Philippines All other countries will advance by almost 10 months to April 22, 2012
• F4 Philippines will advance by nearly 12 months to July 22, 2007
• F4 India will advance by 1.5 months to August 1, 2006

Employment-Based Categories

Final Action Dates : 

EB-1:

• China:  Remain at November 8, 2022
• India: Remains at February 1, 2022.
• All other countries: Continue to be current.

EB-2:

• China:  Remin at March 22, 2020
• India: Remains at July 15, 2012.
• All other countries:  Remain at March 15, 2023

EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers:

• China:  Remain at April 1, 2020
• India:  Remain at November 1, 2012
• All other countries: Remain at November 15, 2022

EB-3 Other Workers:

• Philippines: Remain at December 1, 2020
• India:  Remain at November 1, 2012
• China: Remain at January 1, 2017
• All other countries:  Remain at December 1, 2020

EB-4 Religious Workers

• EB-4 All countries will remain at January 1, 2021

EB-5 Unreserved Categories (C5, T5, I5, R5):

• China:  Remain at July 15, 2016
• India:  Remain at 1, 2022
• All other countries: Remain current.

EB-5 Set-Aside Categories (Rural, High Unemployment, Infrastructure): Remain current.

Dates for Filing:

EB-1:

• India:  Remain at April 15, 2022
• China: Remains at January 1, 2023.
• All other countries: Continue to be current.

EB-2:

• China:  Remain at October 1, 2020
• India:  Remain at January 1, 2013
• All other countries:  Remain at August 1, 2023

EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers:

• China:  Retrogress by 7.5 months to November 15, 2020
• India:  Advance by 7.2 months to June 8, 2013
• All other countries:  Advance by 1.9 months to March 1, 2023

EB-3 Other Workers

• India: Remain at June 8, 2013
• China: Remain at January 1, 2018
• All Other Countries: Remain at May 22, 2021

EB-4 Religious Workers

• EB-4 Religious Workers will remain at February 1, 2021

EB-5 Unreserved Categories (C5, T5, I5, R5):

• China:  Remain at October 1, 2016
• India: Remains at April 1, 2022.
• All other countries: Remain current.

A.FINAL ACTION DATES FOR FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCE CASES