USCIS released the March 2020 Visa Bulletin, which controls who is eligible to file an Adjustment of Status application (green card application) this month.
Background: The Visa Bulletin is a monthly update from USCIS regarding the waitlist for each type of green card based on an applicant's country of birth (not citizenship). The waitlist dates are based on the date that a green card applicant filed their I-130 (family-based) or I-140 (employment-based) immigrant petition. The date that your I-130/I-140 petition was filed is called your Priority Date. The Visa Bulletin is subdivided by countries, but if your country of citizenship is not listed, then you must use the "All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed" column to determine whether you are eligible to file your Adjustment of Status. If your priority date is current - meaning, your I-130/I-140 filing date is listed on the chart or your country's column has a "C" - you are eligible to file your green card application.
This month's visa bulletin will utilize the State Department's Dates for Filing chart. The highlights include:
Green Card Holders Sponsoring Their Spouses (F2A): For the first time in several months, green card holders seeking to sponsor their spouses are current and eligible to file green card applications. If you fall into this category, Adomat Immigration recommends filing your Adjustment of Status ASAP to take advantage of the current priority dates for this category.
EB-1 (Extraordinary Ability, Outstanding Researchers, Multinational Managers) applicants: All countries have moved forward by three months, except for China and India. Chinese applicants with a priority date of June 1, 2017 and Indian applicants with a priority date of March 1, 2015 are now eligible to file their green card applications.
EB-2 applicants: All countries are current, with the exception of China and India. The priority-date cutoff for Chinese applicants advanced by one month.
EB-3 applicants: Many countries that were current last month have retrogressed, which means that the priority date has been moved back. Now, USCIS is only accepting green card applications for applicants with a priority date of January 1, 2017 or earlier for applicants from all countries besides India and China.
So, what does this mean for you? To determine whether you are current and eligible to file your green card application, please schedule a consultation with Ayla Adomat, Esq. at ayla@adomatimmigration.com to discuss.