Visa Bulletin for February 2019

The Department of State released the visa numbers for February.[1]
 

Final Action Dates for Family-Based Preference Cases

  • The first preference category for all chargeability areas, China, and India all advanced one month to 22SEP11. The Philippines gained two weeks, to 15MAR07.
  • The 2A preference category for all chargeability areas, China, India, and the Philippines all gained three weeks to 01DEC16. Mexico gained one month, to 15NOV16.
  • The 2B preference for all chargeability areas, China, and India all advanced about seven weeks to 01MAY12. Mexico gained two weeks to 22JUN97. The Philippines moved up nine days to 01JUL07.
  • The F3 preference for all chargeability areas, China, and India advanced one week to 22AUG06. Mexico remained at 22DEC95. The Philippines gained one month, to 22AUG95.
  • The F4 preference for all chargeability areas and China moved up one month to 22JUN05. India gained a week, to 22JUN04. Mexico remained at 08FEB98. The Philippines gained one month, to 01OCT95.
 
The Visa Bulletin for February notes the following related to these family numbers:
 
  • For February, F2A numbers exempt from per-country limits are authorized for issuance to applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than 15NOV16.
  • F2A numbers subject to per-country limit are authorized for issuance to applicants chargeable to all countries except Mexico with priority dates beginning 15NOV16 and earlier than 01DEC16. All F2A numbers provided for MEXICO are exempt from the per-country limit.
 

Dates for Filing Family-Sponsored Visa Applications

  • In the first preference category, all chargeability areas, China, and India each gained one month to stand at 08APR12; Mexico gained one month to 22SEP99.
  • In the 2B category, all chargeability areas and China gained one month to 22JUN14. Mexico gained five months to 08OCT97.
  • In the third preference category, Mexico gained five weeks, to 08JUN00. The Philippines gained two months, to 01AUG97
  • In the fourth preference category, the Philippines moved up about eight months, to 08DEC97.
 

Dates for Filing of Employment-Based Visa Applications

There was only one changed date for filing employment-based visa applications.
  •  China, mainland born gained about two months to stand at 01NOV15.

Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Preference Cases

  • For employment-based first preference, the application final action date advanced two months to 01DEC17 for all chargeability areas, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Philippines, and Vietnam. The date advanced about eight weeks for China and India, to 08FEB17.
  • The second preference date for China, mainland born, two months to 01OCT15.
  • The third preference category, including other workers, advanced forty days for the Philippines to 01AUG17.
  • In the fourth preference category, Mexico advanced four and a half months to 01SEP17.
  • The fourth-preference-other-workers category and fifth-preference-Regional-Center category are unavailable.
  • Vietnam gained two weeks in the fifth-preference non-regional  category to stand at 15JUN16.

Diversity Visa Category

For February, immigrant visa numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2019 applicants chargeable to all regions and eligible countries as follows (visas are available only for applicants with lottery rank numbers below the cut-off number):
 
  • Africa: 13,800, except Egypt: 9,500
  • Asia: 4,400, except Iran: 3,400 and Nepal: 2,800
  • Europe: 10,000
  • North America (Bahamas): 12
  • Oceania: 450
  • South America and the Caribbean: 625.
 
For March, immigrant visa numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2019 applicants chargeable to all regions and eligible countries as follows:
  • Africa: 15,300, except Egypt: 12,600
  • Asia: 5,000, except Iran: 4,600 and Nepal: 3,400
  • Europe: 13,500
  • North America (Bahamas): 12
  • Oceania: 550
  • South America and the Caribbean: 750.
 
 
[1] USCIS has not yet posted an announcement on its website informing adjustment-of-status applicants which charts they must use when filing employment-based and family-based applications. USCIS plans to post its announcement within one week of the DOS’ publication of the visa bulletin. When it does, it will be posted at http://www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo.