The document summarizes updates from the Department of State's July 2018 Visa Bulletin. It reports that: 1) EB-1 China and India preference categories will remain at January 1, 2012, and this date is expected to hold for the remainder of the fiscal year. 2) EB-2 India will advance to March 15, 2009 in July, and is likely to hold at that date through the fiscal year. 3) EB-2 China will leap forward four months to January 1, 2015 in an effort to generate more demand for that preference category.

1. DOS' Update: VISA BULLETIN FOR JULY 2018
Employment-Based Preference Categories
EB-1 China and EB-1 India remain steady at January 1, 2012, and DOS anticipates this date
will hold for the remainder of the fiscal year. It is hoped that these categories will become
current again on October 1, 2018, but demand trends will be monitored over the summer. If
USCIS District Offices are not interviewing EB-1 China and EB-1 India applicants with
priority dates beyond the established final action date, DOS may not have clear visibility into
total demand. If there is a surge in demand for these categories beginning in October, it could
cause a final action date to be imposed more quickly in the fiscal year than otherwise anticipated.
DOS expects that a final action date for EB-1 Worldwide will be imposed either in August or
September, but notes that the category will return to current in October.
EB-2 India breaks into 2009, advancing almost three months to March 15, 2009 in July, and is
likely to hold at that date through this fiscal year. DOS has significant demand in the pending
demand file for this category and chose this date to offset the low demand for numbers under the
worldwide annual limit through mid-May. This advancement of the EB-2 India final action date
will help ensure that all EB-2 visa numbers are used by the end of the fiscal year.
EB-2 Worldwide demand has been increasing in recent weeks, but it is too early to tell if it will
be sustained. If this trend continues or increases, DOS may need to impose a final action date in
August or September. If that occurs, EB-2 Worldwide will return to current in October.
Demand for EB-2 China has been low in recent months despite the steady movement of the final
action date. In July, EB-2 China will leap forward four months to January 1, 2015, in an effort to
generate demand. EB-3 China demand is extremely high, attributable to hundreds of
downgrades, and has reached its per country limit. This results in the final action dates for EB-2
China and EB-3 China flipping again-with EB-2 China now a full two years ahead of EB-3
China. Members should not expect any further advancement in EB-3 China this fiscal year, with
the final action date returning to June 1, 2015 in October. DOS will continue to watch this and
notes that as the final action dates for EB-2 China and EB-3 China get closer together, we may
see the downgrade trend of the last few years start to diminish.
As predicted, EB-4 Mexico exhausted its annual limit and in July, its final action date will track
that of EB-4 El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras at February 8, 2016. DOS expects EB-4
Mexico to return to a final action date of October 22, 2016 in October but predicts that the final
action date for EB-4 El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras will likely hold for the first few
months of the next fiscal year.
EB-4 India demand is increasing and may result in the imposition of a final action date in
August or September. If that occurs, the category will return to current in October.
EB-5 China Non-Regional Center and Regional Center will hold at August 1, 2014 in July
and is expected to remain at that date at least through September.

2. Family-Based Preference Categories
The family-based preference categories continue to advance modestly. DOS notes low response
rates to Agent of Choice Letters, particularly in FB-3, which is causing the dates to move
somewhat more rapidly than they otherwise would.
If you should have any questions or need more information about the ways in which the U.S.
Immigration and Nationality Laws may impact you, your family, your friends or your colleagues,
please contact the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Lawyers at the NPZ Law Group –
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