The January 2017 Visa Bulletin from the Department of State highlights significant demand in the EB-4 category, particularly from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, leading to possible retrogression of final action dates. Current trends suggest future cut-off dates may be needed for EB-1 India and China, as well as EB-2 worldwide, due to rising demand, while EB-3 has seen a minor uptick. Additionally, applicants should expect slow forward movement in categories like F-4 for Mexico, reflecting ongoing demand and unpredictable progression.

1. DOS UPDATE: VISA BULLETIN FOR JANUARY 2017
EB-4 EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS AND MEXICO. DOS continues to
observe huge demand in the EB-4 category, especially with respect to El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, and Mexico. As previously reported, this is largely due to demand for Special
Immigrant Juvenile (SIJS) visas from these countries.
As noted in the January 2017 Visa Bulletin, the final action dates for these categories may
retrogress at some point this fiscal year. When asked when this might occur, DOS stated that the
lack of visibility into USCIS demand in these categories makes it difficult to predict. It is unclear
whether the high usage is attributable to a one-time clearing out of SIJS-based I-485 cases which
had retrogressed briefly at the end of the last fiscal year, or whether there are still large numbers
of cases with early priority dates pending at USCIS.
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATION: As forward movement is not expected in the foreseeable
future, it would be prudent for individuals in these categories to wait for their priority dates to
become current before obtaining a medical exam.
EB-4 NUMBER USAGE AND PER COUNTRY LIMITS. As of mid-December, Mexico has
almost reached its EB-4 per country annual limit, and EB-4 El Salvador, Guatemala, and
Honduras has used approximately 75 percent of their available numbers. Though these countries
will benefit from additional "otherwise unused numbers" from other countries, because there is
significant (combined) demand from other countries, those numbers are likely to be smaller than
in prior years.
India has used more than 40 percent of its EB-4 per-country limit, attributable to EB-4 religious
workers as well as some SIJS. If usage continues at this pace, DOS expects that a final action
cut-off date will need to be imposed for EB-4 India at some point in the spring or summer
months.
EB-1. Based on current demand, DOS continues to predict that a final action cut-off date will
need to be imposed for EB-1 India and EB-1 China later this fiscal year.
EB-2. DOS expects to impose a final action cut-off date for EB-2 Worldwide at some point due
to sizeable demand across the board in this category. Pent-up demand from cases that otherwise
would have been approvable in August and September last fiscal year are partly responsible for
this surge in demand, as are EB-3 India upgrades.
China has already exceeded its EB-2 quarterly limit, so there is unlikely to be any major forward
movement in this category.
DOS continues to hope that EB-2 India will recover to the November 22, 2008 final action date
from May 2015. However, EB-3 upgrades could negatively impact that recovery.

2. EB-3. EB-3 Worldwide demand has dropped a bit, which allowed DOS to advance this category
a bit in January. At some point, when EB-2 Worldwide becomes subject to a final action cut-off
date, the public may see an EB-3 downgrade phenomenon which, to this point, has only been
seen with regard to China.
EB-5. EB-5 China should continue to advance, but is expected to do so very slowly, up to a few
weeks at a time. DOS reports huge demand for EB-5 Worldwide. Historically, China captured
80 percent of the available numbers in this category, whereas last year, China's share of EB-5
Worldwide dropped to 75 percent.
WHEN ASKED THE QUESTION: Do you have any projections regarding the expected
progress for the "final action" date in the F-4 category for MEXICO over the next few
months?
DOS RESPONDED: In January, the final action date for F-4 Mexico will be May 15, 1997.
Applicants should plan for slow forward movement over the coming months. There is a fair
amount of demand in this category so the public is not likely to see it advance up to two weeks at
a time. This may present itself in an alternating pattern in which there is no movement one month
but two weeks' movement the following month. Actual movement will depend upon the level of
demand in this category at different priority dates.
In other family-based categories, DOS reports that F-4 China and F-4 India should continue to
move along steadily.
For more information, or to speak to one of the immigration and nationality lawyers or attorneys
at the Nachman, Phulwani Zimovcak (NPZ) Law Group, P.C., please feel free to e-mail us at
info@visaserve.com or to call us at 201-670-0006 (x107).