The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) receives thousands of green card applications every year, which creates a significant backlog. In result, the U.S. Department of State issues the monthly Visa Bulletin, providing updated priority dates and application quota numbers.

Each date indicates how long the current backlog is, as well as the expected processing time.

June 2015: Family-Based Green Card Visa Bulletin

Source: USCIS

Month-to-Month Changes
Overall, there wasn’t much movement for family-based green cards since May. Most categories advanced two weeks to a month, however, some stood the same. The biggest update: F-1 green card petitions from the Philippines regressed five years to March 1, 2000.

Trends
The eight-month trend for family-based green cards shows consistent advancement for most categories. While there is multiple-month movement, the priority dates haven’t jumped more than six months in most cases.

Family-based green card categories:

• F1: Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens
• F2A: Spouses and children of legal permanent residents (LPRs)
• F2B: Unmarried adult children of LPRs
• F3: Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens
• F4: Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens

June 2015: Employment-Based Green Card Visa Bulletin

Source: USCIS

Month-to-Month Changes

• EB-2 China green cards advanced one year
• EB-3 and other worker green cards from the Philippines regressed two years
• EB-3 and other worker green cards from China advanced a few months

Trends

• EB-2’s China green cards have consistency advanced one year in the last few months with a 4-year advancement in the last eight months. If this green card category applies to you, keep an eye on your priority date because it could continue advancing in the future.
• For most countries EB-3 and other worker priority dates advanced two years in the last few months with a four-year advancement in the last eight-month period.
• In the last eight months Mexico’s EB-3 and other worker priority dates have advanced four years and are near current.
• EB-2, EB-3 and other worker green cards for Indian citizens have advanced by a few months in the last eight-month period.

Employment-based green card categories:

• EB-1: Priority workers with extraordinary abilities, outstanding professors or researchers, and executives or managers who’ve transferred to the U.S.
• EB-2: Individuals with advanced degrees, exceptional abilities, or those holding national interest waivers
• EB-3: Skilled workers, professionals, and others who don’t qualify for EB-1 or EB-2
• EB-4: Religious workers, broadcasters, Iraq/Afghan translators, Iraqis who have assisted the U.S., physicians, Armed Forces members, Panama Canal Zone employees, Retired NATO-6 employees, spouses and children of deceased NATO-6 employees
• EB-5: Investors who are investing in a new commercial enterprise

Subscribe to our Immigration Blog for an update on next month’s Visa Bulletin. If you need assistance filing a family- or employment-based green card, contact VISANOW.