What is the Department of State Visa Bulletin?
| The Immigration
and Nationality Act, sets annual minimum family sponsored preference and
employment based preference limits of immigrant visas. Family sponsored (except immediate
relatives) and employment based immigration are
numerically limited based upon country, thus a "quota" system.
The United States Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Visa Bulletin, which is published monthly, summarizes the availability of immigrant visa number during a specific month for the preference categories. Consular officers are required to report to the Department of State qualified applicants for numerically limited visas and the Immigration and Naturalization Service reports applicants for adjustment of status. Only applicants who have a priority date earlier than the cut off date may be allocated a number. The following are family and employment based preferences in general. FAMILY SPONSORED PREFERENCES ARE AS FOLLOWS: First Preference: Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Citizens. Second Preference: Spouses and Children, and Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Permanent Residents. a) Spouses and Children;b) Unmarried Sons and Daughters. Third Preference: Married Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older). Fourth Preference: Brothers and Sisters of Adult Citizens. EMPLOYMENT BASED PREFERENCES ARE AS FOLLOWS: First Preference: Priority Workers. Second Preference: Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability. Third Preference: Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Other Workers. Fourth Preference: Certain Special Immigrants. Fifth Preference: Employment Creation. See Department of State Visa Bulletin link in our "Related Links" section. |