United States: March 2023 Visa Bulletin – Main Employment-Based Categories Hold Steady; USCIS to Accept Employment-Based Adjustment Applications Based on Dates for Filing

USCIS has announced that next month it will accept employment-based adjustment of status applications with priority dates that are earlier than the Dates for Filing listed in the Department of State’s March Visa Bulletin.

According to the State Department’s March Visa Bulletin, the employment-based Dates for Filing – which will determine whether an adjustment of status application can be filed with USCIS in March – will be as follows:

• EB-1: All countries will remain current, except for India and China, which will have a cutoff date of June 1, 2022.
• EB-2: India will remain at May 1, 2012. China will remain at July 8, 2019. All other countries will remain at December 1, 2022.
• EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers: India will remain at August 1, 2012, and China will remain at September 1, 2018. All other countries will remain current.
• EB-3 Other Workers: India will remain at August 1, 2012. China will remain at November 1, 2015. All other countries will remain at February 1, 2020.
• EB-4: El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras will remain at April 15, 2018. India will retrogress over one year, to April 1, 2021, Mexico will retrogress six weeks, to September 1, 2020, and all other countries will retrogress over four months, to March 1, 2022.
• EB-5: For the EB-5 Unreserved categories (C5, T5, I5, and R5), China will remain at January 1, 2016, India will remain at December 8, 2019, and all other countries will remain current. The EB-5 “Set-Aside” categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure) will also remain current.

The employment-based Final Action cutoff dates – which will determine whether an adjustment of status or immigrant visa application can be approved in March – will be as follows: 

• EB-1: All countries will remain current, except for India and China, which will have a cutoff date of February 1, 2022.
• EB-2: India will remain at October 8, 2011. China will remain at June 8, 2019. All other countries will remain at November 1, 2022.
• EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers: India will remain at June 15, 2012, and China will remain at August 1, 2018. All other countries will remain current.
• EB-3 Other Workers: China will advance by over six months, to July 1, 2014. India will remain at June 15, 2012, and all other countries will remain at January 1, 2020.
• EB-4: El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras will remain at March 15, 2018. India will retrogress over one year, to March 1, 2021, Mexico will retrogress six weeks, to August 1, 2020, and all other countries will retrogress over four months, to February 1, 2022.
• EB-5: For the EB-5 Unreserved categories (C5, T5, I5, and R5), China will advance over three months, to July 8, 2015, India will retrogress by over 17 months, to June 1, 2018, and all other countries will remain current. The EB-5 “Set-Aside” categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure) will also remain current.