JUNE 2015 VISA BULLETIN UPDATE

The Department of State (DOS) released its June 2015 Visa Bulletin which shows the availability of employment-based immigrant visa categories for the month of June. Below is a summary of the bulletin highlights:

• The EB-2 India category continues to experience significant advancement from April 15, 2008 to October 1, 2008.
• The EB-2 China category also continues to advance from June 1, 2012 to June 1, 2013.
• The EB-3 India category advances only one week from January 15, 2004 to January 22, 2004.
• The EB-3 World and Mexico categories advance one month from January 1, 2015 to February 15, 2015.
• The EB-3 Philippines category sees a further retrogression from July 1, 2007 to January 1, 2005. The DOS has indicated that this retrogression is required to contain the use of immigrant visas this category for this fiscal year.
• The EB-3 China category sees an advancement of four months from May 1, 2011 to September 1, 2011.
• The EB-5 China category remains cut-off at May 1, 2013. The DOS has indicated that it is possible that this category will see no further advancement this fiscal year and that it may need to be retrogressed further.

Comparison to Prior Months

The following is a comparison of priority date movement since the inception of the current retrogression in 2007:

FY2016 DIVERSITY VISA LOTTERY PROGRAM WINNERS CHOSEN

The Department of State (DOS) has posted the winners of the Diversity Visa Lottery Program for fiscal year 2016 on their website at: http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ESC/ The Diversity Visa Lottery Program allocates for 50,000 immigrant visas "green cards" to be granted annually to foreign nationals that meet certain requirements from countries that have low rates of immigration to the United States. Last year, the DOS received over 9.3 million entries.

The DOS will not notify winners. Applicants must go to the abovementioned link using the confirmation number that they received at the time they submitted their application to check whether they were chosen. Applicants who have lost their confirmation number will not be able to check the status of their application and will have to apply for the next year's program. The case status check website is available until September 30, 2016.

If an applicant's entry was selected, the DOS case status website will provide further instructions on next steps. Selectees must submit a Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa Electronic Application online through the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC), prepare supporting documentation and attend an interview at their local US Embassy or Consulate. Applicants who are already present in the United States, may be able to process for their green card in the United States.

Individuals that were selected are reminded that they must act immediately to complete the process since not all selected entries are guaranteed a green card. The DOS notifies over 100,000 individuals that they were selected to ensure that the full 50,000 visas are used during the fiscal year. The program works on a first-come first-serve basis, therefore, selectees that either do not meet the program requirements or that wait too long to complete the process may not be able to obtain a green card.