Visa Bulletin Archive for September 2023

You are accessing an archived version of the U.S. Visa Bulletin. You can view the latest Visa Bulletin here.

The U.S. Department of State released its Visa Bulletin for September 2023. That’s a big deal if you’re waiting for your priority date to be current so that your green card application can move forward.

If you don’t know what a “visa bulletin” or a “priority date” is, we’ve got you covered. Start by checking out the Boundless guide on How to Read the Visa Bulletin.

If you’re already familiar with those terms, scroll down to our summary of key developments or to the filing category that’s most relevant to you:

Family-based categories

• F-1: Unmarried Children (Age 21 and Older) of U.S. Citizens
• F-2A: Spouses and Unmarried Children (Under Age 21) of U.S. Green Card Holders
• F-2B: Unmarried Children (Age 21 or Older) of U.S. Green Card Holders
• F-3: Married Children of U.S. Citizens
• F-4: Siblings of U.S. Citizens

Employment-based categories

• EB-1: Extraordinary People, Outstanding Researchers and Professors, and Multinational Executives and Managers
• EB-2: Exceptional People and Advanced Degree Holders
• EB-3: Bachelor’s Degree Holders, Skilled Workers, and Unskilled Workers
• EB-4: Special Immigrants
• EB-5: Investors

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Every month, USCIS announces whether applicants already living in the United States should file their “adjustment of status” applications based on the “Final Action Dates” or the “Dates for Filing.”

For September, family-based applicants must use the “Dates for Filing” (available on the State Department’s website), while employment-based applicants must use the “Final Action Dates” (also available on the State Department’s website).

IMPORTANT UPDATE August 2023: The final adjudication dates for F2A applications (spouses and unmarried children under age 21 of U.S. green card holders) have continued to lengthen, meaning that even though a green card holder sponsor can file their application for a spouse or child to immigrate to the U.S., these applications won’t be processed for several years. Prior to August, a green card holder sponsor who filed in 2020 would just now be able to receive a decision on their case, but starting in August this same sponsor would have had to file in 2017 to receive a decision this month. This means that the total time many green card holder sponsors may wait to reunite with their families could exceed seven years or more.

Family-Based Green Card Backlogs

F-1: UNMARRIED CHILDREN (AGE 21 AND OLDER) OF U.S. CITIZENS

This category sees no change for all countries.

F-2A: SPOUSES AND UNMARRIED CHILDREN (UNDER AGE 21) OF U.S. GREEN CARD HOLDERS

For the first time in years, this category is no longer current, meaning the spouses and minor children of U.S. green card holders will wait longer for their green card applications to be processed.

F-2B: UNMARRIED CHILDREN (AGE 21 OR OLDER) OF U.S. GREEN CARD HOLDERS

This category sees no change for all countries.

F-3: MARRIED CHILDREN OF U.S. CITIZENS

This category sees no change for all countries.

F-4: SIBLINGS OF U.S. CITIZENS

This category sees no change for all countries.

EB-1: EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE, OUTSTANDING RESEARCHERS AND PROFESSORS, AND MULTINATIONAL EXECUTIVES AND MANAGERS

This category sees no change for all countries.

EB-2: EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE AND ADVANCED DEGREE HOLDERS

This category sees a 3-month change for General Category, Central America, Mexico, and the Philippines.

EB-3: Bachelor’s Degree Holders, Skilled Workers, And Unskilled Workers

This category sees a 3-month change for China and no change for all other countries.

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The EB-4 “special immigrants” category and the EB-5 “investors” category saw no changes this month.

Why This Matters

If you’re in line for a green card, it’s important to keep track of actual changes (and likely future developments) in the Visa Bulletin. It’s always a good idea to prepare all the documents needed for your green card application ahead of time, so you can be ready to file as quickly as possible once the Visa Bulletin shows that a green card is available to you. By failing to file in a month when a green card is available, you risk facing a surprise backward movement (“retrogression”) in the next Visa Bulletin, which would close your window of opportunity for filing a green card application. Stay tuned for next month’s update! As always, we’ll highlight all the important changes for you.

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