LawFlash

US Department of State Releases July 2022 Visa Bulletin

June 14, 2022

In July 2022, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services will use the Final Action chart. China EB-2 Final Action cutoff dates will advance by one month and India EB-2 Final Action cutoff dates will advance by three months. All other Final Action cutoff dates remain unchanged.

The US Department of State has released its July 2022 Visa Bulletin, outlining per-country priority date cutoffs that regulate immigrant visa availability and the flow of adjustment of status application and consular immigrant visa application filings and approvals.

WHAT DOES THE JULY 2022 VISA BULLETIN SAY?

The bulletin includes both a Dates for Filing Visa Applications chart and an Application Final Action Dates chart. The former indicates when intending immigrants may file their applications for adjustments of status or immigrant visas, and the latter indicates when adjustment of status applications or immigrant visa applications may be approved and permanent residence granted.

Each month, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) chooses which chart it will follow. For July 2022, the USCIS will follow the Final Action chart for employment-based (EB) filings for adjustment of status. This means that individuals seeking to file applications for adjustment of status with the USCIS in July 2022 must use the Final Action chart below.

FINAL ACTION CUTOFF DATES

To be eligible to file an EB adjustment application in July 2022, a foreign national must have a priority date that is earlier than the date listed below for their preference category and country. The “C” listing indicates that the category is current, and that applications may be filed regardless of the applicant’s priority date. The listing of a date for any category indicates that only applicants with a priority date that is earlier than the listed date may file their applications.

Employment-
based

All Chargeability
Areas Except
Those Listed

China –
mainland
born

El Salvador,
Guatemala,
Honduras

India

Mexico

Philippines

1st

C

C

C

C

C

C

2nd

C

01APR19
(was 01MAR19)

C

01DEC14
(was 01SEP14)

C

C

3rd

C

22MAR18

C

15JAN12

C

C

Other Workers

C

01JUN12

08MAY19

15JAN12

C

C

4th

C

C

01MAY17

C

01APR20

C

 

The USCIS is using the Final Action Cutoff Dates chart in July 2022. The EB-2 cutoff date for China will advance by one month to April 1, 2019. This means that China EB-2 applicants whose I-485 applications have not yet been filed and have a priority date before April 1, 2019, can file their I-485 applications with the USCIS.

The EB-2 cutoff date for India will advance by three months to December 1, 2014. This means that India EB-2 applicants whose I-485 applications have not yet been filed and have a priority date before December 1, 2014, can file their I-485 applications with the USCIS.

All EB-1 priority date cutoffs remain current (C), and all other Final Action cutoff dates remain unchanged.

CONTACTS

If you have any questions or would like more information on the issues discussed in this alert, please contact any of the following Morgan Lewis lawyers:

Miami
Laura C. Garvin 

Washington, DC
Eric S. Bord
Shannon A. Donnelly
Eleanor Pelta