The December 2024 Visa Bulletin delivers important updates for both family-sponsored and employment-based immigration categories, affecting applicants from major countries such as India and China. While China sees steady, albeit modest, progress in employment-based categories, India faces further retrogression, intensifying backlogs for those in advanced degree and skilled worker categories. Family-sponsored categories show limited changes, maintaining priority dates from previous months.
Family-Sponsored Preference Visas:
- F2A (Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents): The final action date remains unchanged at January 1, 2022, providing continuity from previous months, including Mexico, which stays at April 2021 for F2A dates subject to the per-country limit.
- F1, F3, and F4 Categories: No advancements are seen across most chargeability areas. For example, F1 (Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens) remains set at October 22, 2015, indicating continued backlogs.
Employment-Based Preference Visas:
- EB-1 (Priority Workers): The final action date for India is retrogressed to February 1, 2022, while China remains at November 8, 2022. All other countries continue as current.
- EB-2 (Advanced Degree Holders): India experienced another setback with the cutoff date retrogressed to August 1, 2012, while China’s cutoff holds at March 22, 2020, maintaining some progress.
- EB-3 (Skilled Workers): Minor advancements for China to April 1, 2020, while India retrogresses to November 8, 2012.
- EB-5 (Investors): The EB-5 unreserved category cutoff remains at January 1, 2022 for India and July 15, 2016 for China.
Key Trends:
- Continued Retrogression for India: Indian applicants see a further backslide, particularly in EB-2, which now stands at August 1, 2012, exacerbating delays.
- China’s Steady Progress: Although modest, China sees some forward movement in EB-3 and stability in EB-1, suggesting steady progress relative to India.
- Family-Based Stability: Family-based visa categories remain largely unchanged, reflecting persistent backlogs across categories and limited advancements for Mexico in F2.
The December 2024 Visa Bulletin reveals a challenging environment for Indian nationals, with further retrogressions in employment-based categories. China continues to progress gradually, and family-sponsored preferences see minimal adjustments.
Conclusion
The December 2024 Visa Bulletin paints a mixed picture for immigrant visa applicants. While China continues to experience incremental forward movement in employment-based categories, India faces prolonged waiting periods with additional retrogression, especially in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories. Family-sponsored categories remain relatively stagnant, reflecting ongoing high demand and limited visa availability. Staying informed on these changes is essential for applicants to navigate the complex U.S. immigration process and plan for potential impacts on their application timelines.
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JEREMY L. RICHARDS is the founding partner of Richards and Jurusik and has dedicated his career to U.S. immigration law, with a specialized focus on assisting Canadian and Mexican citizens under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to work and live in the United States. (Full Bio)
