Visa Bulletin for July 2003

U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Visa Services

Visa Bulletin

Number 59
Volume VIII
Washington, D.C.

IMMIGRANT NUMBERS FOR JULY 2003

A. STATUTORY NUMBERS

1. This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during June. Consular officers are required to report to the Department of State documentarily qualified applicants for numerically limited visas; the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security reports applicants for adjustment of status. Allocations were made, to the extent possible under the numerical limitations, for the demand received by June 6th in the chronological order of the reported priority dates. If the demand could not be satisfied within the statutory or regulatory limits, the category or foreign state in which demand was excessive was deemed oversubscribed. The cut-off date for an oversubscribed category is the priority date of the first applicant who could not be reached within the numerical limits. Only applicants who have a priority date earlier than the cut-off date may be allotted a number. Immediately that it becomes necessary during the monthly allocation process to retrogress a cut-off date, supplemental requests for numbers will be honored only if the priority date falls within the new cut-off date.
    
2. Section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) sets an annual minimum family-sponsored preference limit of 226,000. The worldwide level for annual employment-based preference immigrants is at least 140,000. Section 202 prescribes that the per-country limit for preference immigrants is set at 7% of the total annual family-sponsored and employment-based preference limits, i.e., 25,620. The dependent area limit is set at 2%, or 7,320
    
3. Section 203 of the INA prescribes preference classes for allotment of immigrant visas as follows:

FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES

First: Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Citizens: 23,400 plus any numbers not required for fourth preference.

Second: Spouses and Children, and Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Permanent
Residents: 114,200, plus the number (if any) by which the worldwide family preference level exceeds 226,000, and any unused first preference numbers:

1. Spouses and Children: 77% of the overall second preference limitation, of which 75% are exempt from the per-country limit;
    
2. Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older): 23% of the overall second preference limitation.

Third: Married Sons and Daughters of Citizens: 23,400, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences.

Fourth: Brothers and Sisters of Adult Citizens: 65,000, plus any numbers not required by first three preferences.

EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES

First: Priority Workers: 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required for fourth and fifth preferences.

Second: Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability: 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required by first preference.

Third: Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Other Workers: 28.6% of the worldwide level, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences, not more than 10,000 of which to "Other Workers."

Fourth: Certain Special Immigrants: 7.1% of the worldwide level.

Fifth: Employment Creation: 7.1% of the worldwide level, not less than 3,000 of which reserved for investors in a targeted rural or high-unemployment area, and 3,000 set aside for investors in regional centers by Sec. 610 of P.L. 102-395.

4. INA Section 203(e) provides that family-sponsored and employment-based preference visas be issued to eligible immigrants in the order in which a petition in behalf of each has been filed. Section 203(d) provides that spouses and children of preference immigrants are entitled to the same status, and the same order of consideration, if accompanying or following to join the principal. The visa prorating provisions of Section 202(e) apply to allocations for a foreign state or dependent area when visa demand exceeds the per-country limit. These provisions apply at present to the following oversubscribed chargeability areas: MEXICO, INDIA and PHILIPPINES.
    
5. On the chart below, the listing of a date for any class indicates that the class is oversubscribed (see paragraph 1); "C" means current, i.e., numbers are available for all qualified applicants; and "U" means unavailable, i.e., no numbers are available. (NOTE: Numbers are available only for applicants whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below.)

Priority Dates for Family Based Immigrant Visas

	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
Family
1st	15DEC99	15DEC99	15MAY94	15MAR89
2A*	15MAY98	15MAY98	15DEC95	15MAY98
2B	01DEC94	01DEC94	15NOV91	01DEC94
3rd	15APR97	15APR97	08MAR94	01JAN88
4th	15AUG91	22MAR90	15AUG91	01FEB81

*NOTE: For July, 2A numbers EXEMPT from per-country limit are available to applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than 15DEC95. 2A numbers SUBJECT to per-country limit are available to applicants chargeable to all countries EXCEPT MEXICO with priority dates beginning 15DEC95 and earlier than15MAY98. (All 2A numbers provided for MEXICO are exempt from the per-country limit; there are no 2A numbers for MEXICO subject to per-country limit.)

Priority Dates for Employment-Based Immigrant Visas

	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
Employment-Based
1st	C	C	C	C
2nd	C	C	C	C
3rd	C	C	C	C
Other Workers	C	C	C	C
4th	C	C	C	C
Certain Religious Workers	C	C	C	C
5th	C	C	C	C
Targeted Employment Areas/Regional Centers	C	C	C	C

The Department of State has available a recorded message with visa availability information which can be heard at: (202) 663-1541. This recording will be updated in the middle of each month with information on cut-off dates for the following month.

B. DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT (DV) CATEGORY

Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act provides a maximum of up to 55,000 immigrant visas each fiscal year to permit immigration opportunities for persons from countries other than the principal sources of current immigration to the United States. The Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NCARA) passed by Congress in November 1997 stipulates that beginning with DV-99, and for as long as necessary, up to 5,000 of the 55,000 annually-allocated diversity visas will be made available for use under the NCARA program. This reduction has resulted in the DV-2003 annual limit being reduced to 50,000. DV visas are divided among six geographic regions. No one country can receive more than seven percent of the available diversity visas in any one year.

For July, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2003 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows. When an allocation cut-off number is shown, visas are available only for applicants with DV regional lottery rank numbers BELOW the specified allocation cut-off number:

All DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately

Region

AFRICA: AF 31,650
ASIA: AS 18,050
EUROPE: EU 36,00
NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS): NA 19
OCEANIA: OC 615
SOUTH AMERICA, and the CARIBBEAN: SA 1,850

Entitlement to immigrant status in the DV category lasts only through the end of the fiscal (visa) year for which the applicant is selected in the lottery. The year of entitlement for all applicants registered for the DV-2003 program ends as of September 30, 2003. DV visas may not be issued to DV-2003 applicants after that date. Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-2003 principals are only entitled to derivative DV status until September 30, 2003. DV visa availability through the very end of FY-2003 cannot be taken for granted. Numbers could be exhausted prior to September 30. Once all numbers provided by law for the DV-2003 program have been used, no further issuances will be possible.

C. ADVANCE NOTIFICATION OF THE DIVERSITY (DV) IMMIGRANT CATEGORY RANK CUT-OFFS WHICH WILL APPLY IN JUNE

For August, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2003 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows. When an allocation cut-off number is shown, visas are available only for applicants with DV regional lottery rank numbers BELOW the specified allocation cut-off number:

All DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately

Region

AFRICA: AF 37,200
ASIA: AS 20,775
EUROPE: EU 37,200
NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS): NA Current
OCEANIA: OC Current
SOUTH AMERICA, and the CARIBBEAN: SA Current

D. OVERSUBSCRIPTION OF THE INDIA CHARGEABILITY

Continued heavy applicant demand for Family preference numbers has required the oversubscription of the INDIA chargeability for July, to hold issuances within the annual numerical limitation. The result has been the establishment of a cut-off date in the Family Fourth (F4) category that is earlier than the Worldwide date. The oversubscription will only impact applicants in the INDIA Family Fourth preference category.

The oversubscription of the INDIA chargeability will have no impact on visa availability in the India Employment categories, which will remain “Current”.



E. RETROGRESSION OF THE PHILIPPINES FAMILY FIRST, THIRD, AND FOURTH PREFERENCE CUT-OFF DATES

Continued heavy applicant demand has required a retrogression of the PHILIPPINES Family First, Third, and Fourth preference cut-off dates for July. This has been done in an effort to keep the issuance level within the annual numerical limits. Further retrogressions, or “unavailability”, prior the end of the fiscal year cannot be ruled out.

F. DETERMINATION OF THE NUMERICAL LIMITS ON IMMIGRANT REQUIRED UNDER THE TERMS OF THE IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT (INA)

The State Department is required to make a determination of the worldwide numerical limitations, as outlined in Section 201(c) and (d) of the INA, on an annual basis. These calculations are based in part on data provided by the Department of Homeland Security regarding the number of immediate relative adjustments in the preceding year and the number of aliens paroled into the United States under Section 212(d)(5) in the second preceding year. Without this information, it is impossible to make an official determination of the annual limits. To avoid delays in processing while waiting for the data, the Visa Office bases allocations on the minimum annual limits outlined in Section 201 of the INA.

The Department of State has determined the family and employment preference numerical limits for FY-2003 in accordance with the terms of Section 201 of the INA. These numerical limitations for FY-2003 are as follows:

Worldwide Family-Sponsored preference limit: 226,000
Worldwide Employment-Based preference limit: 171,532

Under INA Section 202(A), the per-country limit is fixed at 7% of the family and employment annual limits. For FY-2003 the per-country limit is 27,827. The dependent area annual limit is 2%, or 7,951.

G. OBTAINING THE MONTHLY VISA BULLETIN

The Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs offers the monthly "Visa Bulletin" on the INTERNET'S WORLDWIDE WEB. The INTERNET Web address to access the Bulletin is: http://travel.state.gov

From the home page, select the VISA section which contains the Visa Bulletin.

Individuals may also obtain the "Visa Bulletin" by FAX. From a FAX phone, dial (202) 647-3000. Follow the prompts and enter in the code 1522 to have each Bulletin FAXed.

To be placed on the Department of State’s E-mail subscription list for the “Visa Bulletin”, please provide your E-mail information to the following E-mail address:

VISABULLETIN@STATE.GOV

The Department of State also has available a recorded message with visa cut-off dates which can be heard at (202) 663-1541. The recording is normally updated by the middle of each month with information on cut-off dates for the following month.

The Visa Bulletin can also be contacted by e-mail at the following address:

VISABULLETIN@STATE.GOV

Department of State Publication 9514
CA/VO:June 9, 2003


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