Federal Agencies, Visa Bulletins

Visa Bulletin for June 1999

5/14/99 AILA Doc. No. 99051459. Adjustment of Status, Business Immigration, Consular Processing, Family Immigration, Family-Based Immigrants

United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
VISA BULLETIN
Number 6
Volume VIII
Washington, D.C.

IMMIGRANT NUMBERS FOR JUNE 1999

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 Immigration and Naturalization Service reports applicants for adjustment of status. Allocations were made, to the extent possible under the numerical limitations, for the demand received by May 10th 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:

A. Spouses and Children: 77% of the overall second preference limitation, of which 75% are exempt from the per-country limit;

B. 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: CHINA-mainland born, INDIA, MEXICO, 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.)

PREFERENCES

	          All Charge-

	          ability Areas	CHINA-   

	          Except Those	mainland    

	          Listed	born	   INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES

Family



1st              15FEB98	15FEB98	   15FEB98	08AUG93	22AUG87



2A*              22DEC94	22DEC94	   22DEC94	22NOV93	22DEC94



2B               08JUL92	08JUL92	   08JUL92	22JUL91	08JUL92



3rd              01AUG95	01AUG95	   01AUG95	08NOV90	01JUL87



4th              22JUL88	22JUL88	   15AUG86	01APR88	15JAN79

*NOTE: For June, 2A numbers EXEMPT from per-country limit are available to applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than 22NOV93. 2A numbers SUBJECT to per-country limit are available to applicants chargeable to all countries EXCEPT MEXICO with priority dates beginning 22NOV93 and earlier than 22DEC94. (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.)

All Charge- ability Areas CHINA- Except Those mainland Listed born INDIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES Employment- Based 1st C 01JUL98 C C C 2nd C 22MAY97 08JAN98 C C 3rd C 15MAY95 15MAY96 C C

Other 01NOV92 01NOV92 01NOV92 01NOV92 01NOV92 Workers 4th C C C C C Certain C C C C C Religious Workers 5th C C C C C Targeted Employ- C C C C C ment Areas/ Regional Centers

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 50,000 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. DV visas are divided among six geographic regions. Not more than 3,500 visas (7% of the 50,000 visa limit) may be provided to immigrants from any one country.

For June, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-99 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 Charge-

                 ability Areas

                 Except Those

  Region         Listed Separately

 

  AFRICA              AF 33,500        



  ASIA                AS 10,000

 

  EUROPE              EU 20,460      EXCEPT:	ALBANIA  EU 16,290

	                                                 

  NORTH AMERICA       NA     24

   (BAHAMAS)

 

  OCEANIA             OC    950  

 

  SOUTH AMERICA,      SA  2,600

    CENTRAL AMERICA,

    and the CARIBBEAN

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-99 program ends as of September 30, 1999. DV visas may not be issued to DV-99 applicants after that date. Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-99 principals are only entitled to derivative DV status until September 30, 1999. DV visa availability through the very end of FY-1999 cannot be taken for granted. Numbers could be exhausted prior to September 30. Once all numbers provided by law for the DV-99 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 JULY AND AUGUST

For July, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-99 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows:

		 All DV Charge-

                 ability Areas

                 Except Those

  Region         Listed Separately

 

  AFRICA              AF 38,180      

  ASIA                AS 11,970		

  EUROPE              EU 22,340      EXCEPT:	ALBANIA  EU 18,900

  NORTH AMERICA       NA     24

   (BAHAMAS)

  OCEANIA             OC  1,012  

  SOUTH AMERICA,      SA  2,850

    CENTRAL AMERICA,

    and the CARIBBEAN

For August, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-99 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows:

		 All DV Charge-

                 ability Areas

                 Except Those

  Region         Listed Separately

 

  AFRICA              AF Current      

  ASIA                AS Current		

  EUROPE              EU 25,100  

  NORTH AMERICA       NA     24

   (BAHAMAS)

  OCEANIA             OC  Current  

  SOUTH AMERICA,      SA  3,071

    CENTRAL AMERICA,

    and the CARIBBEAN

Additional items will be added in a few days.