Visa Bulletin December 2023

The December 2023 Visa Bulletin is now available. The new tables include dates for consular filing and final visa issuance action by U.S. embassies or consulates.

If you want to see the tables of the Visa Bulletin December 2023 on Filing for Adjustment of Status (immigrant visa applications filed within the U.S.) of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) click here.

What is the Visa Bulletin?

Each month, the U.S. Department of State publishes a report that specifies the availability and priority date of immigrant visas that are ready for processing and establishes the cut-off date after which visas will no longer be available for each visa category.

The Visa Bulletin The program orders applicants' priority dates according to visa categories: family-based, employment-based, and diversity visa program (visa lottery) petitions. It also updates the dates for the various categories based on the immigrants' countries of origin, the number of visas that have been issued so far, and an estimate of the demand for visas. Information in the Visa Bulletin may change from month to month.

It is useful to find out how much of a delay there is for different types of visa applications. This monthly visa bulletin serves as a guide for the National Visa Center (NVC) for visa processing and visa issuance in the United States. U.S. consulates and embassies.

USCIS also uses the Visa Bulletin to determine whether it can accept or adjudicate an Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.

If you are waiting your turn for a visa, this document allows you to monitor and check the progress, delay or non-movement of deadlines to know when your priority date is being processed.

How to read the tables and priority dates of the December 2023 Visa Bulletin

The U.S. Department of State and USCIS publish two tables for all visa preference categories with the following information:

In sections where a "C" is marked, it means that the category is current or available, and that applications may be filed regardless of the applicant's priority date.

If your priority date is current, you may apply for a visa when you meet the requirements.

In the sections where a "U" is marked, it means that the category is "not current" or "unavailable", and that "no" applications can be filed regardless of the applicant's priority date.

Final Action Dates: dates on which immigrant visas can finally be issued.

Dates for Filing: earliest date a person can file an application for a visa. An immigrant's country of birth is also a factor in determining the availability of a visa.

The NVC notifies immigrants by email or regular mail about how to apply for a visa through the consular channel. You should review and follow their instructions carefully.

Visa Bulletin December 2023

These are the tables of the Visa Bulletin for December 2023 of the U.S. Department of State published for cases based on the family, employment and the lote of visas for fiscal year 2024:

Final Action Dates for Family Based Case Requests

Types of Family Preference

• First preference (F1): unmarried children, over the age of twenty-one, of U.S. citizens.
• Second preference A (F2A): spouses of permanent residents and unmarried children, under the age of twenty-one, of permanent residents.
• Second preference B (F2B): unmarried children, over the age of twenty-one, of permanent residents.
• Third preference (F3): married children of U.S. citizens, their spouses and unmarried children under the age of twenty-one.
• Fourth preference (F4): Siblings of U.S. citizens, their spouses and unmarried children under 21 years of age.

All countries except those listed

Family-based preference	All countries except those listed	MEXICO
F1	01JAN15	01MAY01
F2A	08FEB19	01FEB19
F2B	22SEP15	01MAY02
F3	08JAN09	22MAR98
F4	22ABR07	15SEP00

Mainland China, India and the Philippines

Dates for submitting family-based case applications

All countries except those listed

Mainland China, India and the Philippines

Final action dates for employment-based case applications

Types of Employment Preference:

• First preference (EB-1): priority workers.
• Second preference (EB-2): professionals with advanced degrees and persons of exceptional ability.
• Third preference (EB-3): skilled workers, professionals and unskilled workers.
• Fourth preference (EB-4): certain special immigrants.
• Fifth preference (EB-5): immigrant investors.

All countries except those listed

Category based on employment	All countries except those listed	MEXICO
1st	C	C
2nd	15JUL22	15JUL22
3rd	01DEC21	01DEC21
Other Workers	01AGO20	01AGO20
4th	01JAN19	01JAN19
Certain Religious Workers	U	U
5th No Reservations (including C5, T5, I5, R5)	C	C
5th Reserve: Rural (20%)	C	C
5th Reserve: High Unemployment Rate (10%)	C	C
5th Reserve: Infrastructure (2%)	C	C

Mainland China, India and the Philippines

Dates for submitting applications for employment-based cases

All countries except those listed

Category based on employment	All countries except those listed	MEXICO
1st	C	C
2nd	01JAN23	01JAN23
3rd	01FEB23	01FEB23
Other Workers	15DEC20	15DEC20
4th	01MAR19	01MAR19
Certain Religious Workers	01MAR19	01MAR19
5th No Reservations (including C5, T5, I5, R5)	C	C
5th Reserve: Rural (20%)	C	C
5th Reserve: High Unemployment Rate (10%)	C	C
5th Reserve: Infrastructure (2%)	C	C

Mainland China, India and the Philippines

How to read the table of cases based on the FY2024 Diversity Visa Program (DV, Visa Lottery)

Below are the allocation cut-off numbers for diversity visas, based on region or eligible countries, for applicants who meet all requirements. When a maximum number is shown, it means that there are only visas available for DV applicants below the number specifically allocated in the region.

The person who "wins the lottery" is only entitled to receive immigrant status in the DV category until the end of the visa fiscal year for which he or she was selected. For all applicants registered in the FY 2024 visa lottery, that entitlement ends on September 30, 2024. DV visas may not be issued to DV-2023 lottery participants after that date.

This also applies to the spouses and children of the winners of the fiscal year 2024 visa lotteryThe DV visas are only eligible for derivative DV status until September 30, 2024. There can be no guarantee that DV visas will be available until the end of fiscal year 2024, because they could be exhausted before September 30, 2024.

Dates for submitting FY 2024 visa lottery-based case applications by December 2023

Region	All DV chargeability areas except those listed separately
AFRICA	11.000	Excluding: Algeria 10,500 Egypt 10,000 Morocco 10,000
ASIA	3.000	Except: Iran 2,800 Nepal 2,500
EUROPE	6.000	Except: Russia 5,900 Uzbekistan 3,000
NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS)	5
OCEANIA	450
SOUTH AMERICA, and the CARIBBEAN	600

Dates for filing FY2024 visa lottery-based case applications for January 2024

Additional information and forecasts

Scheduled expiration of the category of fourth preference employees (SR)

In accordance with H.R. 5860, signed into law on September 30, 2023, the non-minister special immigrant program expires on November 17, 2023.

No SR visas may be issued abroad, nor may final action be taken on adjustment of status cases, after midnight on November 16, 2023.

Visas issued prior to this date will only be issued with a validity date of November 16, 2023, and all persons seeking admission as a nonimmigrant special immigrant must be admitted to the United States no later than midnight on November 16, 2023.

For all countries, the SR category is marked as "Not Available" in the December 2023 Visa Bulletin.

If legislation is passed to expand the category, it is likely to become available immediately. If the category is expanded, it will be subject to the same final action dates as the other Fourth Employment Preference categories, as determined by the applicable country of chargeability.

Immigration consultation

Anyone who has questions about U.S. immigration law, including how to read the Visa Bulletin and apply for an immigrant visa through consular channels or adjustment of status, should immediately consult with a licensed and experienced U.S. immigration attorney to determine their legal immigration options.

Avoid being victim of immigration fraud and never consult with notaries, immigration consultants, paper-fillers, multi-services and others. unlicensed persons to obtain immigration legal advice.

Dr. Nelson A. Castillo is an immigration attorney with over 20 years of legal experience and author of La Tarjeta Verde: Cómo Obtener la Residencia Permanente en los Estados Unidos (Green Card: How to Obtain Permanent Residence in the United States). He is a former President of the Hispanic National Bar Association and the Westlake South Neighborhood Council of Los Angeles.

For information on how to consult with Dr. Castillo, click here. click here.