The March 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 March 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 Visa Bulletin March 2023
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 March 2023
These are the tables of the Visa Bulletin for March 2023 of the U.S. Department of State published for cases based on the family, employment and the fiscal year 2023 visa lottery:
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 | 01DEC14 | 01ABR01 |
| F2A | C | C |
| F2B | 22SEP15 | 01JUN01 |
| F3 | 22NOV08 | 15NOV97 |
| F4 | 22MAR07 | 01AGO00 |
Mainland China, India and the Philippines
| Family-based preference | CHINA - mainland | INDIA | PHILIPPINES |
| F1 | 01DEC14 | 01DEC14 | 01MAR12 |
| F2A | C | C | C |
| F2B | 22SEP15 | 22SEP15 | 22OCT11 |
| F3 | 22NOV08 | 22NOV08 | 08JUN02 |
| F4 | 22MAR07 | 15SEP05 | 22 AUG02 |
Dates for submitting family-based case applications
All countries except those listed
| Family-based preference | All countries except those listed | MEXICO |
| F1 | 08AUG16 | 01DEC02 |
| F2A | C | C |
| F2B | 01JAN17 | 01JAN02 |
| F3 | 08NOV09 | 15JUN01 |
| F4 | 15DEC07 | 01ABR01 |
Mainland China, India and the Philippines
| Family-based preference | CHINA - mainland | INDIA | PHILIPPINES |
| F1 | 08AUG16 | 08AUG16 | 22APR15 |
| F2A | C | C | C |
| F2B | 01JAN17 | 01JAN17 | 01OCT13 |
| F3 | 08NOV09 | 08NOV09 | 08NOV03 |
| F4 | 15DEC07 | 22FEB06 | 22ABR04 |
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 | EL SALVADOR GUATEMALA HONDURAS | MEXICO |
| 1st | C | C | C |
| 2nd | 01NOV22 | 01NOV22 | 01NOV22 |
| 3rd | C | C | C |
| Other Workers | 01JAN20 | 01JAN20 | 01JAN20 |
| 4th | 01FEB22 | 15MAR18 | 01AUG20 |
| Certain Religious Workers | 01FEB22 | 15MAR18 | 01AUG20 |
| 5th No Reservations (including C5, T5, I5, R5) | C | C | C |
| 5th Reserve: Rural (20%) | C | C | C |
| 5th Reserve: High Unemployment Rate (10%) | C | C | C |
| 5th Reserve: Infrastructure (2%) | C | C | C |
Mainland China, India and the Philippines
| Category based on employment | CHINA mainland | INDIA | PHILIPPINES |
| 1st | 01FEB22 | 01FEB22 | C |
| 2nd | 08JUN19 | 08OCT11 | 01NOV22 |
| 3rd | 01 AUGO18 | 15JUN12 | C |
| Other Workers | 01JUL14 | 15JUN12 | 01JAN20 |
| 4th | 01FEB22 | 01MAR21 | 01FEB22 |
| Certain Religious Workers | 01FEB22 | 01MAR21 | 01FEB22 |
| 5th No Reservations (including C5, T5, I5, R5) | 08JUL15 | 01JUN18 | C |
| 5th Reserve: Rural (20%) | C | C | C |
| 5th Reserve: High Unemployment Rate (10%) | C | C | C |
| 5th Reserve: Infrastructure (2%) | C | C | C |
Dates for submitting applications for employment-based cases
All countries except those listed
| Category based on employment | All countries except those listed | EL SALVADOR GUATEMALA HONDURAS | MEXICO |
| 1st | C | C | C |
| 2nd | 01DEC22 | 01DEC22 | 01DEC22 |
| 3rd | C | C | C |
| Other Workers | 01FEB20 | 01FEB20 | 01FEB20 |
| 4th | 01MAR22 | 15ABR18 | 1SEP20 |
| Certain Religious Workers | 01MAR22 | 15ABR18 | 1SEP20 |
| 5th No Reservations (including C5, T5, I5, R5) | C | C | C |
| 5th Reserve: Rural (20%) | C | C | C |
| 5th Reserve: High Unemployment Rate (10%) | C | C | C |
| 5th Reserve: Infrastructure (2%) | C | C | C |
Mainland China, India and the Philippines
| Category based on employment | CHINA mainland | INDIA | PHILIPPINES |
| 1st | 01JUN22 | 01JUN22 | C |
| 2nd | 08JUL19 | 01MAY12 | 01DEC22 |
| 3rd | 01SEP18 | 01 AUG12 | C |
| Other Workers | 01NOV15 | 01 AUG12 | 01FEB20 |
| 4th | 01MAR22 | 01ABR21 | 01MAR22 |
| Certain Religious Workers | 01MAR22 | 01ABR21 | 01MAR22 |
| 5th No Reservations (including C5, T5, I5, R5) | 01JAN16 | 08DEC19 | C |
| 5th Reserve: Rural (20%) | C | C | C |
| 5th Reserve: High Unemployment Rate (10%) | C | C | C |
| 5th Reserve: Infrastructure (2%) | C | C | C |
How to read the table of cases based on the FY 2023 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 2023 visa lottery, that entitlement ends on September 30, 2023. 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 2023 visa lotteryThe DV visas are only eligible for derivative DV status until September 30, 2023. There can be no guarantee that DV visas will be available until the end of fiscal year 2023, because they could be exhausted before September 30, 2023.
Dates for submitting FY 2023 visa lottery-based case applications by March 2023
| Region | All DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately | |
|---|---|---|
| AFRICA | 45.000 | Excluding: Algeria 18,425 Egypt 16,150 Morocco 31,725 |
| ASIA | 18.750 | Except: Iran 5,500 Nepal 8,025 |
| EUROPE | 26.000 | Except: Russia 14,600 Uzbekistan 8,500 |
| NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) | 13 | |
| OCEANIA | 1.100 | |
| SOUTH AMERICA, and the CARIBBEAN | 2.100 |
Dates for submitting FY 2023 visa lottery-based case applications by April 2023
| Region | All DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately | |
|---|---|---|
| AFRICA | 50.000 | Excluding: Algeria 27,550 Egypt 16,150 Morocco 31,725 |
| ASIA | 18.750 | Except: Iran 5,500 Nepal 12,600 |
| EUROPE | 30.000 | Except: Russia 25,750 Uzbekistan 8,500 |
| NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) | 13 | |
| OCEANIA | 1.150 | |
| SOUTH AMERICA, and the CARIBBEAN | 2.250 |
Additional information and forecasts
Employment-based second preference visas available for all countries (including China and India).
Since December 2022, number usage and demand have exceeded expectations due to applicants from all nations submitting new applications with priority dates prior to the final decision dates. This requires corrective action in the coming months to keep number usage within the FY 2023 annual limit.
The Department of State will continuously monitor this situation and make the necessary adjustments.
Availability of EB-3 work visas
Increased demand in the Third Employment category may require a final action date worldwide (including Mexico and the Philippines) in the coming months to keep utilization of the number below the FY 2023 annual limit.
The Department of State will continuously monitor this situation and make the necessary adjustments.
Rollback of the fourth employment-based category (EB-4)
Due to overwhelming demand, the December 2022 Visa Bulletin established final EB-4 action and filing dates for the Rest of the World, China, India and the Philippines.
Number usage and demand in this category have increased, requiring further regression of final action dates and filing dates for Rest of World countries, China, India, Mexico and the Philippines to keep number usage within the FY2023 annual limit.
The Department of State will continuously monitor this situation and make the necessary adjustments.
Retrogression of EB-5 Final Action Date for India
To preserve number utilization under the FY 2023 annual cap, the October 2022 Visa Bulletin established a final action date and filing deadline for Indian applications in the Non-Reserved Fifth Preference Employment category (including C5, T5, I5, and R5).
Usage and demand for numbers have exceeded expectations this fiscal year, necessitating further pushback. The March EB-5 Unreserved final action date for India is 01JUN18.
The Department of State will continuously monitor this situation and make the necessary adjustments.
Annual report of waiting list of immigrant visa applicants in the family-sponsored and employment-based preferences registered with the National Visa Center as of November 1, 2022.
The National Visa Center has provided the number of applicants in numerically limited immigrant categories for overseas processing. Visit the following Consular Affairs web page to read the information:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-statistics/immigrant-visa-statistics.html
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.