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The priority dates of petitions by green card holders continued
to move slowly, but those by U.S. citizens did not move
at all, as shown in the September 2000 Priority Dates
listed in the monthly Visa Bulletin released by the State
Department.
The Second Preference, 2A (spouse and minor children
² below 21 years of age - of green card holders)
of Family-Based Petitions moved forward another
two weeks, from April 1, 1996 to April 15, 1996.
The Second Preference, 2B (unmarried sons and daughters,
over 21 years of age, of green card holders) moved
forward just two weeks, from March 15, 1993 to April
1, 1993.
The First Preference Category, F-1 (unmarried
sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, over 21 years of age),
did not move at all, remaining at April 8, 1988.
The priority date for the Fourth Preference, F-4
(brothers and sisters of United States citizens)
also did not move, remaining at August 1, 1979.
The Third Preference Category F-3 (married sons and
daughters of United States citizens) of Family-Based
Petitions did not move for the 11th. straight month, remaining
at November 15, 1987. (Note: there is a difference
of four months and three weeks in priority dates
between unmarried and married adult children of U.S.
Citizens (April 8, 1988 for single children
versus November 15, 1987 for married children).
So, single adult children of U.S. citizens may wish
to seek legal advice about marrying, before they are processed
for their visa or green card, since the difference in waiting
time is still small and they could possibly include their
spouse for a visa at the same time they are processed for
their own visa. (Note: children of green card holders
cannot marry, or their petition is void, as green card
holders can only petition unmarried children.)
The priority dates for non-skilled workers category
under the Employment-Based Petitions moved forward
another four months, from April 1, 1995 to August
1, 1995.
The priority dates for professionals and skilled
workers, EB-3 remained current. This means
those who have INS-approved I-140 employment-based
immigrant petitions under the Third Preference (professionals
and skilled workers), may still file for adjustment
of status, and be processed for green cards in the U.S.
(if they are already in the U.S.). For nurses and physical
therapists, INS regulations for CGFNS have been published,
such that nurses and physical therapists would be eligible
to adjust status or be processed for a visa.
Each month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes
the priority dates for that particular month. This means
that visas would now be available for persons whose
priority date is earlier than the cut-off
date listed below:
The September, 2000 priority dates for the
Philippines are as follows:
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Many people are concerned about the slow movement
of some family-based preference categories. Others may have
been petitioned by an aging or sickly parent. (Once the
petitioner dies, the petition is "automatically revoked".)
If you are among them, you may wish to consider other, faster
ways to immigrate, such as an employment-based petition
(Labor Certification), which now takes approximately 3-4
years to process. An employer's petition could back-up a
family petition. Remember, it is legal to be petitioned
in as many ways as are legitimately available to a person,
all at the same time. Therefore, a person can be
petitioned by a relative and an employer, at the same time!
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