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THE JANUARY 2004 PRIORITY DATES
by Michael J. Gurfinkel, Esq.
The priority dates for all family-based petitions
continued to move forward, as shown in the monthly Visa Bulletin
for January 2004 released by the State Department.
The priority date for the First
Preference Category, F-1 (unmarried sons and daughters of U.S.
citizens, over 21 years of age) moved forward
by more than 14 weeks, from September 15, 1989 to December
22, 1989.
The Third Preference
Category F-3 (married sons and daughters of United States citizens)
moved forward by almost 14 weeks, from May 22, 1989 to September
1, 1989. (Note: There is now a difference of just three
months and three weeks in priority dates between unmarried and
married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.)
The Fourth Preference,
F-4 (brothers and sisters of United States citizens)
moved forward by almost 10 weeks, from October 15, 1981 to December
22, 1981.
The Second Preference,
F-2A (spouse and minor children below 21 years of age, of green
card holders) of Family-Based Petitions moved
forward by six weeks, from November 15, 1998 to January
1, 1999.
The Second Preference,
F-2B (unmarried sons and daughters, over 21 years of age, of green
card holders), which did not move in the previous
months, moved forward by seven days, from May 1, 1995 to May
8, 1995.
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 January
2004 priority dates for the Philippines
are as follows:
| FAMILY CATEGORY: |
|
Priority Date: |
| First Preference |
Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens
(over 21 years of age)
|
December 22, 1989
(In December 2003, the priority date was September
15, 1989.)
|
| Second Preference |
2A. Spouse and minor children
(below 21 years old) of green card holder
2B. Unmarried sons and daughters (over 21
years old) of green card holder
|
January
1, 1999
(In December 2003, the priority date was November
15, 1998.)
May
8, 1995
(In December 2003,
the priority date was May 1, 1995.) |
| Third Preference |
Married sons and daughters of
U.S. Citizens |
September
1, 1989
(In December 2003, the priority date was May 22, 1989.)
|
|
Fourth Preference
|
Brothers and sisters of U.S. Citizens
|
December
22, 1981
(In December 2003, the priority date was October 15,
1981.) |
| LABOR CERTIFICATION: |
| Third Preference |
Professional/Skilled Workers |
CURRENT
(In December 2003, the priority date was also current.)
|
| Other Workers |
Non-Skilled workers |
CURRENT
(In December 2003, the priority date was also current.)
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