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THE JULY 2006 PRIORITY DATES:
Spouse and minor children of green card holders move backward
1 year and 7 months; visas for unskilled workers "unavailable"
by Michael J. Gurfinkel, Esq.
The priority date for Second Preference 2A (petitions of spouse and minor children of green card holders) retrogressed (or moved backwards) by more than 1 year and 7 months. However, the First Preference (F-1, unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) moved forward 21 days. The Fourth Preference (F-4, petitions by brothers and sisters of U.S. Citizens) moved forward by 6 weeks. The rest of the family petitions did not move at all, as shown in the monthly Visa Bulletin for July 2006, released by the State Department.
The priority dates for employment-based petitions for "other" (or unskilled workers) is still unavailable, meaning no visas will be issued for this category until typically October of 2006, which is the start of a new "fiscal year" for visas. However, the priority date for professionals and skilled workers moved forward by three months.
Petitions by Citizens :
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 21 days, from September 1, 1991 to September 22, 1991 .
The Third Preference Category F-3 (married sons and daughters of United States citizens ) did not move at all, and remained at July 1, 1988 (Note: There is now a difference of more than 3 years in the 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 six weeks, from November 1, 1983 to December 15, 1983 .
Petitions by Green Card Holders :
The Second Preference, F-2A (spouse and minor children, below 21 years of age, of green card holders) of Family-Based Petitions moved backwards by more than 1 year and 7 months, from April 22, 2001 to September 1, 1999 .
The Second Preference, F-2B (unmarried sons and daughters, over 21 years of age, of green card holders), did not move, and remained at July 8, 1996 .
Petitions by Employers:
The Third Preference (professionals and skilled workers) of Employment-Based Petitions (Labor Certification), moved forward by three months, from July 1, 2001 to October 1, 2001 . The Third Preference (non-skilled workers) , is unavailable. When it becomes available, the priority date would most probably return to October 1, 2000 . The priority date for Schedule A workers (nurses/physical therapists) is current.
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 July 2006 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)
|
September 22,
1991
(In
June 2006, the priority date was September 1, 1991.)
|
| 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
|
September 1,
1999
(In June 2006, the priority date was April 22, 2001.)
July 8,
1996
(In June 2006, the priority date was the same.)
|
| Third Preference |
Married sons and daughters of
U.S. Citizens |
July 1,
1988
(In June 2006, the priority date was the same.) |
|
Fourth Preference
|
Brothers and sisters of U.S. Citizens
|
December 15,1983
(In June 2006, the priority date was November 1, 1983.) |
| LABOR CERTIFICATION: |
| Third Preference |
Professional/Skilled Workers |
April 1,
October 1,2001
(In June 2006, the priority date was
July 1, 2001.) |
| Schedule A |
(Nurses/Physical therapists) |
Current
(In June 2006, the priority date was also current.) |
| Other Workers |
Non-Skilled workers |
Unavailable
(In June 2006, the priority date was also unavailable.) |
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