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THE AUGUST 2006 PRIORITY DATES:
by Michael J. Gurfinkel, Esq.
The priority dates for Second Preference 2B (unmarried sons and daughters over 21 of green card holders) and Third Preference (married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) retrogressed (or moved backwards), but the rest of the family petitions moved forward, as shown in the monthly Visa Bulletin for August 2006, released by the State Department.
There were no changes in the priority dates for employment-based petitions. The priority date for professional/skilled workers did not move, and the priority dates for employment-based petitions for "other" (or unskilled workers) remains 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.
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 9 days, from September 22, 1991 to October 1, 1991 .
The Third Preference Category, F-3 (married sons and daughters of United States citizens ) retrogressed (or moved backwards) by 2 years and 8 months, from July 1, 1988 to December 1, 1985. (In April 2006, the priority date was already up to February 8, 1991. So it has moved backward about 6 years since April 2006!)
The Fourth Preference, F-4 (brothers and sisters of United States citizens) moved forward by 1 month, from December 15, 1983 to January 15, 1984 .
Petitions by Green Card Holders :
The Second Preference Category, F-2A (Spouse and minor children of green card holders) moved forward by 1 week, from September 1, 1999 to September 8, 1999 .
The Second Preference, F-2B (unmarried sons and daughters, over 21 years of age, of green card holders) , retrogressed by 3 years, 7 months, and 1 week, from July 8, 1996 to December 1, 1992 .
Petitions by Employers:
The Third Preference (professionals and skilled workers) of Employment-Based Petitions (Labor Certification) did not move and remained at October 1, 2001 . The Third Preference (non-skilled workers) is unavailable. When it becomes available, the priority date would most probably return to about October 1, 2000 . The priority date for Schedule A workers (nurses/physical therapists) is still 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 . If your priority date was "current", but retrogressed before your immigrant visa was issued (or you adjusted status in the U.S.), then you need to wait until your priority date becomes current again.
The August 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)
|
October 1, 1991
(In July 2006, the priority date was September 22, 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 8, 1999
(In July 2006, the priority date was
September 1, 1999.)
December 1, 1992
(In July 2006, the priority date was July 8, 1996.)
|
| Third Preference |
Married sons and daughters of
U.S. Citizens |
December 1, 1985
(In July 2006, the priority date was July1, 1988.) |
|
Fourth Preference
|
Brothers and sisters of U.S. Citizens
|
January 15, 1984
(In July 2006, the priority date was December 15, 1983.) |
| LABOR CERTIFICATION: |
| Third Preference |
Professional/Skilled Workers |
October 1, 2001
(In July 2006, the priority date was the same.) |
| Schedule A |
(Nurses/Physical therapists) |
Current
(In July 2006, the priority date was also current.) |
| Other Workers |
Non-Skilled workers |
Unavailable
(In July 2006, the priority date was also unavailable.) |
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