Mario Bejasa Law Office

To my friends and clients who are waiting for the latest Visa Bulletin from the U.S. State Dept., the February 2021 edition is now out. Go to this website and check the cut-off date/s of the priority dates for the family- or employment-based petition/s you are tracking. Due to recent changes, the FILING DATES are earlier than the FINAL ACTION DATES for most categories, to allow applicants in the U.S. to apply for their green cards even if their priority dates are not yet c...urrent. https://travel.state.gov//visa-bulletin-for-february-2021. For Philippine-born visa applicants, the Final Dates for all Family categories did not move, and Filing Dates for February 2021 ADVANCED incrementally, 2 weeks for F1, 4 months for F2A, 2 weeks for F2B and F3. For F4, it moved forward 1 month. For Philippine-born visa applicants, the cut-off for Filing ALL, yes, ALL, Employment-based categories for January 2021, remains CURRENT. A good sign for future workers planning careers in America. The cut-off for the FINAL ACTION DATES of Employment-Based categories for February 2021 is identical to last month’s (January), and are summarized as follows: F1: 01-01-12 (unchanged from last month) F2A: Current (same as worldwide) (unchanged from the previous months) F2B: 08-15-11 (unchanged from last month) F3: 03-01-02 (unchanged from last month) F4: 02-01-02 (unchanged from last month) EB1: Current (unchanged since October 2020) EB2: Current (unchanged since October 2020) EB3: CURRENT (unchanged since October 2020) EW: CURRENT (unchanged since October 2020) EB4: Current (unchanged since October 2020) Note: For EB-3 and EW beneficiaries of approved employment-based petitions, they MAY BE ABLE to file stateside for their green cards on February 1st, unless delayed by the USCIS. Those abroad should contact their nearest consulates or embassies now. In recent months, the USCIS announced that beneficiaries of family-based petitions may use the FILING DATE for their petitions to apply for their green cards stateside. Wait for announcements towards the end of this month (January 2021) if the same policy would be continued next month. Call our office (212) 244-3375 during regular office hours if you have any questions or need legal assistance in any way. Or send an email message to our office via: [email protected] for more detailed info.

Interesting article about U.S. Immigration, from the media outlet Politico. Remember to vote in November for the candidates who share your beliefs and sympathies. https://www.politico.com//ice-chief-appointees-white-house