As anticipated, the new Visa Bulletin is out and will be effective as of October 01, 2015. This change will allow for the filing of the I-485 adjustment of status application before priority dates are current under the existing system.

How It Will Work:

As mentioned in my previous post, New Visa Bulletin May Allow Filing of I-485 Before Priority Date is Current! , there will be 2 sets of cut-off dates:

1. Application Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Cases: This date will determine when a visa is available and thus when an I-485 application can actually be approved.
2. Dates for Filing of Employment-Based Visa Applications: This new section of the Visa Bulletin reflects the dates for FILING an I-485 application within a time-frame justifying immediate action in the application process. Individuals with priority dates earlier than the cut-off date in the chart may assemble and submit the required documents. It is very exciting to note that the filing cut-off dates are way ahead of the final action cut-off dates!

For example, if you are from India in the EB-2 category, the cut-off date for Filing an I-485 application is July 01, 2011. This means if your priority date falls before July 01, 2011, you are eligible to FILE your I-485 application along with your EAD and Advance Parole application on October 01, 2015. Then, once your priority date is current under the Final Action Date, your application can be approved. Also, remember that this new system will allow you to take advantage of AC-21.

I will continue to post details as they come in!

If you have questions about this process, you can join Reddy & Neumann’s free daily conference call: