 Record movement continues in EB-2 India and China The U.S. Department of State has now published the latest Visa Availability dates for January 2012. The January 2012 Visa Bulletin sees movement in almost all categories. Applicants from India and China who fall into the Second Preference Employment-Based Category have seen the most significant movement over the last few Bulletins, and January will not be any different. The two categories are now "current" for applicants with Priority Dates earlier than January 1, 2009! That is nearly a 10 month jump from the December Visa Bulletin. As we alerted readers in an earlier newsletter, the Department of State predicted that there would be significant advancement in these two EB-2 categories in December 2011 and into the early months of 2012. We must warn clients, however, that we do not believe that this forward movement will last for more than the next one or two Visa Bulletins. The government has clearly stated their intentions in "creating" advancement in these two categories. Drastic movement like this cannot be sustained without significant changes to the current system. Many of our clients may remember when the government artificially created movement in these categories in July 2007, announcing that all categories had visas available. Thousands of applicants who filed in July of 2007 waited well into 2011 for their green card applications to be approved. Until all eligible applicants file Applications for Adjustment of Status with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, it is hard for the government to determine just how many people are waiting in line to file. The more applicants who are eligible to file, the easier it is for the government to get a reasonably accurate estimate of how many people are waiting. The government has confirmed that there is likely to be forward movement for a couple of months, with retrogression to follow for the rest of the 2012 Fiscal Year. Watson Law Offices Summary of the January 2012 Visa Bulletin. | 
