Immigrant Visas Unavailable for EB-3 Professionals, Skilled Workers and Unskilled Workers
Published: April 10, 2009

The State Department’s recently issued visa bulletin for May 2009 features bad news for all foreign workers in the Employment-Based 3rd Preference Category, which includes certain professionals, skilled workers and unskilled workers. For the remainder of the fiscal year – which runs through September 30, 2009 – immigrant visas for these workers will be unavailable. Apparently, the annual allotment for this immigrant visa category was used up earlier in the year due to CIS adjudication of large numbers of long-pending employment-based Adjustment of Status (AOS) cases – many with priority dates going back to the early part of the decade for eligible 245(i) applicants. Absent some congressional action to increase the supply of visas in this category, EB-3 applicants will have to wait until October for visa availability to resume.

PUBLISHED April 10, 2009 – “IMMIGRATION LAW FORUM”
Copyright © 2009, By Law Offices of Richard Hanus, Chicago, Illinois