July 2008 Visa Bulletin

[Kolken]

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_4252.html

[Cfloresgirl]

~thanks for the post~

[Jenalo]

for some reason, i dont understand this..haha

[Pinkpig]

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_4252.html

Matthew,

Welcome! Wonderful to see more official lawyers in our forum. Thanks for all of your help. You have been on our list of recommended lawyers for quite some time. The link is in my signature. Laurel Scott recommended that we add you.

[J3NNI]

for some reason, i dont understand this..haha

:ditto: me either Jenalo:wha:

[Kolken]

My pleasure.

[aleful]

every year about this time immigration makes a cut on all or some categories. in October starts the new fiscal year, so they have to resolve old cases and priority dates that were never done, so the dates instead of going forward, they go back until October in order to receive prior dates. that's why it takes so many years because the bulletin goes back and forth. goe forward a few days or months and jumps backwards years.

[Jenalo]

My pleasure.

welcome :wave:

[mymxangel]

So your saying if for some reason Sept 2007 is not done by the end of June, it will be postpone for a period of time ?

[Laura]

Guys - the visa bulletin has nothing to do with I-601 waiver backlog times in CDJ or visas for spouses of U.S. citizens.

The visa bulletin shows what month/year they are issuing visas for other family immigration categories, like parents, children, siblings, etc. It is updated every month with whatever month they are working on.

For example, if a USC wants to sponsor their sister who is a Mexican national, you look at the fourth-preference family-based category you see that they are working on petitions (I-130s) from December 1994. This is what people are talking about when they say there is a 14 or 15-year wait for certain family visas.

Does that make sense?

Lawyer Kolken please correct me if any of that is wrong. :)

[uknygirl]

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_4252.html

Kewl~

[Jenalo]

Guys - the visa bulletin has nothing to do with I-601 waiver backlog times in CDJ or visas for spouses of U.S. citizens.

The visa bulletin shows what month/year they are issuing visas for other family immigration categories, like parents, children, siblings, etc. It is updated every month with whatever month they are working on.

For example, if a USC wants to sponsor their sister who is a Mexican national, you look at the fourth-preference family-based category you see that they are working on petitions (I-130s) from December 1994. This is what people are talking about when they say there is a 14 or 15-year wait for certain family visas.

Does that make sense?

Lawyer Kolken please correct me if any of that is wrong. :)


thanks, i hope your right!

[mymxangel]

Thanks Laura I almost had heart failure. I am so glad you are there for people like me who understand nothing about immigration laws.

[Laura]

Thanks Laura I almost had heart failure. I am so glad you are there for people like me who understand nothing about immigration laws.

Hey - give yourself some credit! Not a problem though.

[angela256z]

So does my husband's son and daughter fall under this one?

First: Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Citizens: 23,400 plus any numbers not required for fourth preference.

Since they are my children too and I am a USC. Will they have to wait for visas if they are under 18? So confusing.

[Laura]

I think so, unless they are beneficiaries on your husband's I-130 petition. You really should ask an attorney about this though... Maybe Matt can comment.

[aleful]

angela,
if they are over 21 yes. the first category is for children of USC single over 21, that was my category,
2a spouses and minor children of LPR
2b single children of LPR over 21
3rd married children of a USC
4th siblings of a USC

[aleful]

the visa bulletin is for petitions that have a priority date due to the years they have to wait in line.
being myself a daughter of a USC single and over 21, I waited more than 5 years to get my GC and I had my appointment under the 245i. the vast majority of petitions I've seen here are from spouses of a USC which have no waiting period. the wait is not based on a priority date but the forms and the time it takes the consulates to give the appointsments and the delay of the NVC.

[Jenalo]

call me dumb, im still a little confused on what the timeline is all about..does it even apply to me? im a usc applying for my husband. were barely filing our affidavit of support.

[Laura]

call me dumb, im still a little confused on what the timeline is all about..does it even apply to me? im a usc applying for my husband. were barely filing our affidavit of support.

It doesn't apply to you at all. It applies to US citizens applying for relatives other than spouses or parents.

[Jenalo]

oOoOo :o thanks

[aleful]

and spouses of residents, since they have to wait for 5 years or more.

Spouses, minor children and parents of a USC don't count for the visa bulletin. don't worry, you don't need the bulletin and like Laura said it doesn't apply to anyone filing as a spouse of a USC.

[Kolken]

Guys - the visa bulletin has nothing to do with I-601 waiver backlog times in CDJ or visas for spouses of U.S. citizens.

The visa bulletin shows what month/year they are issuing visas for other family immigration categories, like parents, children, siblings, etc. It is updated every month with whatever month they are working on.

For example, if a USC wants to sponsor their sister who is a Mexican national, you look at the fourth-preference family-based category you see that they are working on petitions (I-130s) from December 1994. This is what people are talking about when they say there is a 14 or 15-year wait for certain family visas.

Does that make sense?

Lawyer Kolken please correct me if any of that is wrong. :)

EXACTLY!

The Bulletin does not apply to immediate relatives of U.S. Citizens. Immediate relatives do not have to wait for an immigrant visa number to become available before they can apply for an immigrant visa after the Form I-130 has been approved.

An immediate relative is a spouse and unmarried minor children of a United States citizen, and the parents of a United States citizen who is over the age of twenty-one. U.S. immigration law places no numerical limits on the number of visas issued each year to persons in this category.

If you are not an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen then you are a preference alien and have to wait for an immigrant visa number to become available even if a Form I-130 has been approved on your behalf.

Your relationship to the petitioner determines what preference you are, and how long you have to wait.

Hope that clears things up.

And btw....

Please call me Matt.

:)

[Laura]

Thanks Matt!

So, maybe you help with this one:

Let's say a USC is petitioning his or her alien spouse who has two young children from a previous relationship. Can those children be beneficiaries on the I-130 filed for the spouse and get their immigrant visas right along with their parent? And if they are not listed on the same I-130, I know the USC spouse can file as the step-parent, but in that case are they subject to the 1st preference category or not because they are minors?

[Kolken]

INA §101(b)(1), 8 U.S.C. §1101(b)(1) includes step-children in the definition of child, whether legitimate or not, as long as the child was under 18 at the time the step-relationship was created.

[Melissa_31375]

What's with VSC can u pls ask them to get on the ball :o) I been waiting 6 and 1/2 months with still nothing :o(

[Brisa6]

EXACTLY!

The Bulletin does not apply to immediate relatives of U.S. Citizens. Immediate relatives do not have to wait for an immigrant visa number to become available before they can apply for an immigrant visa after the Form I-130 has been approved.

An immediate relative is a spouse and unmarried minor children of a United States citizen, and the parents of a United States citizen who is over the age of twenty-one. U.S. immigration law places no numerical limits on the number of visas issued each year to persons in this category.

If you are not an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen then you are a preference alien and have to wait for an immigrant visa number to become available even if a Form I-130 has been approved on your behalf.

Your relationship to the petitioner determines what preference you are, and how long you have to wait.

Hope that clears things up.

And btw....

Please call me Matt.

:)

So the bottom line is that it can take more than a decade?

for example: My dad petitioned for my sister, who is not a minor, does it mean it will take more than ten years for her to hear anything. This was in 2003 and she was about 31 years old.

[Kolken]

So the bottom line is that it can take more than a decade?

for example: My dad petitioned for my sister, who is not a minor, does it mean it will take more than ten years for her to hear anything. This was in 2003 and she was about 31 years old.

Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older) who had I-130s filed on 15 SEP 99 (worldwide) are now eligible to apply for their immigrant visa. There is a longer wait for citizens of Mexico and the Phillippines (08APR92 01MAR97) respectively.

Married Sons and Daughters of Citizens who had I-130s filed on 08JUN00 (worldwide) now have an immigrant visa available to them. It is of course longer for citizens of Mexico and the Phillippines (08AUG92 01APR91 respectively).

[Brisa6]

Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older) who had I-130s filed on 15 SEP 99 (worldwide) are now eligible to apply for their immigrant visa. There is a longer wait for citizens of Mexico and the Phillippines (08APR92 01MAR97) respectively.

Married Sons and Daughters of Citizens who had I-130s filed on 08JUN00 (worldwide) now have an immigrant visa available to them. It is of course longer for citizens of Mexico and the Phillippines (08AUG92 01APR91 respectively).

Thank you Matt! We are Mexican so my sister is right, it's going to take forever. Pobresita (Poor thing)