The U.S. Department of State has published the monthly Visa Bulletin for July 2021, unveiling new cut-off dates for EB-5 visa applicants from backlogged countries for the upcoming month.
In the latest bulletin, the EB-5 final action dates for Vietnamese applicants advanced 717 days (or 23.9 months), the largest advancement since the country became subject to visa retrogression in the EB-5 category. In addition, the cut-off dates for EB-5 applicants from Mainland China moved forward 61 days (or 2 months).
With the EB-5 Regional Center Program currently facing a sunset date of June 30, the final action date for the Regional Center visa categories (I5 and R5) are listed as “U” (unauthorized) across the board on the July Visa Bulletin. However, if a legislative action extends the program, the final action dates for the Regional Center categories in July would immediately become the same dates as the non-Regional Center category, which are November 8, 2015 for Mainland China-born applicants, April 1, 2020 for Vietnam-born applicants, and “current” for applicants from all other countries.
EB-5 FINAL ACTION DATES (CHART A)
The July Visa Bulletin revealed the following final action dates for EB-5 visa applicants:
- Mainland China: November 8, 2015
- Advances 2 months, a continued movement of the China EB-5 cut-off date since the U.S. Consulate Office in Guangzhou resumed its regular services for Immigrant Visas.
- Vietnam: April 1, 2020
- A 23.9-month advancement from the June 2021 Visa Bulletin, the largest movement since Vietnam began to experience EB-5 visa backlog;
- Advanced a total of 974 days so far in the fiscal year 2021;
- All Other Countries: Current
- EB-5 visa applicants not from China or Vietnam continue to be able to receive their EB-5 visa number in July 2021 and can file an immigration visa application or adjustment of status application immediately after the approval of their I-526 petition without any delay.
(Chart A on the July 2021 Visa Bulletin)
EB-5 DATES FOR FILING (CHART B)
The dates for filing of the EB-5 visa category on the July 2021 Visa Bulletin remain unchanged from the previous Visa Bulletins:
(Chart B on the July 2021 Visa Bulletin)
USCIS currently only accepts final action dates for applicants of the employment-based categories filing for adjustment of status, and has not yet announced whether the agency will accept dates for filing in July 2021. IIUSA will continue to monitor the update on USCIS’s website and inform our stakeholders.
MONTHLY LIVE CHAT WITH CHARLIE
The July Visa Bulletin also announced that the Department of State is going to host its monthly “Chats with Charlie” at 1pm EST on July 18, 2021 via the agency’s YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/TravelGov).
Stakeholders are encouraged to submit questions prior to the event. See below for the instructions to submit your question(s):
Questions can be emailed to VisaBulletin@state.gov ahead of the event with “Chat with Charlie Question” in the subject line. Questions will also be taken via the YouTube Live Chat and will be answered in real-time. The event is intended to address issues of general interest related to the content of the Visa Bulletin, and no policy, case, or post specific questions will be accepted.
