The September 2014 priority dates: Priority dates continue to surge forward!

The September 2014 Visa Bulletin continues to provide great news for Filipinos petitioned as single children of US citizens (F-1), as the priority date moved forward from June 1, 2004 to August 1, 2004. Workers petitioned in the third preference (professional/skilled worker) and other (unskilled) worker categories, also had a tremendous leap, in that the priority date moved forward from June 1, 2010 to April 1, 2011. Therefore, if you were petitioned in these categories, you may be eligible to file for adjustment of status or an immigrant visa, if your priority date is now “current.” Note: if you are in the US and out of status, you would still need the benefit of Section 245(i) in order to adjust status.

Each month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning that immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below. If your priority date was “current,” but later retrogressed (or “moved backwards” and became unavailable) before your immigrant visa was issued (or before you adjusted status in the US), you would have to wait until it becomes current again.

The September 2014 priority dates for the Philippines are as follows:

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