The Department of State released the latest visa bulletin for September 2012 on August 10, 2012.

For the month of September 2012, the EB-1 category is still current for nationals all over the world.

In EB-2 category, visa numbers are still unavailable both for Chinese Mainland nationals and Indian nationals. Moreover, the EB-2 cut-off dates for applicants of all other countries and regions are still on January 1, 2009.

In addition, On August 8, 2012, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) released a posting about DOS Demand Data for September 2012. Here is the table for EB-2 category:

Cumulative Demand Prior To	China	India	All Other Countries	Grand Total
January 1, 2008	800	4,900	25	5,725
January 1, 2009	3,650	17,700	50	21,400
January 1, 2010	5,625	26,275	250	32,150
January 1, 2012	6,025	28,250	2,775	37,050

In the EB-3 category, the cut-off dates moved forward from November 8, 2005 to December 15, 2005 for Chinese Mainland nationals while the cut-off dates moved forward from October 1, 2002 to October 8, 2002 for Indian nationals.

For the recently popular EB-5 investment immigration, the visa number now is still current world wide even though more people are submitting their applications.

Again, before you start the application process, it is imperative that you consult with a highly trained legal professional, particularly since USCIS has become stricter with EB-1 applications after a memo was released on August 18, 2010. In essence, the USCIS memo breaks the EB-1 evaluation process up into two parts: 1) Evaluating whether the applicant meets the baseline criteria for the immigration category and 2) determining whether the applicant’s evidence demonstrates the required high level of expertise for the immigration category. In the second part of the review process the USCIS will evaluate the evidence to see if, as a whole, it proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the applicant is at the very top of his or her field of endeavor.

Although the visa numbers are unavailable in EB-2 category, we still recommend that you file your NIW petition as soon as possible if you are qualified for a NIW. In doing so, you would have an earlier priority date. In fact, we always encourage our clients to file a NIW petition if they are qualified. For the year of 2008, our firm received 402 NIW approvals. For the year of 2009, our firm received 430 NIW approvals. For the year of 2010, our firm received 223 NIW approvals. For the year of 2011, our firm received 286 NIW approvals. From January to July 2012, our firm received 183 NIW approvals. Furthermore, from January to July 2012, our firm also received 151 EB-1 approvals.

If you are interested in filing a NIW but not sure if you are qualified, please contact Attorney Jerry Zhang at info@hooyou.com. He will provide you with a free evaluation.

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Founded in 1996, Zhang & Associates, P.C. offers legal services to clients nationwide in all aspects of U.S immigration law. We have successfully handled thousands of immigration cases.

At Zhang & Associates, P.C., our attorneys and supporting professionals are committed to providing high-quality immigration and non-immigration visa services. We specialize in NIW, EB-1, PERM, and I-485 cases. In the past sixteen years, we have successfully helped thousands of clients get green cards. If you plan to apply for a green card, please send your CV to Attorney Jerry Zhang (info@hooyou.com) for a free evaluation.

Zhang & Associates, P.C.

Silicon Valley • New York • Los Angeles • Chicago • Houston • Austin

Tel:	1-800-230-7040, 713-771-8433
Email:	info@hooyou.com
website:	http://www.hooyou.com

 

(08/13/2012)