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The Department of State has informed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that all employment-based immigrant visas have been distributed for fiscal year 2011. Every fiscal year (October 1st – September 30th), at least 140,000 employment-based immigrant visas are made available to qualified applicants who seek to immigrate based on an offer of employment to the principal applicant. Applicants should note that USCIS will continue accepting adjustment of status applications based on the September visa bulletin through the entire month of September. However, there will be no Employment Based visas issued until the new fiscal year which begins on October 1, 2011.
The Department of State has announced that the online registration period for the 2013 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2013) will begin on Tuesday, October 4, 2011, at noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and conclude on Saturday, November 5, 2011, at noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4).
The DV-2013 Lottery Instructions is available in English in PDF format for your convenience and required use. The English language version of the DV-2013 Lottery Instructions is the only official version. Unofficial translations in additional languages are also available.
Natives of the following countries are ineligible as they have sent over 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the past 5 years.
Ineligible Countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, India, Pakistan, Peru,, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam. Individuals born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program makes available up to 55,000 diversity visas (DVs) annually. The winners are randomly selected from all entrants who meet strict eligibility requirements including 1) a high school education or its equivalent; or 2) two years of experience in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience. Winners are selected from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. Additional information is available by visiting Diversity Visa Lottery Instructions webpage.
To learn more about qualifying occupations, see the Diversity Visa Instructions Frequently Asked Questions and the List of Occupations webpage.
The October 2011 Visa bulletin, the first for the fiscal year 2012 has been issued by the Department of State. In the employment sponsored categories, movement continues to be slow and steady. For family based petitions, the F2A category (spouse and minor children) of Lawful Permanent Residents has jumped 6 months with Visas now available for petitions filed January 2009 or earlier. In all other categories, movement continues to be slowly forward with slight retrogression for married children of US Citizens.
|
Family- Sponsored |
All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed |
CHINA- mainland born |
INDIA |
MEXICO |
PHILIPPINES |
|
F1 |
15JUN04 |
15JUN04 |
15JUN04 |
22MAR93 |
08JAN97 |
|
F2A * |
08JAN09 |
08JAN09 |
08JAN09 |
15OCT08 |
08JAN09 |
|
F2B |
15JUL03 |
15JUL03 |
15JUL03 |
22NOV92 |
01MAY01 |
|
F3 |
08SEP01 |
08SEP01 |
08SEP01 |
01DEC92 |
08JUN92 |
|
F4 |
15MAY00 |
15MAY00 |
15MAY00 |
08APR96 |
01AUG88 |
|
Employment- Based |
All Charge-ability Areas Except Those Listed |
CHINA- mainland born |
INDIA |
MEXICO |
PHILIPPINES |
|
1st |
C |
C |
C |
C |
C |
|
2nd |
C |
15JUL07 |
15JUL07 |
C |
C |
|
3rd |
08DEC05 |
08AUG04 |
15JUL02 |
08DEC05 |
08DEC05 |
|
Other Workers* |
15SEP05 |
22APR03 |
08JUN02 |
15SEP05 |
15SEP05 |
|
4th |
C |
C |
C |
C |
C |
|
Certain Religious Workers |
C |
C |
C |
C |
C |
|
5th |
C |
C |
C |
C |
C |
As of August 26, 2011, the USCIS has received 29,000 petitions towards the H-1B regular cap of 65,000. They have received 15,800 petitions towards the Masters cap of 20,000. There are just over 40,000 visas still available for the fiscal year which begins October 1, 2011. At the current rate, Visas should continue to be available to November 2011.
FY 2012 H-1B Cap Count
| Cap Type | Cap Amount | Cap Eligible Petitions | Date of Last Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| H-1B Regular Cap | 65,000 | 29,000 | 8/26/2011 |
| H-1B Master’s Exemption | 20,000 | 15,800 | 8/26/2011 |
