The US Department of State has issued the December 2012 Visa Bulletin. The DOS Visa Bulletin lists

US Department of State Seal (U.S. Government)

visa availability to inform foreign nationals of when they can file an immigrant visa application or application for adjustment of status to obtain a green card as a US permanent resident based upon an immigrant visa petition filed by them or on their behalf. The dates listed are the priority dates for immigrant petitions. A visa is available if your priority date or an earlier date is listed for your category and country of chargeability.

How to read the Visa Bulletin: I have provided an explanation of the Visa Bulletin below, however, if you wish to review the visa bulletin yourself, you can click on the link below. To read the visa bulletin, first find the appropriate chart for your case: Family Based immigrant petitions; Employment Based immigrant petitions; or the Visa Lottery. Next locate the appropriate column or row for your country of chargeablity. If your country is not listed, you would fall within the All Chargeability category. The DV lottery is listed by region instead of country although some countries within a region will be listed separately.  Finally, for the Family or Employment charts, locate your appropriate visa preference category from the rows listed on the left (F1 through F4 or EB-1 through EB-5). Compare the priority date listed on the Visa Bulletin to the priority date for your petition. For the DV Lottery, compare the number listed on the Visa Bulletin to the number listed on your Congratulatory Notice.

The December 2012 Visa Bulletin becomes effective on December 1, 2012. Until then the November 2012 Visa Bulletin remains in effect.

FAMILY BASED IMMIGRATION CATEGORIES

Immediate Relatives: Spouses, Parents, and Unmarried Children Under 21 of US Citizens: Immediate Relative petitions do not have a limit on visa avilability. They are not listed on the Visa Bulletin because there is no wait for a visa to become available for Immediate Relative petitions.

First Preference (F1) Umarried Sons and Daughters of US Citizens: Visa availability for the Philippines moved forward from July 1, 1997 to October 8, 1997. Availability for Mexico moved from June 22, 1993 to July 1, 1993. Availability for everyone else moved from November 1, 2005 to December 1, 2005.

Second Preference (F2A) Spouses and Unmarried Children Under 21 of US Permanent Residents: Visa availability for Mexico moved from June 22, 2010 to August 1, 2010. Availability for all other countries moved forward from July 15, 2010 to August 22, 2010. 

Second Preference (F2B) Unmarried Sons and Daughters Over 21 of US Permanent Residents: Visa availability for the Philippines moved from February 15, 2002 to March 22, 2001. Availability for Mexico moved from October 15, 1992 to November 1, 1992. Availability for all other countries moved from October 8, 2004 to November 15, 2004.

Third Preference (F3) Married Sons and Daughters of US Citizens: Visa availability for the Philippines has finally moved from July 22, 1992 to August 1, 1992. This is a small move, but it is still positive, since this is the first time that we have seen movement in this category for the Philippines since February. Availability for Mexico moved from February 15, 1993 to March 1, 1993. Availability for all other countries moved from June 1, 2002 to June 8, 2002.

Fourth Preference (F4) Siblings of US Citzens: Visa availability for the Philippines moved this month from March 1, 1989 to March 22, 1989. Availability for Mexico moved from July 8, 1996 to July 22, 1996.  Availability for China-mainland moved from March 15, 2001 to April 1, 2001. Availability for all other countries moved from March 22, 2001 to April 1, 2001.

EMPLOYMENT BASED IMMIGRATION CATEGORIES

First Preference (EB-1) Extraordinary Ability, Intracompany Transferee, or Outstanding Professor or Researcher: Visa availability remains current for all countries.

Second Preference (EB-2) Advance Degree Professional, Exceptional Ability, or National Interest Waiver: Visas availability for India continues to remain at September 1, 2004. It looks like we are going to have a very long wait for India in this category. Availability for China has moved from September 1, 2007 to October 22, 2007. This move forward of almost 2 months is encouraging. Visa availability for all other countries is current.

Third Preference (EB-3) Professional or Skilled Worker: Visa availability for the Philippines has moved from August 8, 2006 to August 15, 2006. Availability for India has moved from October 22, 2002 to November 1, 2002. Availability for China-mainland moved from April 15, 2006 to July 1, 2006. Availability for all other countries has moved from November 22, 2006 to December 22. 2006.

Third Preference (Other Workers) Unskilled Worker: Visa availability for the Philippines has moved from August 8, 2006 to August 15, 2006. Availability for India has moved from October 22, 2002 to November 1, 2002. Availability for China-mainland did not move this month and remains at July 1, 2003. Availability for all other countries has moved from November 22, 2006 to December 22. 2006.

Fourth Preference (EB-4) Certain Special Immigrants: Visa availability remains current for all countries.

Fourth Preference (Certain Religious Workers): Visa availability remians current for all countries.

Fifth Preference (EB-5) Investors: Visa availability remains current for all countries.

Fifth Preference Pilot Program: Visa availability remains current for all countries.

DIVERSITY VISA LOTTERY

The DV-2013 visas are available as follows:

Egypt: 8,300

Ethiopia: 14,800

Nigeria: 10,000

All other Africa: 15,500

Asia: 2,700

Europe: 9,250

N.A. Bahamas: 2

Oceania: 500

S.A. and Caribbean: 700

Click here to see the December 2012 Visa Bulletin.

If you would like assistance with processing your immigrant visa or green card application or you would like to discuss this or other issues further, you can schedule a consultation with me by calling 1-800-343-4890 or 901-682-6455 or by clicking here to

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By Ari Sauer

Submit questions to The Immigration Answer Man by emailing your question to immigrationanswerman@gmail.com or by posting your question on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Questions submitted by email will be posted without personal information unless specifically requested. Due to the volume of questions received, not all questions submitted will be answered. Only general questions can be answered on this blog. For answers to specific questions about your situation, please schedule a consultation.

* This is an advertisement. Ari Sauer is an attorney with the Siskind Susser law firm. www.visalaw.com/ari.html. On this blog we answer questions as a service to our readers, but we cannot assume any liability related to reliance on anything herein, and responses to questions are not intended to establish an attorney-client relationship. Immigration laws and regulations are constantly changing and the rules stated may not apply to your situation. Readers are cautioned to schedule a consultation with an immigration lawyer before acting on anything stated in this blog. This blog is not intended to substitute for a consultation with a qualified immigration law attorney. Ari Sauer is licensed to practice law through the states of Tennessee, New York and New Jersey but is eligible to assist clients from throughout the US. Certification as an Immigration Specialist is not currently available in Tennessee, New York or New Jersey. Siskind Susser limits its practice strictly to immigration law, a Federal practice area, and we do not claim expertise in the laws of states other than where our attorneys are licensed. the opinions expressed here are those of Ari Sauer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Siskind Susser.