Washington, D.C., 09/2024 — United States.
The September 2024 Visa Bulletin from the U.S. Department of State recorded retrogression (priority dates moving backward) for the EB-3 category and the Other Workers group for most countries. The stated reason was that the employment-based immigrant visa quota for fiscal year 2024 (ending September 30, 2024) was nearing its cap.
Retrogression details
According to the September 2024 Visa Bulletin posted on travel.state.gov, the Department of State confirmed it had to move back the Final Action date for the EB-3 category for the Rest of World group (all countries except India, China, Mexico and the Philippines). The EB-3 Other Workers group was retrogressed correspondingly.
The bulletin states that immigrant visa demand from USCIS and the Department of State for employment-based categories rose steadily during the fiscal year, causing most EB categories to approach the 2024 annual quota cap.
The concept of retrogression
Retrogression is when the Department of State adjusts the Final Action priority date backward to an earlier point compared to the previous month. When this happens, someone whose priority date was announced as current the previous month may no longer be current in the month retrogression occurs.
This typically happens near the end of the U.S. fiscal year (September 30 each year) to keep visa issuance within the annual quota. When the new fiscal year begins (October 1), priority dates are usually partially restored.
Impact on Vietnamese applicants
Vietnam falls under the Rest of World column in the Visa Bulletin, so date adjustments for this group apply directly to EB-3 cases held by Vietnamese nationals. Those with a priority date close to the Final Action cutoff are typically most sensitive to end-of-fiscal-year retrogression.
The Visa Bulletin is published monthly. Those with pending EB-3 cases should follow each Visa Bulletin issue at travel.state.gov and the USCIS website to track the status of priority dates and which chart USCIS has designated for filing.
References
This article is compiled from government sources. Immigration regulations and figures may change over time; you should check current information on the official website before making a decision.
