Determining Priority Dates for Family Preference Visas in Maryland
Dealing with immigration issues in the US can be a complex experience, and waiting for results can seem even more intimidating. Working with a immigration lawyer can help to ease many of your apprehensions and your family members apprehensions. An experienced attorney will be able to help you understand the different considerations determining priority dates for Family Preference visas you need to be aware of, such as the importance of the Visa Bulletin.
Visa Bulletin
The Visa Bulletin is the Department of State published website that indicates how long someone will need to wait in order to enter the US or to apply for Permanent Status in the United States from a Family Preference category. The Visa Bulletin is a list of applicants by each of the preference categories, and it states how long they need to wait in each category. The bulletin is built around priority dates. If someone looks online, they will see they can look under any given category and see in any given month which priority dates are being processed.
The priority dates that someone will receive on their Receipt Notice will determine how they look up their wait time on the National Visa Bulletin. It is on the Department of State website and it is updated monthly. It is important for those who have been placed into a Family Preference category because it is the place where they can find out how long of a wait their family member will have based on their priority date.
Checking the Visa Bulletin
The Visa Bulletin can jump up several months at a time and can also retrogress, so it is important for someone to stay on top of their priority date in their Family Preference Category to know when their priority date comes through.
If someone is outside the United States, they only have one year after the date that their priority date becomes current to enter the US and process their visa. Even though years can pass before they are actually eligible to enter, it is important that they monitor it monthly.
Receipt Notice
The Receipt Notice is the notice that the US government will send to the applicant after filing any immigration petition or application, stating that they have received the application and that it is under process. The Receipt Notice is very important, specifically in the Family Preference category, because it is what will state someone’s priority date. Their priority date is basically the date that the USCIS has received their application and determines their place in line.
If someone is in the Fourth Preference category and they have a 15-year wait, that priority date on their Receipt Notice is their place in line. They will have to wait for everybody who has a priority date earlier than theirs in their same category to be processed before they are eligible. By looking up their priority date on the Department of State website, they will determine when they will be eligible for a visa in the Family Preference category.
The priority date is the important information on the Receipt Notice. That will let someone know when they are eligible to actually receive the Green Card or to begin their visa processing.