Immigration Numbers – Family Sponsored
- Immigration News
This article summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during November. Allocations were made, to the extent possible under the numerical limitations, for the demand received by 8th October in the chronological order of the reported priority dates. The cut-off date for an oversubscribed category is the priority date of the first applicant who could not be reached within the numerical limits. Only applicants who have a priority date earlier than the cut-off date may be allotted a number. Immediately that it becomes necessary during the monthly allocation process to retrogress a cut-off date, supplemental requests for numbers will be honored only if the priority date falls within the new cut-off date.
Family-Sponsored Preferences
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) sets an annual minimum family-sponsored preference limit of 226,000. The worldwide level for annual employment-based preference immigrants is at least 140,000.The Act also states that the per-country limit for preference immigrants is approximately 25, 620 – 7% of the total annual family-sponsored and employment-based preference limits. The dependent area limit is set at 7, 320 or about 2%.
First: Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Citizens: 23,400 plus any numbers not required for fourth preference.
Second: Spouses and Children, and Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Permanent Residents: 114,200, plus the number (if any) by which the worldwide family preference level exceeds 226,000, and any unused first preference numbers:
- Spouses and Children: 77% of the overall second preference limitation, of which 75% are exempt from the per-country limit;
- Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older): 23% of the overall second preference limitation.
Third: Married Sons and Daughters of Citizens: 23,400, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences.
Fourth: Brothers and Sisters of Adult Citizens: 65,000, plus any numbers not required by first three preferences.
In the chart below, the listing of a date for any class indicates that the class is oversubscribed. The numbers are available only for applicants whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below:
Family | All Chargeability except listed below | China (Mainland)Born | India | Mexico | Philippines |
1st | 01MAY02 | 01MAY02 | 01MAY02 | 15SEP92 | 01MAY93 |
2A | 08FEB04 | 08FEB04 | 08FEB04 | 15JUL01 | 08FEB04 |
2B | 15JAN00 | 15JAN00 | 15JAN00 | 22APR92 | 15JUN97 |
3rd | 01JUL00 | 01JUL00 | 01JUL00 | 15SEP92 | 08MAY91 |
4th | 15NOV97 | 08JUL97 | 22JUL97 | 22JAN95 | 22MAR86 |