VISA BULLETIN  FEBRUARY 2007

FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES

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:

A. Spouses and Children: 77% of the overall second preference limitation, of which 75% are exempt from the per-country limit;

B. 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

Priority Dates for Family Based Immigrant Visas
Family All Charge- ability Areas Except Those Listed CHINA-mainland born INDIA MEXICO PHILIPP-INES
1st  01MAY01 01MAY01 01MAY01 01JAN94 01JAN92
2A 22MAR02 22MAR02 22MAR02 15MAY00 22MAR02
2B 15MAY97 15MAY97 15MAY97 01MAR92 01OCT96
3rd 01FEB99 01FEB99 01FEB99 01JAN95 08FEB91
4th 15FEB96 22JUL95 08OCT95 15MAR94 01AUG84

EXAMPLE No. 1

If you as a US resident are filing for your spouse and/or child, your petition belongs to the second preference 2A category. If you are not from Mexico, Philippines, nor India and China, your spouse and/or child will have to wait  approx 5 years to obtain his/her residency. Because Immigration Service &/or the Department of state is working on applications submitted on March, 2002, we can determine that your application sent today on January, 2007; will take five years to be processed.     

EXAMPLE No. 2

If you are a US citizen filing for your brother in China, your petition belongs to the fourth preference 4th,  your application will take approx.12 years to be processed.

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