Visa Bulletin September 2023 Chart Update

Updated: 22nd August 2023

The U.S. Department of State released the September 2023 Visa Bulletin. You can find the availability of immigrant numbers for September from this release. This update presents the final action & filing dates for family and employment-based categories. It notifies the immigrant visa applicants when to submit the documents to the National Visa Center (NVC).

Visa Bulletin Summary September 2023

• • There is no movement in the FB1, FB2B, FB3, and FB4 which maintains the same cutoff date.
  • For the first time in years, the FB2A category isn’t current (Under dates for filing chart). Thus, green card holders’ spouses and children will face longer waits for application processing.
  • The FB2A  (under final action date) category, which has a change from the previous month. The cutoff date for Mexico under FB2A remains the same, while for all other chargeable countries, it’s established on January 1, 2018.
  • There is no movement in the EB1 which maintains the same cutoff date.
  • The cutoff date for EB2 has a 3-month change 1st July 22, for Mexico, Philippines, and other countries. No movement change for India and China.
  • The cutoff date for EB3 has a 3-month change for China 1st September 19, and no change for Mexico, Philippines, and other countries.
  • There is no change in the  EB4 & EB5 category.

Are you new to the term “Visa Bulletin”, or “Final Action Date”? No worries. Immigration Direct prepared the guide on “How to Read the Visa Bulletin” for you. Learn today!

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When to File Adjustment of Status Application

Every month U.S. Department of State releases two charts with “Final Action Dates” and “Dates For Filing”. USCIS decides what chart the applicants should refer to and file their applications. For September 2023, Family-Sponsored applicants should use the “Dates for Filing” chart, whereas Employment-sponsored applicants should use “Final Action Dates”.

If you find

• • “C” on the chart is the current date and the numbers are authorized for issuance to all qualified applicants.
  • “U” means unauthorized, the numbers mentioned are not authorized for issuance.

Below you can find the detailed chart with dates for individual categories.

Family-Sponsored Preferences

Final Action Dates for Family-Sponsored Applications (September 2023)

Family-Sponsored Categories	China (Mainland Born)	India	Mexico	Philippines	Other Chargeability countries Except Listed
F1	01JAN15	01JAN15	22APR01	01MAR12	01JAN15
F2A	01JAN18	01JAN18	01SEP16	01JAN18	01JAN18
F2B	22SEP15	22SEP15	01AUG01	22OCT11	22SEP15
F3	08JAN09	08JAN09	15JAN98	08JUN02	08JAN09
F4	22APR07	15SEP05	01AUG00	22AUG02	22APR07

Changes from August Month:

• • In the F1 (Unmarried Children of U.S. Citizens) category, there is no change.
  • In the F2A (Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents) category, there is a change in all countries.
  • In the F2B Unmarried Children (21 years of age or older) of the Permanent Residents category, there is no change.
  • In the F3 (Married Children of U.S. Citizens) category, there is no change.
  • In the F4 (Siblings of U.S. Citizens) category, there is no change.

Dates For Filing Family-Sponsored Applications (September 2023)

Family-Sponsored Categories	China (Mainland Born)	India	Mexico	Philippines	Other Chargeability countries Except Listed
F1	01SEP17	01SEP17	01APR05	22APR15	01SEP17
F2A	01SEP23	01SEP23	01SEP23	01SEP23	01SEP23
F2B	01JAN17	01JAN17	01AUG04	01OCT13	01JAN17
F3	01MAR10	01MAR10	15JUN01	08NOV03	01MAR10
F4	01MAR08	22FEB06	15APR01	22APR04	01MAR08

Changes from August Month:

• • In the F1 (Unmarried Children of U.S. Citizens) category, there is no change. 
  • In the F2A (Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents) category, there is a change  (can apply from 1st SEP 2023; previously it is in current  ‘C’ status)
  • In the F2B Unmarried Children (21 years of age or older) of the Permanent Residents category, there is no change.
  • In the F3 (Married Children of U.S. Citizens) category, there is no change.
  • In the F4 (Siblings of U.S. Citizens) category, there is no change

•  

Employment-Based Preferences

 

Final Action Dates For Employment-Based Applications

(September 2023)

Employment-Based Categories	China (Mainland Born)	India	Mexico	Philippines	Other Chargeability countries Except Listed
1st	01FEB22	01JAN12	01AUG23	01AUG23	01AUG23
2nd	08JUL19	01JAN11	01JUL22	01JUL22	01JUL22
3rd	01SEP19	01JAN09	01MAY20	01MAY20	01MAY20
Other Workers	01SEP15	01JAN09	01MAY20	01MAY20	01MAY20
4th	01SEP18	01SEP18	01SEP18	01SEP18	01SEP18
Certain Religious Workers	01SEP18	01SEP18	01SEP18	01SEP18	01SEP18
5th Unreserved (including C5, T5, I5, R5)	08SEP15	01APR17	C	C	C
5th Set Aside: Rural (20%)	C	C	C	C	C
5th Set Aside: High Unemployment (10%)	C	C	C	C	C
5th Set Aside: Infrastructure (2%)	C	C	C	C	C

Changes from August Month:

• • In the EB1 (Extraordinary people, Outstanding Researchers and Professors, and Multinational Executives and Managers) category, there is no change.
  • In the EB2 (Exceptional People and Advanced Degree Holders) category, there is a 3-month change for Mexico, the Philippines, and other countries. India and China has no change.
  • In the EB3 (Bachelor’s Degree Holders, Skilled Workers, and Unskilled Workers)  category, there is no change.
  • In the EB4 (Special Immigrants) category, there is no change.
  • In the EB5 (Investors) category, there is no change. 

Dates for Filing Employment-Based Applications

(September 2023)

Employment-Based Categories	China (Mainland Born)	India	Mexico	Philippines	Other Chargeability countries Except Listed
1st	01JUN22	01JUN22	C	C	C
2nd	08OCT19	01MAY12	01DEC22	01DEC22	01DEC22
3rd	01NOV19	01AUG12	01MAY23	01MAY23	01MAY23
Other Workers	01JAN16	01AUG12	01JUN20	01JUN20	01JUN20
4th	01OCT18	01OCT18	01OCT18	01OCT18	01OCT18
Certain Religious Workers	01OCT18	01OCT18	01OCT18	01OCT18	01OCT18
5th Unreserved (including C5, T5, I5, R5)	01JAN16	08DEC19	C	C	C
5th Set Aside: Rural (20%)	C	C	C	C	C
5th Set Aside: High Unemployment (10%)	C	C	C	C	C
5th Set Aside: Infrastructure (2%)	C	C	C	C	C

Changes from August Month:

• • In the EB1 (Extraordinary people, Outstanding Researchers and Professors, and Multinational Executives and Managers) category, there is no change.
  • In the EB2 (Exceptional People and Advanced Degree Holders) category, there is no change.
  • In the EB3 (Bachelor’s Degree Holders, Skilled Workers, and Unskilled Workers)  category, there is a 3-month change for China and no changes for the rest of the countries.
  • In the EB4 (Special Immigrants) category, there is no change.
  • In the EB5 (Investors) category, there is no change. 

Diversity Immigrant (DV) Category

Every year Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) permits 55,000 immigrant visas annually through the Diversity Visa program. This number of visas from countries with low admissions over the past five years. 5,000 visas are reserved annually for the NACARA program, reducing the DV-2023 limit to roughly 54,850. These DV visas are distributed across six regions, with a cap of seven percent per country each year.

September 2023 Immigrant Numbers in the DV Category

Region	All DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately
Africa	Current	Except: 1. Algeria: 45,000 2. Egypt: 43,200 3. Morocco : 63,400
Asia	21,000	Except: 1. Iran: 16,000 2. Nepal : 21,000
Europe	32,000	Except: 1. Russia: 32,000 2. Uzbekistan: 17,000
North America (Bahamas)	Current
Oceania	2,500
South America, and the Caribbean	3,150

Changes from August Month:

• • There is a change in Asia region as current.
  • In the Europe region there is an increase of 2000 for Uzbekistan.
  • There is an increase of 850 in Oceania region.
  • There is an increase of 250 in South America, and the Caribbean region.
  • No change in North America (Bahamas).

The Diversity (DV) Immigrant Category Rank Cut-offs (October 2023)

Region	All DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately
Africa	10,000	Except: 1. Algeria: 7,500 2. Egypt: 5,500 3. Morocco : 5,600
Asia	2,000	Except: 1. Iran    : 1,750 2. Nepal : 1,300
Europe	4,500	Except: 1. Russia: 4,400 2. Uzbekistan: 1,250
North America (Bahamas)	2
Oceania	225
South America, and the Caribbean	375

Why it is Important to Check Visa Bulletin Every Month?

Every month, at the start, you should check the visa bulletin to get the details about available immigrant visa numbers. Since U.S. Government sets an annual limit on the number of immigrant visas, there can be significant wait times due to high demand and country-specific limits.

On the regular check, you can identify when a visa number becomes available for your category. It helps you to apply at the right time without missing opportunities.