Welcome to the U.S. news update from Corporate Immigration Partners, PC (CIP PC), where the team provides insights into the latest policy changes impacting corporate immigration. Explore the December 2024 visa bulletin and updates and predictions on the visa bulletin for January 2025.
Visa Bulletin: December 2024 and January 2025
The December 2024 and January 2025 Visa Bulletins provide important updates regarding immigrant visa availability and processing timelines in the United States.
December 2024 Visa Bulletin Highlights
- Family-Based Categories: The F2A category had numbers exempt from per-country limits for applicants with priority dates earlier than April 15, 2021. For Mexico, F2A numbers were also exempt from per-country limits for priority dates before January 1, 2022. However, F4 category numbers remained stagnant for the seventh consecutive month, while F1 and F2B categories saw some progress after a six-month standstill.
- Employment-Based Categories: There were no changes in the employment-based categories for filing dates or final action dates. The bulletin indicated that significant movements in these categories were unlikely until summer 2025.
January 2025 Visa Bulletin Highlights
- Family-Based Categories: The January bulletin showed mixed updates. While the F4 category remained unchanged, there was some movement in the F1 and F2B categories. The F2A category continued to experience high demand but little movement overall.
- Employment-Based Categories: Similar to December, there were no changes to the dates for filing applications in employment-based categories. However, slight advancements were noted in the final action dates for EB-2 and EB-3 categories for certain countries. USCIS will accept adjustment of status applications based on the dates for filing chart from this bulletin
Summary of Changes
| Category | December 2024 Updates | January 2025 Updates |
| Family-Based | F4 stagnant; F1 and F2B progressed | F4 stagnant; F1 and F2B continued progress |
| Employment-Based | No changes in filing or final action | No changes in filing; slight advancements in final action for EB-2 and EB-3 |
In conclusion, both bulletins reflect ongoing challenges in family-based categories due to backlogs, while employment-based categories show stability with minor advancements expected later.
Don’t Miss an Update
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Envoy is pleased to provide you with this information, which was prepared in collaboration with Waleed Salaheldin, who is a Partner at Corporate Immigration Partners, P.C. and Anothony Zarate who is a Managing Attorney at Corporate Immigration Partners, P.C., a U.S. law firm who provides services through the Envoy Platform (the “U.S. Law Firm”).
Content in this publication is for informational purposes only and not intended as legal advice, nor should it be relied on as such. Envoy is not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. If you would like guidance on how this information may impact your particular situation and you are a client of the U.S. Law Firm, consult your attorney. If you are not a client of the U.S. Law Firm working with Envoy, consult another qualified professional. This website does not create an attorney-client relationship with the U.S. Law Firm.
