Currently, the major issue troubling applicants preparing to immigrate to the United States is the immigration priority dates, which can delay the time for applicants to immigrate to the United States by one or two years, or even longer. Therefore, the advancement of immigration priority dates is what applicants most hope to see, but unfortunately, some immigration categories may experience retrogression.
Why do U.S. immigration priority dates retrogress?
There are several factors that cause priority date retrogression: first, the number of applicants; second, the processing speed of the immigration bureau; and third, issues with the calculation method used by the Department of State for issuing priority date announcements. Under normal circumstances, the immigration bureau processes green card applications at a speed of approximately six to eight months. Over the past year, the number of applicants has increased while the processing speed has not accelerated, resulting in a backlog of cases at the immigration bureau. If the backlog is significant, the immigration bureau needs to notify the Department of State's immigrant visa issuance department to suspend the advancement of immigration priority dates, which can lead to a halt or even retrogression of the priority date announcements.
Does the retrogression of immigration priority dates mean that the waiting time will also increase?
Not necessarily; the retrogression to 2006 is a method used by the Department of State to reset due to inaccurate calculations of immigration quotas. In fact, the number of employment-based immigrants born in mainland China with priority dates before 2010 should be very few. If readers recall, in May 2014, there was a sudden retrogression of the priority date for employment-based immigrants from mainland China in the third category from October 2012 to October 2006. However, a year later, the priority date returned to September 2011.
The above explains the reasons for the retrogression of U.S. immigration priority dates. For more details, please consult Worldway's customer service.
