U.S. State Department

Who had the longest wait for an immigrant visa this month?

Source: Visa Bulletin for May 2012, U.S. Department of State

Nations with current longest waits for family-sponsored based immigrant visas: The priority dates shown are when applicants now up for processing filed petitions.

Illegal immigration to the U.S. may have slowed, but the long line for legal entry that many blame in part for driving some to take the illegal route doesn’t seem to be moving any more quickly.

Now that it’s May, it’s time to take a look once more at the U.S. State Department’s monthly Visa Bulletin, which lists the wait times for hopeful immigrants waiting to come to the U.S. legally on family-sponsored visas. And as is the norm, the longest waits continue to be endured by those being sponsored by U.S relatives in the Philippines, followed by people waiting in Mexico.

Until recently, hopeful immigrants from the Philippines in this visa category had been waiting in line since 1988. Now, those who filed petitions in January 1989 are finally up to receive immigrant visas – which means that people who remained in line all this time have had to wait 23 years.

The top four categories of immigrants who have faced the longest waits this month:

1) Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait of more than 23 years (petitions filed January 22, 1989).

2) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait that’s coming up on 20 years (petitions filed July 22, 1992)

3) Unmarried adult (21 and over) sons and daughters of U.S. legal permanent residents from Mexico, a wait of more than 19 years (petitions filed December 1, 1992)

4) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from Mexico, a wait of more than 19 years (petitions filed January 15, 1993)

With the exception of the first group, the lines for the others haven’t budged since last month. Why are these waits so long? Here’s how it works: Each country is allotted the same percentage of visas from a pool of family and employer-based visas available each year, regardless of the demand from any individual nation.

For countries represented by an especially large immigrant population in the U.S., such as Mexico, the Philippines, China and India, there is much higher demand for family reunification. Hopeful immigrants in these countries are competing for the same number of available visas as people immigrants in countries where there is far less demand, so they face a much longer wait.

What the monthly bulletin shows are priority dates, i.e. the dates on which petitions were filed, as visas technically become available to those waiting. Having one’s priority date appear in the monthly bulletin is great news. However, the dates are subject to change and often do, meaning that many who think their wait is over find themselves having to wait longer still.

The waits above don’t apply to those defined as “immediate” relatives of U.S. citizens, like spouses, parents, and children under 21, all of whom are exempt from the limits (although U.S.-born children of immigrants must be 21 to sponsor their parents, and penalties apply if the parents entered illegally). Other family members must wait until their priority date comes up.

The entire Visa Bulletin for May 2012 can be viewed here.

FILED UNDER: Green cards, Immigrant visas, Priority date, U.S. State Department, Visa Bulletin

April 5, 2012 | 10:31 AM | By Leslie Berestein Rojas

Who had the longest wait for an immigrant visa this month?

Source: Visa Bulletin for April 2012, U.S. Department of State

Nations with current longest waits for family-sponsored based immigrant visas: The priority dates shown are when applicants now up for processing filed petitions.

It’s April and time for another look at the wait times for family-sponsored visas, for whom some people wait a very, very long time. We skipped a month in March, but the line hasn’t budged much. According to the U.S. State Department’s monthly Visa Bulletin, the longest waits continue to be endured by the siblings of U.S. citizens from the Philippines, as is the norm.

Until recently, hopeful immigrants from the Philippines in this visa category had been waiting in line since 1988. This has now moved up to 1989, with those who filed petitions in January of that year finally up to receive immigrant visas for the U.S. Here are this month’s top four categories of immigrants who have faced the longest waits:

1) Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait of more than 23 years (petitions filed January 8, 1989).

2) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait that’s coming up on 20 years (petitions filed July 22, 1992)

3) Unmarried adult (21 and over) sons and daughters of U.S. legal permanent residents from Mexico, a wait of more than 19 years (petitions filed December 1, 1992)

4) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from Mexico, a wait of more than 19 years (petitions filed January 15, 1993)

Why are these waits to come to the U.S. legally so long? Every country is allotted the same percentage of visas from a pool of family and employer-based visas available each year, regardless of the demand from any individual nation. For countries represented by especially large immigrant populations in the U.S., such as Mexico, the Philippines, China and India, there is an especially high demand for family reunification. Because hopeful immigrants in these countries are competing for the same number of available visas as hopeful immigrants in countries where there is far less demand, they face a much longer wait.

What the monthly bulletin shows are priority dates, i.e. the dates on which petitions were filed, as visas technically become available to those waiting. Having one’s priority date appear in the monthly bulletin is great news, but the dates are subject to change, and often do. When this happens, those thought they’d made it to the front of the line must wait even longer.

These waits don’t apply to those defined as “immediate” relatives of U.S. citizens, like spouses, parents, and children under 21, all of whom are exempt from the limits (although U.S.-born children of immigrants must be 21 in order to sponsor their parents, and penalties apply if the parents entered illegally). But other family members must wait until their priority date comes up.

A bill that would have eliminated per-country caps on employment visas and somewhat eased the limits on family-sponsored visas stalled in the Senate late last year.

The entire Visa Bulletin for April 2012 can be viewed here, and the March bulletin here.

FILED UNDER: Green cards, Immigrant visas, U.S. State Department, Visa Bulletin

February 1, 2012 | 10:52 AM | By Leslie Berestein Rojas

Who had the longest wait for an immigrant visa this month?

Nations with current longest waits for family-sponsored based immigrant visas: The priority dates shown are when applicants now up for processing filed petitions. (Source: Visa Bulletin for February 2012, U.S. Department of State)

The line for many immigrants hoping to enter the United States legally remains, as ever, a very long one. So now that the U.S. State Department has posted whose turn is up this month to receive an immigrant visa, let’s take a look once more at who has been waiting the longest.

According to the monthly Visa Bulletin, that distinction goes once more to the brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens from the Philippines, as is the norm. Those whose turn it is to receive visas this month filed petitions to come legally as immigrants back in November of 1988.

Here are the top four categories of immigrants who have endured the longest waits this month:

1) Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait of more than 23 years (petitions filed November 1, 1988).

2) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait of more than 19 years (petitions filed July 22, 1992)

3) Unmarried adult (21 and over) sons and daughters of U.S. legal permanent residents from Mexico, a wait of more than 19 years (petitions filed December 1, 1992)

4) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from Mexico, a wait of just over 19 years (petitions filed January 1, 1993)

What the monthly bulletin shows are priority dates, i.e. the dates on which petitions were filed, as visas technically become available to those waiting. Having one’s priority date appear in the monthly bulletin is good news, but the dates are subject to change and often do, which means that many who thought they’d made it to the front of the line have to keep waiting.

While not as long as the waits for relatives in Philippines and Mexico, people applying for these family-sponsored visas in China and India endure long waits as well, some stretching back to 2000. Why are these waits so long? Every country is allotted the same percentage of visas from a pool of family and employer-based visas available each year, regardless of the demand from any individual nation. This is key, since for countries represented by especially large immigrant populations in the U.S. – i.e. Mexico, the Philippines, China and India – there is an especially high demand for family reunification. Since these hopeful immigrants are competing for the same number of available visas as, say, their peers in Switzerland or Uganda, they must wait longer.

It’s a different process for immigrants defined as “immediate” relatives of U.S. citizens, such as spouses, parents, and children under 21, all of whom are exempt from the limits (although U.S.-born children of immigrants must be 21 in order to sponsor their parents, and penalties apply if the parents entered illegally). Other family members must wait until their priority date comes up.

The entire Visa Bulletin for February 2012 can be viewed here.

FILED UNDER: Green cards, Immigrant visas, U.S. State Department, Visa Bulletin

January 3, 2012 | 11:12 AM | By Leslie Berestein Rojas

Who had the longest wait for an immigrant visa this month?

It’s the start of a new month and a new year, but the line to enter the United States legally is as long as ever. According the U.S. State Department’s monthly Visa Bulletin, which lists the categories of hopeful immigrants whose turn is up to receive visas, there are some relatives of U.S. citizens in the Philippines and Mexico who have been waiting roughly two decades.

As in recent months, those who have had the longest waits as relatives sponsor them to come as immigrants are the siblings of U.S. citizens in the Philippines. Those whose turn is up this month to receive visas filed their petitions back in October of 1988.

Here are the top four categories of immigrants who have endured the longest waits this month:

1) Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait of more than 23 years (petitions filed October 8, 1988).

2) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait of more than 19 years (petitions filed July 15, 1992)

It’s a close tie for third and fourth place:

3) Unmarried adult (21 and over) sons and daughters of U.S. legal permanent residents from Mexico, a wait of just over 19 years (petitions filed December 1, 1992)

4) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from Mexico, also a wait of just over 19 years (petitions filed December 22, 1992)

Many others have been waiting since the 1990s, like the unmarried adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from Mexico, for example, who have been waiting since 1993, and those from the Philippines, who have been waiting since 1997. Relatives waiting for family-category visas in China and India don’t necessarily get them quickly either, with some waiting in line since 2000.

What the monthly bulletin shows are priority dates, i.e. the dates on which petitions were filed, as visas technically become available to those waiting. Having one’s priority date appear in the monthly bulletin is good news, but the dates are subject to change and often do, which means that many who thought they’d made it to the front of the line have to keep waiting.

It’s different for immigrants who are defined as “immediate” relatives of U.S. citizens, such as spouses, parents, and children under 21, all of whom are exempt from the limits (although U.S.-born children of immigrants must be 21 in order to sponsor their parents, and penalties apply if the parents entered illegally). Other family members must wait until their priority date comes up.

Why are these waits so long? Every nation is allotted the same percentage from a pool of family and employer-based visas available each year, regardless of the demand from any individual nation. For those waiting in countries represented by large immigrant populations in the U.S. – such as Mexico, the Philippines, China and India – there is an especially high demand for family reunification, and this makes for especially long visa waits.

In late fall, the House approved a bill referred to as HR 3012, or the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, which along with eliminating the per-country caps on employer-based visas would also raise per-country limits on family-based visas from what it is now (no more than seven percent of the total) to 15 percent. The bill has been put on hold in the Senate.

The entire Visa Bulletin for January 2012 can be viewed here.

FILED UNDER: Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, HR 3012, Immigrant visas, U.S. State Department, Visa Bulletin

December 5, 2011 | 9:45 AM | By Leslie Berestein Rojas

Who had the longest wait for an immigrant visa this month?

Among those hopeful immigrants who are up for visas in December, who endured the longest wait? Little has changed in that those who have waited longest to come legally are from the Philippines, some of whom have been in line since 1988, followed by immigrants from Mexico.

Among the latter, those waiting in line the longest have been doing so since 1992, which is to say they’ve been waiting since Bill Clinton was elected and Nirvana was hot.

The line for immigrants from Mexico and the Philippines being sponsored by U.S. citizen and legal resident relatives moves at a glacial pace, so it can take decades from the time the paperwork is filed to sponsor a relative and the time that person arrives with an immigrant visa. According to this month’s Visa Bulletin from the U.S. State Department, here are the top four categories of immigrants who have waited longest for their number to come up:

1) Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait of more than 23 years (petitions filed September 8, 1988).

2) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait of more than 19 years (petitions filed July 8, 1992)

3) Unmarried adult (21 and over) sons and daughters of U.S. legal permanent residents from Mexico, a wait of more than 19 years (petitions filed November 22, 1992)

4) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from Mexico, a wait of almost 19 years (petitions filed December 15, 1992)

How it works: Each month, immigrant visas technically become available to those whose priority dates, i.e. the dates on which their petitions were filed, are listed in the visa bulletin.

Why does it take so long for some? Every nation is allotted the same percentage of visas from a pool of family and employer-based visas available each year, regardless of the demand from any individual nation. Mexico, the Philippines, China and India are represented by large immigrant populations in the U.S., meaning there is very high demand for family reunification. The result is that hopeful immigrants in these countries must wait much longer – sometimes 20 years or more – for their turn to come legally than those in countries where demand isn’t as high.

This could change somewhat if a bill approved last week in the House, HR 3012 or the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, makes it through Congress. Though its focus is on employer-based visas, the bill would also raise the per-country limits on family-based visas from what it is now (no more than seven percent of the total) to 15 percent. The biggest change would be to the employer-based system, with those per-country limitations removed altogether. But it would not increase the total number of family- and employment-based visas that can be issued each year.

Immigrants who are defined as immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, such as spouses, parents, and children under 21, are exempt from these limits (although U.S.-born children of immigrants must be 21 in order to sponsor their parents, and penalties apply if the parents entered illegally). Other relatives being sponsored must wait until their priority date comes up.

Being on the monthly priority date list for a family-based visa is great news for those waiting, of course. But the dates are subject to change at the last minute, and often do. This means that some who thought their long wait was over will have to wait longer.

The entire Visa Bulletin for December 2011 can be viewed here.

FILED UNDER: Politics/Justice, Green cards, Immigrant visas, U.S. State Department, Visa Bulletin

November 4, 2011 | 9:58 AM | By Leslie Berestein Rojas

Who had to wait longest for an immigrant visa this month?

Nations with current longest waits for family-sponsored based immigrant visas: The priority dates shown are when applicants filed their petitions. (Source: Visa Bulletin for November 2011, U.S. Department of State)

It’s the beginning of November, which means it’s time to take a look once more at who has been waiting in line the longest to come legally to the United States.

The line has budged little since last month, according the U.S. State Department’s monthly Visa Bulletin, which lists the categories of hopeful immigrants who are up to receive visas. As in recent months, those waiting the longest as relatives sponsor them to come to the U.S. are hopeful immigrants from the Philippines who filed their petitions way back in August of 1988.

Here are the top four categories of immigrants who have endured the longest waits this month:

1) Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait of more than 23 years (petitions filed August 22, 1988).

2) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait of more than 19 years (petitions filed June 22, 1992)

3) Unmarried adult (21 and over) sons and daughters of U.S. legal permanent residents from Mexico, a wait of close to 19 years (petitions filed November 22, 1992)

4) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from Mexico, a wait of close to 19 years (petitions filed December 8, 1992)

Others listed in the bulletin aren’t waiting much less. The unmarried adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from Mexico, for example, have been waiting since 1993. And while hopeful immigrants from the Philippines and Mexico endure the longest waits, those waiting in China and India don’t have a speedy passage either, with some waiting in line since 2000.

What the monthly bulletin shows are priority dates, i.e. the dates on which petitions were filed, as visas technically become available to those waiting. Having one’s priority date appear in the monthly bulletin is great news, of course. But the dates are subject to change and often do, which means that many who thought they’d made it to the front of the line must keep waiting.

The reason the waits are so long for some is that every nation is allotted the same percentage from a pool of family and employer-based visas available each year, regardless of the demand from any individual nation. For hopeful immigrants waiting in countries represented by large immigrant populations in the U.S. – such as Mexico, the Philippines, China and India – there is an especially high demand for family reunification, making for especially long visa waits.

Immigrants who are defined as “immediate” relatives of U.S. citizens such as spouses, parents, and children under 21 are exempt from the limits (although U.S.-born children of immigrants must be 21 in order to sponsor their parents, and penalties apply if the parents entered illegally). Other family members must wait until their priority date comes up.

The entire Visa Bulletin for November 2011 can be viewed here.

FILED UNDER: Politics/Justice, Green cards, Immigrant visas, U.S. State Department, Visa Bulletin

October 4, 2011 | 12:26 PM | By Leslie Berestein Rojas

Who had the longest wait for an immigrant visa this month?

Nations with current longest waits for family-sponsored based immigrant visas: The priority dates shown are when applicants now up for processing filed their petitions. (Source: Visa Bulletin for October 2011, U.S. Department of State)

It’s already October, which means it’s time to find out who endured the longest wait this month to come legally to the U.S. as an immigrant. And as has been the case in recent months, it’s no surprise: Hopeful immigrants from the Philippines who are being sponsored by U.S. citizen siblings win the contest hands-down, having been waiting in line since 1988.

The line for immigrants from Mexico and the Philippines being sponsored by U.S. citizen and legal resident relatives moves very slowly, meaning it can take decades from the time the paperwork is filed to sponsor an immigrant relative and the time that person actually gets here. According to this month’s Visa Bulletin from the U.S. State Department, here are the top four categories of immigrants who have waited longest for their number to come up:

1) Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait of more than 23 years (petitions filed August 1, 1988).

2) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait of more than 19 years (petitions filed June 8, 1992)

3) Unmarried adult (21 and over) sons and daughters of U.S. legal permanent residents from Mexico, a wait of close to 19 years (petitions filed November 22, 1992)

4) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from Mexico, a wait of close to 19 years (petitions filed December 1, 1992)

Why does it take so long? Here’s how it works: Each month, immigrant visas technically become available to those whose priority dates, i.e. the dates on which their petitions were filed, are listed in the visa bulletin.

Every nation is allotted the same percentage of visas from a pool of family and employer-based visas available each year, regardless of the demand from any individual nation. For those waiting in Mexico, the Philippines, China and India, countries represented by large immigrant populations in the U.S., there is an especially high demand for family reunification. This results in far longer lines for these hopeful immigrants than for people waiting in other countries where the demand isn’t as high.

It’s not unusual to see waits of sometimes 20 years or more. Immigrants defined as immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, such as spouses, parents, and children under 21, are exempt from these limits (although U.S.-born children of immigrants must be 21 in order to sponsor their parents, and penalties apply if the parents entered illegally).

But other relatives must wait until their priority date comes up. Being on the monthly priority date list is great news for those waiting. However, the dates are subject to change and often do. This means that some who thought their long wait was over will have to wait longer.

The entire Visa Bulletin for October 2011 can be viewed here.

FILED UNDER: Green cards, Immigrant visas, U.S. State Department, Visa Bulletin

August 3, 2011 | 11:40 AM | By Leslie Berestein Rojas

Who’s had to wait longest for an immigrant visa this month?

Source: Visa Bulletin for August 2011, U.S. Department of State

Nations with current longest waits for family-sponsored based immigrant visas: The priority dates shown are when applicants now up for processing filed their petitions.

It’s the beginning of the month, time for the latest update from the U.S. State Department’s Visa Bulletin. The bulletin lists the categories of hopeful immigrants whose turn has come to enter the United States legally with an immigrant visa. But for many, the good news – provided the posted dates don’t change, which can happen – comes after an excruciatingly long wait.

As it has been lately, the people waiting in line the longest are hopeful immigrants from the Philippines who are being sponsored by their siblings. The ones whose priority dates are on the bulletin this month filed petitions back in May of 1988.

Immigrants from Mexico who have been waiting are slightly ahead, but not by much. Here are the top four categories of immigrants who have waited longest as their number for a visa comes up:

1) Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait of more than 23 years (petitions filed May 15, 1988).

2) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from the Philippines, a wait of more than 19 years (petitions filed April 1, 1992)

3) Unmarried adult (21 and over) sons and daughters of U.S. legal permanent residents from Mexico, a wait of close to 19 years (petitions filed October 1, 1992)

4) Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens from Mexico, a wait of close to 19 years (petitions filed November 15, 1992)

How it works: Immigrant visas technically become available each month to those whose priority dates, i.e. the dates on which their petitions were filed, are listed in the visa bulletin. Being on the monthly priority date list is great news for those waiting. But the dates are subject to change and often do, meaning that some who thought they were done waiting must continue standing in line.

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