Starting with the October 2015 Visa Bulletin, the U.S.
Department of State and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) have announced that certain individuals in the
permanent residence (green card) process will be able to file the
last step of the process, the application for adjustment of status,
form I-485, even if their priority date is not current. The impact
is significant particularly for Chinese and Indian nationals who
have faced significant backlogs, as much as 10 years in some cases,
before becoming eligible to file the I-485, adjustment of status,
petition.
What all this means is that although applicants can file and pay
the filing fees years before the priority date is expected to
become current, adjustment of status petitions will not be eligible
for adjudication (final action) until the original priority date
listed on the approval notice for the I-140 Immigration Petition
becomes available. There will still be a long wait for the
