October 1, 2020 marks the beginning of the federal fiscal year (FY21), and with it, the infusion of a new allocation of immigrant visa numbers. Charlie Oppenheim anticipated that the infusion of unused family-based visa numbers could increase the FY21 employment-based allocation to at least 250,000 immigrant visas. This infusion typically results in some forward movement in Final Action Dates in the month of October. FY20’s employment-based allocation is the second highest allocation of employment-based numbers in memory, at 156,000, with the highest being 158,000. An employment-based allocation of 250,000 would reflect a 63% increase relative to the highest allocation in recent memory. Significant advancement in all of the employment-based categories, perhaps with the exception of EB-5, will be seen in Oct 2020.

Please be prepared to submit your I-485 if you have been waiting for the visa number for long. Please be advised that SCIS fees will increase on October 2nd and a new, yet to be released, I-485 form will be required on that date. 

Attorney Jing Feng is a decorated immigration lawyer who has been working in immigration for years. She has notable experience in this domain, and has successfully gained U.S. residency for thousands of her clients. For more consultation on I-485 preparation, please contact Jing Feng Law Group, PLLC at jfeng@fengvisa.com or 646-288-7129. We look forward to hearing from you!