On September 9, 2015, the Department of State and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced a transformation of the way the Department of State’s visa bulletin functions. This change will allow many individuals who have been waiting in visa backlogs to file green card applications before an actual green card is available.

The change is part of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration and may allow prospective immigrant visa applicants, including those from historically backlogged countries like India and China, to receive the benefits of filing a green card application sooner than was previously possible.

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