Monthly US Visa Bulletin For PH Nurses | December 2020

November 23, 2020 | Unistaff Content Team

US Visa Bulletin December 2020

If you are a Filipino registered nurse aspiring to work in the USA, it’s important to get the latest updates from the monthly US Visa Bulletin.

To help you stay well-informed, we’re here to share with you the December 2020 Visa Bulletin from the US Department of State (DOS).

Those who plan to migrate to the USA under the terms of an employment will need to have a US Visa that falls under the employment-based immigrant category or “EB.”

There are 5 sub-categories under EB. But nurses only need to focus on Employment-based Third Preference (EB-3) – this applies to Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Unskilled Workers (Other Workers).

Take a look at the chart below. The Final Action Dates for the EB3 portion has not moved from last month’s Visa Bulletin and is still CURRENT:

Visa bulletin updates for PH

Important Dates – Know the Difference

We’ve received countless questions from our confused nurse candidates about the “Final Action Dates” and the “Dates for Filing.”

To help clarify what they mean, we’ve captured the simplified descriptions below.

Final Action Dates

The “Final Action Dates” chart shows which priority dates have reached the front of the line. These green card applications are ready for approval right now.

Dates for Filing

The “Dates for Filing” chart shows which green card applicants who are living outside of the United States should go ahead and submit their application with the National Visa Center (NVC) even though a green card is not ready just yet. The cut-off dates are in the “Dates for Filing” chart, which allows green card applicants to file their application that much sooner.

What Are the Benefits of the EB3 Visa?

photo collage of USCDP

The EB3 visa allows nurses to go the USA to live there permanently and work. This also applies to nurses’ family. That means that if you secure the EB3 visa, you can bring your family with you to the United States!

After the completion of nurses’ initial contract with their US employer, they can either continue working for the same employer by way of a new contract with them, or they could opt to explore their options in other companies or states.

They are eligible for a Green Card and will then become responsible for paying all the relevant taxes applicable to them. They are also allowed to travel within and outside the US, as long as they abide by the terms of their existing contracts.

Our Employers

Universal Staffing (UNISTAFF) works with well-regarded US employers. They offer EB3 Visa to qualified nurses who have gone through interviews and have successfully completed all that is required of them. Once you have shown that you have what it takes to become a USRN, you’ll obtain a Green Card by getting sponsored by our employer.

Who are these employers, you ask?

Latitude 36

The Latitude 36 Nursing Program has nearly 15 years of experience placing International Nurses in some of the finest hospitals in the United States. Nurses that entrust Latitude 36 with their professional careers are assured of having a company behind them that supports their career objectives to the fullest. The company’s vision is for its International Nurse Program to be the most esteemed and highest regarded nurse recruiting program in existence.

You can learn more about them in our article here. If you’re ready to apply with them, click the image below:

Professional Placement Services (PPS)

PPS was incorporated in North Carolina in 2006 for the primary purpose of recruiting Filipino Allied Healthcare Professionals. Their current focus has transitioned to the recruitment of nursing professionals for Direct Hire US employer placements. Universal Staffing (UNISTAFF) and PPS have been working together since its inception, and together, we have helped thousands secure their dream jobs.

Apply with them by clicking the image below.

Essential Terms in the Visa Bulletin

Priority date: This is the date that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have received your I-140 petition. Think of this date as your place in the Green Card line.
Current: In the context of the visa bulletin, “current” means no backlog and no wait time for a Green Card. A particular priority date becomes “current” once it reaches the front of the line and a Green Card is available. Or an entire preference category can be “current” if there’s no backlog and no wait time within that category.
Immediate relative: A spouse, parent, or child (under age 21) of a US citizen.
Retrogression: Usually the visa bulletin’s cut-off dates move forward over time, pushing Green Card seekers ahead in line… but not always. When there are more applications for a Green Card category in a given month than the USCIS or the State Department was expecting, the cut-off dates for the subsequent month might move backwards. This is called a “visa retrogression,” and it’s most common around September (the end of the government’s fiscal year).
Recapturing: To recapture the priority date, the new petition must be filed by the same, original petitioner. This is especially relevant for retrogressed registered nurses who have been abandoned by their original petitioner.

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Current status of US Immigration

Check out our latest article about President Trump’s announcement regarding the suspension of entry for immigrants who present risk to the US labor market during the economic recovery following the COVID-19 outbreak, and how healthcare professionals are exempted from the ban - Nurses Unaffected by USA Covid-19 Entry Ban.

Visa Bulletin EB3 Tracker: Historical Movement

Every month we will publish updates on the Visa Bulletin here so that you could get a clear picture of the US Immigration’s status and speed in processing your visas.

EB-3 Philippines
Visa Bulletin Date	Final Action Date	Wait Time
Nov-20	Current	0 days
Oct-20	Current	0 days
Sep-20	Apr-19	1 Yr 5 Mths
Aug-20	Apr-19	1 Yr 4 Mths
Jul-20	Apr-18	2 Yrs 3 Mths
Jun-20	Nov-17	2 Yrs 7 Mths
May-20	Jan-17	3 Yrs 4 Mths
Apr-20	Jan-17	3 Yrs 3 Mths
Mar-20	Jan-17	3 Yrs 2 Mths
Feb-20	Jun-18	1 Yr 8 Mths
Jan-20	Mar-18	1 Yr 9 Mths
Dec-19	Mar-18	1 Yr 9 Mths
Nov-19	Feb-18	1 Yr 9 Mths
Oct-19	Oct-17	2 Yrs
Sep-19	Jul-16	3 Yrs 1 Mth
Aug-19	Jul-16	3 Yrs 1 Mth
Jul-19	C	0 days
Jun-19	Nov-18	7 Mths
May-19	Jun-18	11 Mths
Apr-19	Mar-18	1 Yr 1 Mth
Mar-19	Dec-17	1 Yr 3 Mths
Feb-19	Aug-17	1 Yr 6 Mths
Jan-19	Jun-17	1 Yr 6 Mths 9 Days
Dec-18	Jun-17	1 Yr 5 Mths 15 Days
Nov-18	Jun-17	1 Yr 4 Mths 23 Days
Oct-18	Jun-17	1 Yr 4 Mths
Sep-18	Nov-16	1 Yr 10 Mths
Aug-18	Jun-17	1 Yr 2 Mths
Jul-18	Jan-17	1 Yr 6 Mths
Jun-18	Jan-17	1 Yr 5 Mths
May-18	Jan-17	1 Yr 4 Mths
Apr-18	Jan-17	1 Yr 3 Mths
Mar-18	May-16	1 Yr 10 Mths
Feb-18	Mar-16	1 Yr 11 Mths
Jan-18	Feb-16	1 Yr 10 Mths 16 Days
Dec-17	Jan-16	1 Yr 10 Mths 15 Days
Nov-17	Jan-16	1 Yr 9 Mths 16 Days
Oct-17	Dec-15	1 Yr 10 Mths
Sep-17	Nov-15	1 Yr 10 Mths
Aug-17	Jun-15	2 Yrs 2 Mths
Jul-17	May-14	3 Yrs 1 Mth 15 Days
Jun-17	May-13	4 Yrs 1 Mth
May-17	Jan-13	4 Yrs 4 Mths
Apr-17	Sep-12	4 Yrs 6 Mths 16 Days
Mar-17	Mar-12	4 Yrs 11 Mths 13 Days
Feb-17	Oct-11	5 Yrs 3 Mths 16 Days
Jan-17	Jul-11	5 Yrs 5 Mths 9 Days

Interested to learn more about how our USCDP members have fast-tracked their applications with us? Join our online/live orientation to find out more. Subscribe today and we’ll let you know when our future orientations are!