On December 8, 2010, the Department of State released the most recent Visa Bulletin. The Visa Bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant visas for various categories of employment based and family based immigrant petitions. The Visa Bulletin posts the priority dates, or dates of application receipt, of immigrant visa petitions for which visas have become available. Visa availability is limited by annual quotas on immigrant visa numbers. The shortage in annual visa numbers results in backlogs reflected in the Visa Bulletin. The Visa Bulletin shows a backward movement (called retrogression) in the availability of immigrant visas for second preference family based immigrant petitions. These are petitions filed by United States lawful permanent residents on behalf of spouses and minor children. Visa availability changed from availability of visas for applications with a priority date of August 1, 2010 (May 1, 2010 for Mexico) to to January 1, 2008 (April 1, 2005 for Mexico). The retrogression will mean longer visa wait times for spouses of United States lawful permanent residents. Related Links Visa Bulletin, January 2011
