US announces cap on job-based immigrant visas for FY 2007

WASHINGTON: The US has announced that the cap on employment-based immigrant visas for FY 2007 has been reached and no new applications will be entertained till October.

"The sudden backlog reduction efforts by Citizenship and Immigration Services Offices during the past month have resulted in the use of almost 60,000 Employment numbers," the State Department said in its July Bulletin.

"As a result of this unexpected action it has been necessary to make immediate adjustments to several previously announced cut-off dates," the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said.

Based on a notification by the State Department, the USCIS has said that it is rejecting applications to adjust status (Form I-485) filed by aliens whose priority dates are not current under the revised July Visa Bulletin.

"US immigration law limits the number of employment-based immigrant visas that may be issued each fiscal year" the USCIS said in a statement.

Employment preference numbers will once again be available beginning October 1, 2007, under the FY-2008 annual numerical limitation.