Last week the U.S. Dept of State issued its May 2011 Visa Bulletin.  As expected, EB2 India advanced for the first time in fiscal year 2011 (FY11) which started on October 1, 2010. However, many were hoping for a more significant advancement. The new cutoff dates in the employment-based (E categories established by the May Visa Bulletin are summarized here: 

Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1): This category remains current for all countries of chargeability.

Employment-Based, Second Preference (EB2): The EB2 category remains current for all countries of chargeability except India and China. The cutoff date for EB2 India moves forward by approximately two months, with a new cutoff date of July 1, 2006. This movement was preceded by official announcements regarding the anticipated forward movement. This movement is generated by the low demand for EB1 numbers, and the transfer of 12,000 excess EB1 numbers to EB2. These numbers become available to EB2, to the benefit of cases chargeable to India, as the oversubscribed country with cases with the oldest priority dates. Thus, these extra numbers served to nudge the EB2 cutoff date a bit forward after many months of stagnation for Indian nationals. The cutoff date for China advances very slightly yet again, and has a cutoff date of August 1, 2006 for the month of May 2011.

Employment-Based, Third Preference (EB3):  The cutoff dates in EB3 experience some forward movement. The "all chargeability areas except those listed" category, as well as the Philippines, moves by a full month, to a cutoff of August 22, 2005. India's cutoff date inches forward by a few days, to April 15, 2002. China experiences more than a month of advancement, with a new cutoff date of April 15, 2004. Mexico advances the most in this category, yet again, with a four-month advancement to September 8, 2004.

The EB3 other workers' category cutoff date for all chargeability areas except those listed, as well as for Mexico and the Philippines advances to September 8, 2003. India's cutoff date in this category moves slightly, to April 15, 2002. China's cutoff date remains unchanged, at April 22, 2003.

Employment-Based, Fourth (EB4) and Fifth (EB5) Preferences: These categories remain current for all countries of chargeability.