Chewing on a morsel of good news

Chewing on a morsel of good news | Daily Tribune

To understand how it works, let’s take a look at the most recent visa movements within the “unskilled workers” category from the Philippines. From a mostly stagnant visa cut-off date of 1 December 2021 in the January 2026 Visa Bulletin, this progressed to 22 June 2022 in March 2026 and to 1 August 2022 in April 2026 for a total jump of eight months.

What does this mean? It means that US-based Filipino workers whose sponsorship papers were initially filed on or before 1 August 2022 (and whose immigration status is still valid) are now allowed to adjust status to permanent resident (green card).

Prior to January 2026, the 1 December 2021 cut-off date was mostly idle, leaving many unskilled Filipino workers in the US feeling hopeless. To this group belong Filipino caregivers, babysitters, cooks, housekeepers, drivers, clerks, and similar workers, with the majority holding valid nonimmigrant status such as A-3 (diplomatic household employee), G-5 (international organization domestic employee), F-1 (student OPT) and, in rare instances, J-1 (exchange visitor).

With regard to the “skilled workers” category from the Philippines, its cut-off date advanced by six months from 1 July 2023 in the January 2026 Visa Bulletin to 1 January 2024 for April 2026.

In this group are registered nurses, therapists, teachers, computer programmers and accountants, among others. Most US-based Filipinos waiting under this category are on a valid H-1B working visa, H-4 dependent visa, F-1 student visa, or J-1 exchange visitor visa, with a sprinkling of A-2 or G-4 dependent visas.

However, the most rapid advancement occurred within the employment-based second-preference (EB-2) category, reserved for applicants possessing an advanced degree or exceptional ability. From a January 2026 Visa Bulletin cut-off date of 15 October 2024, it leapfrogged by 18 months to “current” in April 2026, which means there is no backlog for Filipino green card applicants in this category at present.

To illustrate, a US-based Filipina nurse on an H-4 visa with a master’s degree in nursing finds an employer who agrees to sponsor her as a Case Manager. As part of the sponsorship process, the employer requires a post-baccalaureate degree in nursing for the position. In this instance, the employer, after complying with all the pre-filing requirements, can immediately file an immigrant petition on the nurse’s behalf. And because there is no immigrant visa backlog under this category, the latter can apply for adjustment of status to permanent resident as soon as the petition is filed.

Coincidentally, since the “priority date” is likewise current for Philippine-based EB-2 applicants, the “no backlog” rule similarly applies to them and thus their immigrant visa cases will be processed expeditiously as well.