FAQ: EB I-485 Pending Inventory - Part 2

If you missed part 1, please click here: http://topimmigrationnews.blogspot.comcom/2013/02/faq-eb-i-485-pending-inventory.html

Q: Can you provide me an example of how to use the pending Form I-485 inventory charts?

A: Assume your priority date is in January 2012, your petition was approved for third preference, and you are from China.  Using the Sample “Pending Employment-Based Form I-485 Report,” below you will see on the third preference chart that there are 2,618 applicants with a priority date in the same month and year as your priority date. 

If you want to find out how many third-preference green card applicants have an earlier priority date than yours, you will need to add all the numbers starting with the number at the beginning of the table, January 2002, and ending with the number immediately before the month and year of your own priority date, December 2011.  You will see that there are 131,341 third-preference applicants who have a priority date earlier than yours.  See the chart below.

Sample “Pending Employment-Based Form I-485 Report"

3rd Preference
	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
January	4	121	10	11	27	541	1,280	1,601	1,726	2,948	2,618
February	6	6	4	12	75	453	1,287	1,658	1,625	2,971	2,402
March	8	2	12	20	255	624	1,563	2,108	6,805	3,888	2,455
April	17	12	11	18	6,170	884	1,753	2,074	87	2,956	2,358
May	15	13	4	27	171	891	1,721	1,700	295	3,222	2,067
June	3	1	4	15	89	841	1,647	1,996	868	3,215	1,877
July	9	2	13	22	101	961	1,666	1,914	1,630	3,168	3,808
August	7	2	6	17	132	1,079	1,622	2,032	2,531	3,397	909
September	23	6	9	10	135	1,185	1,675	2,021	2,685	3,182	266
October	9	11	11	17	216	1,177	2,032	2,141	2,966	3,683	320
November	18	7	21	11	405	1,220	1,793	2,283	3,127	3,069	88
December	18	3	5	27	468	1,399	2,042	2,872	3,684	2,993	127
Grand Total	137	186	110	207	8,244	11,255	20,081	24,400	28,029	38,692	19,295

Q: How do I know how many applicants from my country have an earlier priority date than mine?

A: Assume your priority date is in June 2010, your petition was approved for third preference, and you are from India.  Using the Sample “I-485 Inventory for Individuals Born in India Report” below, you will see that there are 175 green card applicants from India with a priority date in June 2010.

To find out how many applicants born in India have an earlier priority date than yours, add all the numbers starting at January 2002 and ending at May 2010. You will see that there are 42,796 third-preference applicants from India with a priority date earlier than yours.  See the chart below.

Sample I-485 Inventory for Individuals Born in India Report

3rd Preference
	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
January	0	9	6	2	8	426	906	959	816	712	704
February	0	2	0	2	13	349	873	985	890	760	650
March	0	0	2	5	19	498	990	1,238	3,677	984	649
April	0	4	0	0	452	716	1,106	1,262	46	810	631
May	0	2	0	7	49	688	1,115	1,089	92	867	599
June	0	1	3	5	44	614	1,011	1,172	175	879	521
July	0	0	3	6	46	725	987	1,187	299	940	893
August	1	1	0	5	82	805	1,014	1,302	468	906	245
September	0	2	3	3	66	814	974	1,115	544	900	74
October	0	1	1	5	143	829	1,216	1,326	520	1,059	91
November	0	1	0	7	310	874	1,089	1,425	714	1,203	27
December	0	2	1	3	398	975	1,222	1,674	818	1,047	29
Grand Total	1	25	19	50	1,630	8,313	12,503	14,734	9,059	11,067	5,113

Also see: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=5e170e6bcb7e3210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=24b0a6c515083210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD