The Hard Truth
- •Retrogression means the cutoff date moved backward to an earlier date.
- •It happens when demand exceeds the annual supply of visas.
- •USCIS does this to stop the flood of new applications.
- •It is usually temporary, but recovery can take years.
How It Happens
Imagine a nightclub with a capacity of 100 people. The bouncer lets people in based on their ticket number. Suddenly, he realizes he let in 120 people because 20 VIPs showed up unexpectedly.
He has to stop letting anyone new in, and practically "un-invite" people who were next in line until the crowd thins out. In immigration terms, the Department of State realizes they issued too many Green Cards too fast, so they push the date back to stop the inflow.
The Impact
- In Jan: You were Current. You could file.
- In Feb: You are now roughly 2 years behind the new cutoff (2018). You are no longer Current.
What If My I-485 Is Already Pending?
If you filed your I-485 when you were current, but then dates retrogressed while you were waiting, do not panic.
Application Received
Your application was successfully accepted by USCIS. It is NOT rejected because of retrogression.
Pending / Held in Abeyance
USCIS freezes the final adjudication. They basically put your file on a shelf.
Silver Lining
Future Recovery
When the dates eventually move forward again and cover your Priority Date, USCIS pulls your file off the shelf and finishes processing.