As recently announced, the employment-based fourth preference (EB-4) visa limits have been reached for fiscal year 2016 for special immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The May 2016 Department of State Visa Bulletin reflects this situation, so starting May 1, USCIS can no longer accept Form I-485 from applicants from these countries who filed Form I-360 on or after January 1, 2010, because visas will no longer be immediately available. When the Department of State determines that visas are once again available for this category, the visa bulletin will be updated and USCIS will accept new Form I-485s accordingly.
To accommodate filings that meet the April 2016 Visa Bulletin, the Chicago Lockbox facility, where these applications are filed, will extend its hours and continue to accept these filings until 3:30 p.m. Central time on Saturday, April 30.