As per recent report by "USCIS Response to the Citizenship and Immigration Service Ombudsman’s 2010 Annual Report", it suggests that all available family-based visas will be used by the end of FY 2010. It is very likelihood that Family Based VIsa Numbers will either retrogress or will be unavailable for rest of the fiscal year 2011.Please see excerpt from the report below
C. Family-Based Immigration
USCIS has worked extensively to reduce the number of pending I-130s. In January 2009, approximately 1.2 million preference category I-130s were pending. As of August 2010, the number of pending cases stands at less than 350,000 – representing a 70-percent reduction in pending inventory. Because USCIS is working rapidly to eliminate the backlog of pending I-130 petitions, it is imperative, as the CISOMB notes, that petitioners notify USCIS of any address changes. As a point of clarification, USCIS will deny the petition, not terminate it,10 if USCIS does not receive a response to the Request for Evidence (RFE). Because failure to respond to an RFE will result in a denial, it is very important that the petitioner keep USCIS informed of any mailing address changes. USCIS appreciates any assistance the CISOMB can provide in relaying this message to customers.
The CISOMB reported that demand for family-based visas has been low and cautioned that a significant number of family-based visas may go unused in FY2010. Since the release of the Annual Report, however, USCIS and DOS have made significant progress in addressing this issue and anticipate that all available family-based visas will be used by the end of FY 2010.
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