偶律师关于“我来答”设想的回答：
No, the fact that you’ve been assigned an A number is NOT the same thing as having been allocated a visa number – and if that info is really on the USCIS website, it is certainly misleading!!! A visa number does have to be AVAILABLE for you, in order for you to be able to file the I-485, but the visa is not actually issued (and therefore deducted from the total number available for your category) until the case is approved – for instance, if we had not already filed your I-485, come October 1, we would no longer be able to file the I-485, until the cutoff dates for EB2 China had progressed to a date on or later than your priority date (as a visa number would no longer be available to you until that point) – since we have already filed the I-485, if your case does not get approved by Sept. 30, then your case will need to be held in abeyance until the cutoff dates have progressed to your priority date.
– and yes, unfortunately the new visa bulletin is shocking – even more so, for the EB1 category – we had already been told that Dept of State was anticipating a backlog in EB2, but they never said anything about EB1!!! In any case, I am hopeful that they have been very conservative in setting the cutoff dates and that the dates will jump ahead quickly, at least during the first few months of the fiscal year.
– There are a whole lot of other folks in your situation (and just think of the poor EB3 folks!), I know that doesn’t make you feel any better, but at least you’re not alone….