What the Visa Bulletin is
It is a bulletin the State Department publishes every month. It shows how many immigrant visas, the ones that lead to permanent residence, are available in each category.
The law sets an annual limit for each family and employment category. When more people are waiting than there are visas available, a queue forms. The bulletin shows how far that queue has reached in a given month.
Who needs to follow it
- Those in family categories F1, F2A, F2B, F3 and F4.
- Those in employment categories EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-4 and EB-5.
- Those applying for the green card from inside the United States, using Form I-485.
- Those going through the consulate, with the case at the National Visa Center.
- Spouses and children accompanying the principal beneficiary.
The closest relatives of a U.S. citizen, generally a spouse, the parent of a citizen aged 21 or over, and an unmarried child under 21, are not in this numerical queue. As a rule, they do not have to wait for any date in the bulletin.
The four pieces of information you need
| Information | Where to find it | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Your priority date | On the I-797, the petition or the labor certification | It marks your place in the queue. |
| Your category | On the I-130, I-140, I-360 or other approved or pending basis | It sets which line of the bulletin you read. |
| Your country of chargeability | Generally, the country where you were born | It sets which column you read. |
| Your type of process | I-485 inside the United States, or a case at the consulate | It sets which agency decides and which chart to follow. |
Step 1: find your priority date
The priority date is like the ticket you take on joining a queue. The older it is, the better your position.
| Type of case | What your priority date is |
|---|---|
| Family petition | The day USCIS properly received Form I-130. |
| Employment with labor certification | The day the Department of Labor received the certification. |
| Employment without labor certification | The day USCIS received the petition, such as Form I-140. |
| Special category | Depends on the legal basis and the form. Check the receipt or the approval. |
The earlier date cannot be used in five situations: if that petition was denied, cancelled or revoked for fraud, misrepresentation or serious error; if you no longer qualify in that category; if the State Department cancelled your registration because you did not apply for the visa in time; or if that petition has already been used to immigrate.
Step 2: identify your category
| Family category | Who normally fits |
|---|---|
| F1 | Unmarried sons and daughters, aged 21 or over, of a U.S. citizen. |
| F2A | Spouse and unmarried children under 21 of a permanent resident. |
| F2B | Unmarried sons and daughters, aged 21 or over, of a permanent resident. |
| F3 | Married sons and daughters of a U.S. citizen. |
| F4 | Brothers and sisters of an adult U.S. citizen. |
In the employment categories: EB-1 is for priority workers; EB-2, for professionals with an advanced degree or exceptional ability; EB-3, for professionals, skilled workers and other workers; EB-4, for certain special immigrants; and EB-5, for investors.
Step 3: choose the right column
The column comes from the country where you were born, not from your current citizenship or the country where you live. The bulletin has a general column, called All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, and separate columns for the countries with the greatest demand, such as China, India, Mexico and the Philippines.
In some situations you may use your spouse's country of birth, in what is called cross-chargeability. It is worth spelling out, because it is the rule that most often unblocks a stalled case. The principal may be charged to the dependent spouse's country, and the dependent spouse may be charged to the principal's country: it works both ways, and is meant exactly for when the queue is long for one and current for the other. A dependent child may use either parent's country. The reverse does not exist: parents can never use their child's country of birth.
Step 4: understand the two charts
| Chart | What it is for | The question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Dates for Filing | Lets you start the documentary stage or, where USCIS authorizes it, file the I-485 earlier. | Can I submit the documents or file the application yet? |
| Final Action Dates | Shows when a visa is available for the final decision. | Can my green card be approved yet? |
Here is the rule that organizes everything else. At filing, it is that month's bulletin that says which of the two charts applies to you. At the final decision, there is no choice: the chart is always Final Action Dates, in the edition in force when the application is approved.
One lesser-known consequence of the calendar works in your favour: even where the State Department announces that a category has run out a few days after publishing the bulletin, the regulation stops USCIS from rejecting applications filed within that month. The month's window holds in full.
Which chart to use when filing the I-485
Anyone applying for the green card from inside the United States does not pick the chart on their own. Every month USCIS publishes a page saying whether family and employment cases should use Dates for Filing or Final Action Dates.
- Open the monthly USCIS page on the adjustment of status filing charts.
- Check separately the indication for family cases and for employment cases.
- Then open the same month's Visa Bulletin and use the authorized chart.
- Beware the lag: the State Department publishes the bulletin before USCIS indicates the chart, and USCIS says it makes that indication within a week. In that gap there is a new bulletin with no indication, and anyone filing in the dark risks using the wrong chart.
In the consular route, the National Visa Center follows State Department guidance and sends instructions when the case can move forward. Even with all the paperwork approved, the interview still depends on your date being current and on the consulate having availability.
How to compare the dates
| Your priority date | Bulletin date | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 10/03/2022 | 01/06/2022 | You can move ahead: 10 March comes before 1 June. |
| 01/06/2022 | 01/06/2022 | Not yet: the rule requires an earlier date, not an equal one. |
| 15/08/2022 | 01/06/2022 | Not yet: your date comes after the cut-off. |
State Department dates appear in day, month and year format. For example, 01JUN22 means 1 June 2022.
What C and U mean
| Symbol | Meaning | What it changes for you |
|---|---|---|
| C, for current | The category is up to date. | Everyone qualified in that cell can move ahead, whatever their priority date. |
| U, for unauthorized | No numbers are authorized that month. | No one in that cell can move ahead that month. |
| A date | The category is backlogged. | Only those with a priority date earlier than the published date can move ahead. |
A worked example: EB-2 for someone born in Brazil
Imagine Ana was born in Brazil, has an EB-2 I-140, and her priority date is 15 February 2024. She is in the United States and wants to file the I-485.
- Category: EB-2.
- Column: All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, because Brazil has no separate column.
- First step: check on the USCIS site which employment chart is authorized that month.
- Second step: find EB-2 in the general column of the authorized chart.
- If it shows C, she can file, provided she meets the other requirements.
- If it shows 01MAR24, she can file, because 15 February 2024 comes before 1 March 2024.
- If it shows 01JAN24, she must wait, because her date comes after the cut-off.
When the queue moves backwards
The bulletin date sometimes moves backwards, in what is called retrogression. It may happen because demand was greater than the government estimated, or because the annual limit is close to being reached.
| Your situation | Possible consequence |
|---|---|
| You have not yet filed the I-485 | You may lose the chance to file for now, and will have to wait for the queue to advance again. |
| You have already filed the I-485 properly | The application generally stays pending, but cannot be approved until the date again reaches your priority date. |
| You have a consular interview scheduled | The consulate may not issue the visa while no number is available. |
The movement is neither a promise nor constant in speed. A date may advance several months, sit still for a long time, move backwards or become U. It is not safe to work out when your case will be approved by looking only at the movement of recent bulletins.
What happens if you use the wrong chart
- The I-485 package is returned for having been filed too early.
- You lose fees, time and documents.
- You will have to resend everything when the date is available.
- You risk missing a short window if the category moves backwards.
- You are left unclear about the work and travel permits, which depend on a properly received I-485.
- The consular process or interview is delayed.
Monthly checklist
- Confirm your priority date on the receipt or the approval.
- Confirm the right category, and check whether there was an automatic conversion, for example after the person who petitioned for you became a U.S. citizen.
- Use the correct country of birth and consider cross-chargeability if it applies to you.
- Open the right month's Visa Bulletin.
- If your case is an I-485, first check which chart USCIS authorized for family and for employment.
- Compare by the rule: your date must be earlier than the published date.
- Check whether the cell shows C, U or a date.
- Bear in mind that the queue can move backwards, and file as soon as you are eligible.
- Save the PDF or a screenshot of the official pages you consulted.
Myths and facts
| Myth | Fact |
|---|---|
| My petition was approved, so I can receive the green card now. | Approval of the petition does not remove the wait for a visa number. |
| Dates for Filing means my green card can be approved now. | No. Final approval depends on the Final Action Dates chart. |
| My date equals the bulletin date, so I am current. | No. Your date must be earlier than the published date. |
| The column is set by my passport. | Generally it is set by the country where you were born, with specific exceptions. |
| If the queue moves backwards, my I-485 will be denied. | Generally not. A properly filed case stays pending, awaiting fresh availability. |
In short
To read the Visa Bulletin, think in four questions: what is my priority date, what is my category, which column matches the country where I was born, and which chart is authorized for my type of case. The answer has to be worked out again each month, because the dates change.
Sources
- Department of State, The Visa Bulletin, September 2026 edition, at travel.state.gov.
- USCIS, Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin, at uscis.gov/visabulletininfo.
- USCIS, Visa Availability and Priority Dates, at uscis.gov.
- USCIS Policy Manual, volume 7, part A, chapter 6.
- Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. v. Rubio (S.D.N.Y., 21 August 2026), which struck down the consular suspension of 21 January 2026. On 28 August 2026 the Government told the court that the judgment is fully operative and that it is complying, and both parties recorded, that day, that the State Department page displaying the suspension had gone offline. That page, consulted on 30 August 2026, is online with an update date of 28 August and records that the pause is no longer in effect. Compliance is still being litigated, with a hearing on 31 August 2026.
- Medani v. Trump (N.D. Cal., 28 August 2026), which suspended the same rule, with class-wide effect, for FY-2026 Diversity Visa selectees.
Updated 30 August 2026, based on the September 2026 Visa Bulletin. The bulletin is monthly: always check the current month's edition before acting.