Visa Bulletin and Priority Dates Guide: How to Read the Charts

The Visa Bulletin explains when immigrant visa numbers are available in numerically limited family-sponsored and employment-based green card categories. It helps applicants determine whether they may begin a filing stage, receive final approval of Form I-485, or obtain an immigrant visa through consular processing.

The bulletin does not provide a guaranteed green card timeline. A category may advance, remain unchanged, retrogress, or become unavailable as the Department of State manages annual category limits, per-country limits and reported demand.

Reading the bulletin correctly requires more than locating a date in a table.

An applicant must identify the correct immigration category, country of chargeability and chart. Adjustment-of-status applicants must also check which chart USCIS authorizes for filing during the relevant month.

Current bulletin covered: July 2026
Department of State bulletin: Published in June 2026
Editorial review: July 19, 2026

Important: A priority date must be earlier than the published cutoff. A priority date equal to the cutoff date is not current.

What Is the Visa Bulletin?

The Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin each month to report the availability of immigrant visa numbers in preference categories that are subject to annual numerical limits.

The bulletin contains separate charts for:

• Family-sponsored preference immigrants.
• Employment-based preference immigrants.
• Diversity Visa applicants, who use regional rank-number cutoffs rather than ordinary priority dates. See the current DV-2028 registration dates status.

Family-sponsored and employment-based sections contain two principal charts:

• Final Action Dates.
• Dates for Filing.

The Department of State creates the tables based on annual visa limits, per-country restrictions and demand reported by consular posts and USCIS. When demand exceeds the number of available visas, the government establishes a cutoff date.

Applicants with priority dates earlier than the cutoff may qualify under that chart. Applicants whose priority dates are equal to or later than the cutoff do not qualify under that month’s chart.

Who Must Use the Visa Bulletin?

The Visa Bulletin is relevant to applicants in numerically limited immigrant categories, including:

• Unmarried adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens in F1.
• Spouses and qualifying children of permanent residents in F2A.
• Unmarried adult sons and daughters of permanent residents in F2B.
• Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens in F3.
• Siblings of adult U.S. citizens in F4.
• EB-1 priority workers.
• EB-2 advanced-degree professionals and people of exceptional ability.
• EB-2 National Interest Waiver applicants.
• EB-3 professionals, skilled workers and other workers.
• EB-4 special immigrants.
• EB-5 immigrant investors.
• Derivative spouses and children immigrating through a preference applicant.

Who Does Not Need a Preference Visa Number?

Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are not subject to the numerical limits governing the family-preference charts. Immediate relatives include:

• The spouse of a U.S. citizen.
• An unmarried child under age 21 of a U.S. citizen.
• The parent of a U.S. citizen who is at least 21 years old.

These applicants generally do not wait for an F1, F2A, F2B, F3 or F4 priority date to become current. They must still satisfy every other adjustment or immigrant visa requirement.

Refugees, asylees and several other humanitarian or special adjustment categories also follow rules that are different from the family and employment preference tables.

What Is a Priority Date?

A priority date establishes an applicant’s place in the immigrant visa queue. The method used to determine it depends on the immigration pathway.

Family-Sponsored Priority Date

For most family-sponsored cases, the priority date is the date USCIS properly receives Form I-130. The date normally appears on the USCIS receipt notice and approval notice.

Approval of Form I-130 confirms the qualifying relationship but does not create an immediately available immigrant visa in a preference category.

PERM-Based Employment Priority Date

When permanent labor certification is required, the priority date is generally the date the Department of Labor accepted the PERM labor certification application for processing.

It is not the date USCIS later receives Form I-140.

Employment Petition Without PERM

When labor certification is not required, the priority date is generally the date USCIS properly receives the qualifying immigrant petition. This can apply to categories such as:

• EB-1A extraordinary ability.
• EB-1B outstanding professors or researchers.
• EB-1C multinational managers and executives.
• EB-2 National Interest Waiver.
• Certain EB-4 special immigrants.

EB-5 Priority Date

An EB-5 investor’s priority date is generally the date USCIS properly receives Form I-526 or Form I-526E. Separate Visa Bulletin rows apply to EB-5 unreserved cases and the rural, high-unemployment and infrastructure set-aside categories.

Country of Chargeability

The applicable Visa Bulletin column is generally determined by the applicant’s country of birth, not citizenship, passport nationality, current residence or the location where the application was filed.

The bulletin publishes separate columns for chargeability areas that are oversubscribed. In July 2026, those columns are:

• China mainland-born.
• India.
• Mexico.
• Philippines.
• All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed.

Cross-chargeability may allow a principal or derivative applicant to use a spouse’s country of birth in qualifying circumstances. More limited rules involving parents can apply when a person was born in a country where neither parent was born or legally resident.

Chargeability analysis can materially change the applicable cutoff and should be completed before relying on a Visa Bulletin table.

How to Read the Visa Bulletin

Use the following sequence every month:

1. Identify the preference category. Determine whether the case is F1, F2A, F2B, F3, F4, EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-4 or EB-5.
2. Identify the country of chargeability. Use the country of birth unless a valid cross-chargeability rule applies.
3. Determine the relevant process. Adjustment of status and consular processing use the bulletin differently.
4. For Form I-485, check the monthly USCIS instruction. USCIS decides whether family and employment applicants may use Final Action Dates or Dates for Filing.
5. Locate the category row and chargeability column. The intersection contains C, U or a cutoff date.
6. Compare the priority date. It must be earlier than the listed cutoff.
7. Confirm all other requirements. Visa availability alone does not establish eligibility for adjustment or immigrant visa issuance.

What C, a Cutoff Date and U Mean

C — Current

“C” means the chart does not impose a restrictive cutoff for that category and chargeability area during the month.

Current does not mean that every applicant can automatically file Form I-485 or receive an immigrant visa. The applicant must still satisfy the filing chart, adjustment, consular, admissibility and documentary requirements.

Published Cutoff Date

A published date means the category is oversubscribed. Only applicants with priority dates earlier than the cutoff qualify under that chart.

Example: If the cutoff is October 15, 2022:

• October 14, 2022 qualifies under the date comparison.
• October 15, 2022 does not qualify.
• October 16, 2022 does not qualify.

U — Unavailable

“U” means no visa numbers are authorized for that category and chargeability area during the published month.

A category may become unavailable when an annual category allocation, per-country allocation or prorated limit has been reached.

Final Action Dates vs. Dates for Filing

The two Visa Bulletin charts serve different procedural purposes.

Dates for Filing

Dates for Filing can open an earlier filing or document-processing stage.

For adjustment of status, an eligible applicant may use this chart only when USCIS authorizes it for the applicable family-sponsored or employment-based category during that month.

A valid Form I-485 filing may allow the applicant to:

• Place the adjustment application into the USCIS processing system.
• Complete biometrics and other preliminary adjudication stages.
• Separately request employment authorization through Form I-765.
• Separately request advance parole through Form I-131.

Employment authorization and advance parole are not automatically granted. They require separate applications, applicable fees and USCIS approval.

For consular processing, Dates for Filing can allow the National Visa Center to begin or continue collecting fees, Form DS-260, civil documents and financial evidence. Becoming documentarily complete does not guarantee an interview.

Final Action Dates

Final Action Dates control when a numerically limited immigrant visa may be issued or Form I-485 may receive final approval.

USCIS cannot approve adjustment of status unless a visa number is available under the applicable Final Action Date at the time of final adjudication.

The Department of State cannot issue a numerically limited immigrant visa unless the applicant’s priority date is current under the Final Action Dates chart.

When USCIS instructs adjustment applicants to use Final Action Dates for filing, that stricter chart also controls whether a new Form I-485 may be submitted during the month.

How USCIS Selects the Form I-485 Filing Chart

The Department of State publishes both charts, but USCIS independently determines which one adjustment-of-status applicants may use.

USCIS evaluates whether more immigrant visas appear available for the fiscal year than the number of known applicants. It then announces whether applicants must use:

• The Final Action Dates chart; or
• The Dates for Filing chart.

USCIS can choose different charts for family-sponsored and employment-based filings in the same month. That is exactly what occurred in July 2026.

Applicants should never assume that the chart used in one month will remain available in the next month.

July 2026 Family-Sponsored Dates for Filing

USCIS authorizes family-sponsored adjustment applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart during July 2026.

Category	All Chargeability Areas Except Listed	China	India	Mexico	Philippines
F1	January 1, 2019	January 1, 2019	January 1, 2019	October 1, 2008	April 22, 2015
F2A	Current	Current	Current	Current	Current
F2B	June 8, 2018	June 8, 2018	June 8, 2018	May 15, 2010	October 1, 2013
F3	December 8, 2012	December 8, 2012	December 8, 2012	July 15, 2001	August 8, 2006
F4	March 1, 2010	March 1, 2010	December 15, 2006	April 30, 2001	March 22, 2008

F2A is current for filing in every chargeability column. This does not mean every F2A application can receive final approval in July. The separate F2A Final Action Dates remain January 1, 2025 for most countries and January 1, 2024 for Mexico.

A person filing under the Dates for Filing chart must still meet every Form I-485 requirement, including physical presence, adjustment eligibility, proper admission or parole when required, admissibility, correct forms and payment of applicable fees.

July 2026 Employment-Based Final Action Dates

USCIS requires employment-based adjustment applicants to use the Final Action Dates chart during July 2026.

Category	All Chargeability Areas Except Listed	China	India	Mexico	Philippines
EB-1	Current	June 1, 2023	October 15, 2022	Current	Current
EB-2	Current	September 1, 2021	Unavailable	Current	Current
EB-3 Skilled Workers and Professionals	August 1, 2024	December 22, 2021	January 1, 2014	August 1, 2024	August 1, 2023
EB-3 Other Workers	March 1, 2022	April 1, 2019	January 1, 2014	March 1, 2022	December 1, 2021
EB-4	September 15, 2022	September 15, 2022	September 15, 2022	September 15, 2022	September 15, 2022
Certain Religious Workers	September 15, 2022	September 15, 2022	September 15, 2022	September 15, 2022	September 15, 2022
EB-5 Unreserved	Current	December 1, 2016	Unavailable	Current	Current
EB-5 Rural Set-Aside	Current	Current	Current	Current	Current
EB-5 High-Unemployment Set-Aside	Current	Current	Current	Current	Current
EB-5 Infrastructure Set-Aside	Current	Current	Current	Current	Current

Major Visa Bulletin Changes in July 2026

EB-1 India Retrogression

EB-1 India retrogressed from December 15, 2022 to October 15, 2022 because of high demand and visa-number use.

An EB-1 India applicant with a priority date of October 14, 2022 or earlier remains current under the July Final Action Date. A priority date of October 15, 2022 or later is not current.

The Department of State warned that further retrogression or unavailability could become necessary before the end of fiscal year 2026.

EB-2 India Is Unavailable

The EB-2 India per-country allocation has been reached for fiscal year 2026. No EB-2 India immigrant visas may be issued and no pending Form I-485 may receive final approval while the category remains unavailable.

A properly pending Form I-485 generally remains pending, but USCIS can still request evidence, schedule an interview or deny the case for an independent reason.

The Department of State expects annual numbers to reset on October 1, 2026. Approval will not automatically resume for every applicant on that date. The October Final Action Date and the applicant’s individual eligibility will still control.

EB-5 Unreserved India Is Unavailable

Only the EB-5 Unreserved India category is unavailable for the remainder of fiscal year 2026.

The EB-5 rural, high-unemployment and infrastructure set-aside categories remain current for India and every other chargeability area in July.

Investors should not interpret current set-aside availability as a guarantee of petition approval, adjustment eligibility, consular processing or investment repayment.

→ Complete EB-5 Investor Visa Guide

EB-3 China Advances

The EB-3 China Final Action Date advanced from August 1, 2021 to December 22, 2021.

Because the cutoff is December 22, applicants with priority dates earlier than that date may qualify under the chart. A December 22, 2021 priority date is not current.

An adjustment applicant should prepare the correct Form I-485 evidence rather than relying on consular document lists. Foreign police certificates are not a universal requirement for a standard adjustment package, although criminal or arrest histories can require certified court and law-enforcement records.

Adjustment of Status vs. Consular Processing

Adjustment of Status

An applicant inside the United States seeking to file Form I-485 must determine:

• The correct preference category.
• The correct country of chargeability.
• The applicant’s priority date.
• The chart USCIS authorizes for the month.
• Whether the priority date is earlier than the cutoff.
• Whether the applicant is independently eligible to adjust status.

A current priority date does not cure an entry without inspection, status violation, unauthorized employment, adjustment bar, inadmissibility ground or missing petition requirement.

→ Complete Form I-485 Adjustment of Status Guide

Consular Processing

A consular applicant may begin National Visa Center processing after receiving the applicable instructions and satisfying the Dates for Filing threshold.

The applicant may need to complete:

• Department of State fee payments.
• Form DS-260.
• Civil-document submission.
• Affidavit of Support evidence when required.
• Medical examination.
• Consular interview.

Becoming documentarily complete does not guarantee immediate scheduling. The priority date must be current under Final Action Dates, and the assigned embassy or consulate must provide appointment capacity.

→ Complete Consular Processing and Immigrant Visa Interview Guide

What Is Visa Bulletin Retrogression?

Retrogression occurs when the Department of State moves a cutoff backward. A person who was current in one month may no longer be current in the next.

Retrogression can happen when:

• Demand exceeds earlier estimates.
• More documentarily qualified consular cases become ready.
• USCIS reports additional adjustment demand.
• A country approaches its prorated limit.
• A category approaches its annual numerical limit.
• Visa usage changes during the fiscal year.

Retrogression does not revoke an approved Form I-130 or Form I-140 merely because the cutoff moved. It can prevent a new Form I-485 filing, final adjustment approval or immigrant visa issuance.

What Happens If Form I-485 Has Not Been Filed?

If a filing window closes before Form I-485 is properly submitted, the applicant may need to wait until the authorized filing chart becomes available again.

During the wait, the applicant should:

• Continue monitoring each Visa Bulletin.
• Check the monthly USCIS filing-chart announcement.
• Maintain valid nonimmigrant status when required and possible.
• Keep passports and immigration documents valid.
• Prepare evidence without signing outdated forms too early.
• Notify the employer or petitioner of material changes.
• Review whether the petition and offered position remain valid.

An approved immigrant petition does not itself provide lawful status, employment authorization or permission to remain in the United States.

What Happens to a Pending Form I-485?

A properly filed Form I-485 generally remains pending during retrogression. USCIS cannot grant final approval until a visa number becomes available again.

The applicant must continue complying with USCIS requirements, including:

• Responding to Requests for Evidence.
• Attending biometrics appointments.
• Attending interviews.
• Reporting address changes.
• Maintaining a valid medical examination when required at adjudication.
• Providing updated employment evidence in applicable cases.

Retrogression does not protect the case against denial for another reason.

A pending Form I-485 generally places the applicant in a period of authorized stay, but it does not preserve an underlying nonimmigrant status. Maintaining an independent status can provide additional protection when legally available.

Employment Authorization and Advance Parole

An eligible applicant with Form I-485 pending may separately apply for or renew:

• Employment authorization through Form I-765.
• Advance parole through Form I-131.

Neither benefit is automatic. Separate applications, fees and approvals may be required.

A pending adjustment application does not by itself authorize employment or international travel. Departing without proper documentation can result in abandonment of Form I-485 unless a regulatory exception applies.

→ Complete Form I-765 Employment Authorization Guide

What Happens to a Consular Case at NVC?

National Visa Center document processing may continue when permitted by the Dates for Filing chart and Department of State instructions.

An applicant who becomes documentarily complete may still wait because:

• The Final Action Date is not current.
• The assigned consular post lacks interview capacity.
• The case requires additional administrative review.
• Documents expire or require replacement.
• The applicant changes residence and the case must be transferred.

Applicants should keep contact information, police certificates, passports and civil records current. A current Final Action Date does not guarantee that NVC will schedule an interview immediately.

What Happens If an Interview Is Already Scheduled?

A scheduled or completed interview does not guarantee visa issuance.

If the category retrogresses or becomes unavailable before issuance, the consular officer may be unable to issue the immigrant visa even when the applicant is otherwise qualified.

Administrative processing must also be completed while a visa number remains available. A case that remains pending can lose availability before issuance.

What Happens When a Category Becomes Unavailable?

Unavailable means no visa numbers are authorized for issuance in that category and chargeability area during the month.

While a category is unavailable:

• A new Form I-485 cannot be filed under that unavailable chart.
• A pending Form I-485 cannot receive final approval.
• A consular immigrant visa cannot be issued.
• An approved petition generally remains approved unless affected by a separate legal or factual issue.
• Applicants must continue complying with pending-case requirements.

What Changes on October 1?

The federal fiscal year begins on October 1. New annual family-sponsored and employment-based visa allocations become available.

That reset does not make every previously unavailable case current. The Department of State publishes new cutoffs based on:

• The new annual allocation.
• Demand carried from the previous fiscal year.
• Per-country limits.
• Category-specific limits.
• USCIS adjustment inventory.
• Documentarily qualified consular demand.

Approval can resume only when the applicant’s priority date is earlier than the new Final Action Date and the case is otherwise ready and eligible for adjudication.

Priority-Date Retention

Certain employment-based applicants can retain an earlier priority date when a later immigrant petition is approved.

Priority-date retention can be important when:

• An employee changes employers.
• A new labor certification is required.
• An applicant changes between EB-2 and EB-3.
• A new I-140 is filed after an earlier approval.
• An applicant changes to a different qualifying employment-based classification.

Retention is not automatic in every case and can be unavailable when an earlier petition is revoked for reasons such as fraud, willful misrepresentation, material error or invalidation of the underlying labor certification.

Retaining a priority date preserves a place in the queue. It does not transfer the substantive approval of the previous job offer, labor certification or immigration classification to a new petition.

EB-2 to EB-3 Downgrade and Upgrade Strategies

Visa Bulletin movement sometimes makes EB-3 more favorable than EB-2, or EB-2 more favorable than EB-3. Applicants may consider filing a second Form I-140 or requesting a transfer of the underlying basis of a pending Form I-485.

An EB-2 approval does not automatically create EB-3 eligibility. A downgrade can require:

• A separate Form I-140.
• A valid labor certification that supports the EB-3 classification.
• A continuing qualifying job offer.
• Evidence that the petitioner can pay the offered wage.
• Payment of new filing fees.
• USCIS approval of the new petition or transfer request.

Changing categories does not guarantee faster permanent residence. The relative position of EB-2 and EB-3 can change again in a later bulletin.

CSPA and Priority Dates for Children

The Child Status Protection Act can protect certain beneficiaries and derivatives from aging out after turning 21.

A CSPA calculation can depend on:

• The child’s biological age.
• The period during which the qualifying immigrant petition was pending.
• The date a visa becomes available.
• The applicable Final Action Date.
• Whether the child remains unmarried.
• Whether the child sought to acquire permanent residence within the required period.

Under USCIS policy effective August 15, 2025, visa availability for many CSPA age calculations is generally determined using the Final Action Dates chart. USCIS applies transition treatment to certain adjustment applications that were already pending before that effective date.

The sought-to-acquire requirement generally requires the applicant to take qualifying action within one year after a visa becomes available, subject to limited exceptions.

Retrogression and changes in filing-chart policy can materially affect CSPA analysis. Families with a child approaching age 21 should not rely on a simple online age calculation.

Official information is available through the USCIS Child Status Protection Act guide.

Why the Visa Bulletin Cannot Predict an Exact Wait

A cutoff date is not a prediction of how long a newly filed case will take.

Subtracting the published cutoff from the current date does not produce a reliable green card wait estimate. Movement depends on:

• The annual worldwide limit.
• The per-country limit.
• Unused numbers from other categories.
• Spouses and children using derivative numbers.
• USCIS pending adjustment inventory.
• Consular demand.
• Petition approvals and denials.
• Documentarily complete cases.
• Government processing policies.
• Demand that materializes later in the fiscal year.

A category can advance several months, remain frozen, move backward or become unavailable. Movement at the start of a fiscal year can also differ significantly from movement later in the year.

Monthly Visa Bulletin Checklist

1. Open the newest Department of State Visa Bulletin.
2. Confirm that the month shown is the month for which action is being considered.
3. Identify the correct family or employment category.
4. Confirm the country of chargeability.
5. Locate both Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates.
6. For Form I-485, open the USCIS monthly filing-chart page.
7. Compare the priority date using the strict earlier-than rule.
8. Review whether the category advanced, retrogressed or became unavailable.
9. Confirm adjustment or consular eligibility separately.
10. Recheck the chart immediately before filing or final adjudication.

Official Sources and Update Methodology

This guide uses the monthly Department of State Visa Bulletin for cutoff dates and the separate USCIS announcement for adjustment-of-status filing eligibility.

The two sources serve different functions:

• Department of State: Publishes Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing.
• USCIS: Selects the chart adjustment applicants may use to file Form I-485.
• National Visa Center: Manages fees and documents for many consular cases.
• Embassy or consulate: Provides interview capacity and completes consular adjudication.

The monthly cutoff tables in this page should be replaced when a new Visa Bulletin becomes effective. Historical tables should be clearly labeled rather than silently presented as current.

For the complete monthly analysis, review the August 2026 Visa Bulletin update.

For predictions on where priority dates are headed next, see the September 2026 Visa Bulletin Predictions.

For the broader permanent residence process, use How to Get a U.S. Green Card: All Pathways Explained.

 

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