How the Visa Bulletin Works

What Is the Visa Bulletin and Why Does It Matter?

The U.S. Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin every month. It is the single document that determines two critical things for every employment-based (EB) and family-based (FB) green card applicant:

1. Who can file Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence, or "Adjustment of Status") with USCIS this month
2. Who can be approved for a green card — i.e., whose I-485 USCIS can adjudicate and approve this month

The bulletin sets cutoff dates for every category and country. Your priority date must be earlier than the relevant cutoff date before USCIS can take action on your case. If your priority date is not yet current, your I-485 will sit in the queue regardless of how complete your application is.

Final Action Date vs. Filing Date: What's the Difference?

The bulletin publishes two separate sets of cutoff dates for most employment-based categories:

• Final Action Date (Chart A): Your priority date must be earlier than this date for USCIS to approve your I-485 and issue your green card. This is the harder requirement.
• Filing Date (Chart B): Your priority date must be earlier than this date to file Form I-485. The Filing Date is typically months or years ahead of the Final Action Date, allowing applicants to get in the queue and begin receiving work permits (EAD) and travel documents (Advance Parole) while waiting for approval.

Each month, USCIS separately announces whether it will accept Filing Date cutoffs for I-485 submissions. When USCIS accepts the Filing Date chart, applicants whose priority dates are between the Filing Date and Final Action Date can file — but they cannot be approved until their Final Action Date also becomes current.

For a detailed breakdown of how these two charts interact, see: Final Action Date vs. Filing Date — explained →

How to Read the Visa Bulletin Grid

The bulletin displays cutoff dates in a grid format. Here's how to navigate it:

• Rows = Categories: Employment-based rows include 1st Preference (EB-1), 2nd Preference (EB-2), 3rd Preference (EB-3), Other Workers (EB-3 unskilled), and 4th/5th Preferences. Family-based rows cover F1, F2A, F2B, F3, and F4.
• Columns = Countries: All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, CHINA-MAINLAND BORN, INDIA, MEXICO, PHILIPPINES. Most applicants use the "All Chargeability" column unless they were born in one of the four named countries.
• Cell value: A date (e.g., 01JUL14), "C", or "U".

Dates are written in DDMMMYY format — "01JUL14" means July 1, 2014. Your priority date must be strictly earlier than the cutoff, not equal to it. A priority date of July 1, 2014 with a cutoff of July 1, 2014 is not current.

What Is a Priority Date and Where Does It Come From?

Your priority date is the date that determines your position in the visa queue. It is established when your employer (or you, for self-petitioned categories) files a qualifying petition with the U.S. government:

• EB-2 and EB-3 with PERM labor certification: Priority date = the date the Department of Labor received your PERM application (Form ETA-9089)
• EB-1 and EB-2 NIW (no PERM required): Priority date = the date USCIS received your I-140 petition
• Family-based: Priority date = the date USCIS received your I-130 petition (except immediate relatives, who have no wait)

You can find your priority date on your I-140 approval notice (Form I-797) or your PERM approval. It is also shown on your I-485 receipt notice.

When and Where Is the Visa Bulletin Published?

The State Department typically releases the following month's bulletin in the third week of the current month. For example, the June 2026 bulletin is published in mid-May 2026 and takes effect on June 1, 2026.

Within a day or two of the bulletin's release, USCIS publishes its own notice at uscis.gov confirming which chart — Final Action Date or Filing Date — it will accept for I-485 submissions during that month. This is the USCIS "Dates for Filing" announcement.

This tracker updates automatically with each new bulletin — enter your details on the homepage to see your current status.

Why Dates Move Forward — and Why They Retrogress

Visa bulletin dates are not on a fixed schedule. The State Department adjusts them monthly based on demand signals from USCIS and U.S. consulates worldwide. Two things cause dates to move:

• Forward movement (advancement): When demand for visa numbers is lower than supply, the State Department moves dates forward to draw in more applicants and use the available numbers. Large advances often happen at the start of a new fiscal year (October) when fresh visa numbers become available.
• Retrogression (backward movement): When the State Department has advanced dates too aggressively — and more applicants than expected become eligible — dates can move backward to throttle demand. Retrogression can be sudden. An applicant whose date just became current can find themselves out of range the following month.

The biggest swing factor year-to-year is spillover from family-based categories. When family-based demand falls short of its annual cap, unused visa numbers flow into the employment-based pool — potentially adding 15,000–50,000+ extra EB visas in a given year. Years with large spillover tend to produce aggressive date advances; low-spillover years produce flat movement or retrogression. See: How family-based visa spillover affects EB wait times →