Understanding the Visa Bulletin and Priority Dates: A Practical Guide

What Is the Visa Bulletin?

If you or a family member has filed an immigrant visa petition, you have probably heard the term "Visa Bulletin" and been told to check it regularly. For many people waiting for a green card, the Visa Bulletin is one of the most important documents in the immigration system. It determines when you can move forward with your case.

The Visa Bulletin is a monthly publication from the U.S. Department of State (DOS) that reports the availability of immigrant visa numbers. Because Congress has set annual limits on how many green cards can be issued in each preference category and for each country, the Visa Bulletin tracks where the line stands for each group. It tells you whether a visa number is available for your case so you can proceed with the next step toward permanent residence.

As an immigration attorney, I spend a significant amount of time helping clients understand what the Visa Bulletin means for their individual situations. In this guide, I will walk through exactly how to read it, what your priority date means, and how to track your green card timeline.

What Is a Priority Date?

Your priority date is essentially your place in line for a green card. It is the date that establishes when you entered the queue for an immigrant visa number.

For most family-based cases, your priority date is the date when your sponsoring relative properly filed the immigrant visa petition (Form I-130) on your behalf with USCIS. For employment-based cases, the priority date is typically the date the employer filed the immigrant visa petition (Form I-140). If the employment-based case required a labor certification (PERM), the priority date goes back even further to the date the Department of Labor accepted the labor certification application for processing.

Your priority date matters because it determines when you become eligible to file your green card application (Form I-485 for adjustment of status) or attend a consular interview abroad. The earlier your priority date, the sooner you can move forward.

Who Needs to Check the Visa Bulletin?

Whether you need to check the Visa Bulletin depends on which immigration category applies to your case.

You Do NOT Need to Check the Visa Bulletin If You Are an Immediate Relative

Under Section 201(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are exempt from the annual numerical visa limits. A visa number is always available for immediate relatives. This category includes:

• Spouses of U.S. citizens
• Unmarried children under 21 of U.S. citizens
• Parents of U.S. citizens (when the citizen is at least 21 years old)

If you fall into one of these categories, you do not have a priority date wait. Once your I-130 petition is approved (or even while it is pending, through concurrent filing), you can proceed with your green card application.

You DO Need to Check the Visa Bulletin If You Have a Preference Category

Everyone else falls into a preference category with annual numerical limits. These categories include family-sponsored preferences (F1 through F4), employment-based preferences (EB-1 through EB-5), and the diversity visa lottery program. If you are in a preference category, you must wait until the Visa Bulletin shows that a visa number is available for your priority date before you can file your green card application or attend a consular interview.

The Family-Sponsored Preference Categories

Congress established four family-sponsored preference categories under INA Section 203(a). Each category has a specific annual allocation of visa numbers. Understanding which category applies to your case is essential for tracking your wait time.

First Preference (F1): Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens

This category covers unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens who are 21 years of age or older. The annual allocation is 23,400 visa numbers, plus any unused visas from the fourth preference category. "Unmarried" includes people who have never married as well as those who are divorced or widowed.

Second Preference (F2): Spouses and Children of Lawful Permanent Residents

This category is divided into two subcategories and receives a total annual allocation of 114,200 visa numbers:

• F2A: Spouses and unmarried children (under 21) of lawful permanent residents. This subcategory receives 77% of the overall second preference allocation.
• F2B: Unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) of lawful permanent residents. This subcategory receives 23% of the overall second preference allocation.

The F2A subcategory is particularly relevant for permanent residents who have married and want to bring their spouse and minor children to the United States. The wait in this category has historically been shorter than the other preference categories.

Third Preference (F3): Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens

This category covers married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, regardless of age. The annual allocation is 23,400 visa numbers, plus any unused visas from the first and second preference categories. Wait times in this category tend to be among the longest in the family-based system.

Fourth Preference (F4): Brothers and Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens

This category covers brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens when the citizen is at least 21 years old. The annual allocation is 65,000 visa numbers, plus any unused visas from the other family preference categories. Despite the larger annual allocation, the demand in this category is extremely high, and wait times can stretch to two decades or longer for nationals of certain countries.

How to Read the Visa Bulletin: The Two Charts

Each monthly Visa Bulletin contains two charts for each visa type (family-sponsored and employment-based). Understanding both charts is critical for knowing when you can take action on your case.

Chart A: Final Action Dates

The Final Action Dates chart shows the dates when immigrant visas may actually be issued or when an adjustment of status application can be approved. Think of this as the "approval" chart. When your priority date is earlier than the date shown in this chart for your category and country, USCIS can approve your green card application.

If the chart shows the letter "C" (for "current") in your category, it means visa numbers are available for all qualified applicants regardless of priority date. You can proceed immediately. If the chart shows the letter "U" (for "unavailable"), no visas are available in that category for that month.

Chart B: Dates for Filing

The Dates for Filing chart indicates the earliest date when applicants may submit their adjustment of status application (Form I-485) with USCIS or assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center for consular processing. Think of this as the "filing" chart. The dates in this chart are typically more advanced (more recent) than the Final Action Dates, which means you may be able to file your application sooner, even if your visa number is not yet available for final approval.

Filing earlier provides meaningful benefits. Once your adjustment of status application is pending, you can apply for employment authorization (work permit) and advance parole (travel document) while you wait for final approval. This can be extremely valuable during what may be a years-long waiting period.

Which Chart Should You Use?

For adjustment of status applicants (those filing within the United States), USCIS determines each month which chart you should use. USCIS publishes this guidance on its website at uscis.gov/visabulletininfo. In months where USCIS determines that more visa numbers are available than there are applicants, it will allow the use of the Dates for Filing chart, letting more people submit their applications earlier.

For consular processing applicants (those applying at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad), the National Visa Center (NVC) uses the Dates for Filing chart to determine when to schedule interviews and when applicants should submit their documentation.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Checking the Visa Bulletin

Here is a practical walkthrough for checking the Visa Bulletin each month:

Step 1: Know Your Priority Date

Find your priority date on your I-130 receipt notice (Form I-797) or your I-140 approval notice. If you are unsure of your priority date, your immigration attorney can confirm it, or you can check your case status on the USCIS website.

Step 2: Know Your Preference Category

Determine which preference category applies to your case. For family-based cases, this depends on the relationship between you and your sponsoring relative, as well as the immigration status of your sponsor (U.S. citizen vs. lawful permanent resident).

Step 3: Know Your Country of Chargeability

Your country of chargeability is generally your country of birth. This determines which column of the Visa Bulletin applies to you. The Visa Bulletin lists specific dates for China (mainland-born), India, Mexico, and the Philippines because these countries are oversubscribed. All other countries fall under the "All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed" column.

Step 4: Visit the Visa Bulletin

Go to the Department of State website at travel.state.gov and navigate to the current Visa Bulletin. You can also find it by searching "Visa Bulletin" on the USCIS website.

Step 5: Find Your Category and Country

Locate your preference category in the left column of the appropriate chart (family-sponsored or employment-based). Then find the date listed under your country of chargeability. If your priority date is earlier than the date shown, your priority date is "current" and you may be eligible to take the next step.

Step 6: Determine Which Chart Applies

Visit uscis.gov/visabulletininfo to confirm whether USCIS is accepting applications based on the Final Action Dates chart or the Dates for Filing chart for that month.

What "Current" and "Not Current" Mean

When immigration attorneys and USCIS say your priority date is "current," it means the Visa Bulletin date for your category and country has advanced past your priority date. A visa number is available for you, and you can proceed with the next step in your case.

When your priority date is "not current," the Visa Bulletin date for your category has not yet reached your priority date. You must continue waiting until the bulletin advances enough to include your date.

Priority dates can move forward, stay the same, or even move backward (retrogress) from month to month, depending on demand and visa number availability. Retrogression happens when the Department of State determines that too many applicants have become eligible for a limited number of visas and needs to slow the rate of processing. This can be frustrating, especially for applicants from countries with very high demand.

The Per-Country Limit and Why Wait Times Vary

One of the most common sources of confusion about the Visa Bulletin is why some people wait much longer than others in the same preference category. The answer lies in the per-country limit.

Under INA Section 202(a)(2), no single country can receive more than 7% of the total family-sponsored and employment-based preference visas available in a given fiscal year. This cap means that countries with very high demand have much longer wait times compared to countries with lower demand.

For example, in a given month, the F4 (brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens) category might show a Final Action Date of 2010 for the Philippines but 2016 for all other countries. A Filipino national with a priority date of 2012 would still be waiting, while someone from another country with the same priority date would already be current.

The countries most heavily affected by per-country limits are Mexico, the Philippines, India, and China (mainland-born). If you were born in one of these countries, expect significantly longer processing times for most preference categories.

Special Situations and the Visa Bulletin

SIJS and the EB-4 Backlog

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) cases fall under the Employment-Based Fourth Preference (EB-4) category. In recent years, the EB-4 category has experienced significant backlogs for certain countries. If you have an approved I-360 SIJS petition and are waiting for a visa number, you should check the employment-based charts in the Visa Bulletin each month. The wait time depends on your country of birth and the current state of the EB-4 backlog.

Concurrent Filing

In some cases, you can file your immigrant visa petition (I-130 or I-140) and your adjustment of status application (I-485) at the same time. This is called concurrent filing. Concurrent filing is available when the Visa Bulletin shows that your category is current (showing "C") at the time of filing. For immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, concurrent filing is always available because there is no visa number wait.

The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA)

The Child Status Protection Act provides important protections for children who may "age out" (turn 21) while waiting for a visa number to become available. Under CSPA, the child's age may be calculated by subtracting the time the petition was pending from the child's biological age on the date a visa number becomes available. If the resulting CSPA age is under 21, the child may retain their classification as a "child." In August 2025, USCIS updated its CSPA policy to clarify that for adjustment of status applicants, the relevant date for determining visa availability is based on the Final Action Dates chart of the Visa Bulletin. The rules for calculating CSPA age are complex and depend on the specific visa category. Consult an immigration attorney if you have concerns about aging out.

How to Track Movement and Predict Wait Times

While there is no way to predict with certainty when the Visa Bulletin will reach your priority date, there are some practical strategies for tracking your timeline:

• Review the bulletin monthly. The Visa Bulletin is published around the middle of each month for the following month. Make it a habit to check each new bulletin.
• Track the movement pattern. Note how much the cutoff date for your category advances (or retrogresses) each month. If dates have been advancing by one to two months per bulletin, you can estimate approximately how many bulletins remain before your priority date becomes current.
• Read the DOS analysis. Each Visa Bulletin includes notes from the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs with analysis and predictions about future movement. These notes can provide useful insight into expected trends.
• Watch the fiscal year calendar. The federal fiscal year runs from October through September. Visa numbers tend to move faster toward the end of the fiscal year (July through September) when unused numbers from earlier months become available. Movement often slows or retrogresses in October when the new fiscal year begins and the annual allocation resets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Help With Your Case

The Visa Bulletin can be confusing, especially when you are trying to understand how it applies to your specific situation. An experienced immigration attorney can help you identify your priority date, determine which chart and category apply to your case, and advise you on the best strategy for moving forward.

If you are waiting for a visa number to become available, or if you are unsure whether you can file your green card application, I encourage you to reach out for a consultation. Understanding your timeline and options can bring clarity and peace of mind during what is often a stressful process.