Visa Bulletin and Priority Dates Explained: Your 2026 Immigration Guide

Understanding the Visa Bulletin and Priority Dates: A Complete Guide for Immigrants

If you are waiting for a family-based or employment-based green card, the Visa Bulletin is one of the most important documents in the U.S. immigration system. Published monthly by the U.S. Department of State, the Visa Bulletin determines when an immigrant visa number becomes available for your specific category and country of chargeability. Understanding how to read and interpret the Visa Bulletin is essential for planning your immigration journey and knowing when you can file for adjustment of status or attend a consular interview.

At J. Lee & Associates, we help clients in Georgia navigate the often confusing world of priority dates and visa availability. This guide breaks down the Visa Bulletin in plain language so you can understand where you stand in the immigration queue.

What Is the Visa Bulletin?

The Visa Bulletin is a monthly publication of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State. It is published around the middle of each month and applies to the following month. For example, a Visa Bulletin published in mid-May would be effective for June.

Under INA Section 201, Congress has set annual limits on the number of immigrant visas that can be issued in family-based and employment-based categories. Additionally, under INA Section 202, no single country can receive more than 7% of the total number of family-based and employment-based visas in a given year. These numerical limitations create backlogs, particularly for applicants from high-demand countries such as Mexico, the Philippines, India, and China.

The Visa Bulletin tracks these backlogs and tells you whether a visa number is currently available for your preference category and country.

What Is a Priority Date?

Your priority date is essentially your place in line for an immigrant visa. It is established on the date that your immigrant visa petition (Form I-130 for family-based or Form I-140 for employment-based) was properly filed with USCIS. For labor certification cases (PERM), the priority date is the date the labor certification application was filed with the Department of Labor.

Under 8 CFR 204.1 and related regulations, the priority date remains fixed throughout the process, even if you change employers (in most employment-based cases under the job portability provisions of INA Section 204(j)) or if your petition is transferred between service centers.

How Priority Dates Work

Think of the priority date as your ticket number at a busy government office. When you file your petition, you receive a number (your priority date). The Visa Bulletin tells you which numbers are currently being served. When your priority date becomes "current" (meaning the date shown in the Visa Bulletin is on or after your priority date), you can proceed with the next step of your green card process.

Family-Based Preference Categories

Family-based immigration is divided into two main groups under INA Sections 201(b) and 203(a):

Immediate Relatives (No Wait)

Visas for immediate relatives are always available with no numerical limitations. Immediate relatives include:

• Spouses of U.S. citizens
• Unmarried children (under 21) of U.S. citizens
• Parents of U.S. citizens (the citizen child must be at least 21)

If you fall into one of these categories, the Visa Bulletin does not affect you directly. Your visa is always "current."

Family Preference Categories

All other family relationships fall into preference categories with annual limits:

• F1 (First Preference): Unmarried adult sons and daughters (21 and older) of U.S. citizens. Annual limit: approximately 23,400 visas.
• F2A: Spouses and minor children (under 21) of lawful permanent residents. Annual limit: approximately 87,934 visas (at least 77% of the overall F2 allocation).
• F2B: Unmarried adult sons and daughters (21 and older) of lawful permanent residents. Annual limit: approximately 26,266 visas.
• F3 (Third Preference): Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. Annual limit: approximately 23,400 visas.
• F4 (Fourth Preference): Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens (the citizen must be at least 21). Annual limit: approximately 65,000 visas.

Employment-Based Preference Categories

Under INA Section 203(b), employment-based immigration is divided into five preference categories:

• EB-1: Priority workers, including persons of extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and multinational managers and executives. Annual limit: approximately 40,040 visas.
• EB-2: Professionals with advanced degrees or persons of exceptional ability. Includes National Interest Waiver (NIW) cases. Annual limit: approximately 40,040 visas.
• EB-3: Skilled workers, professionals, and other workers. Annual limit: approximately 40,040 visas.
• EB-4: Special immigrants, including religious workers, certain government employees, and others. Annual limit: approximately 9,940 visas.
• EB-5: Immigrant investors who invest a required amount of capital in a new commercial enterprise that creates at least 10 full-time jobs. Annual limit: approximately 9,940 visas.

How to Read the Visa Bulletin

The Visa Bulletin contains two charts that are critical to understand:

Chart A: Final Action Dates

Chart A shows the final action dates, which determine when USCIS or a consular officer can make a final decision on your case (approve your adjustment of status or issue your immigrant visa). If your priority date is before the date shown for your category and country, a visa number is available and final action can be taken on your case.

Chart B: Dates for Filing

Chart B shows earlier dates that indicate when you may be able to file your adjustment of status application (Form I-485) or when the National Visa Center (NVC) can schedule your consular interview. Chart B dates are always the same as or earlier than Chart A dates.

Important: USCIS publishes a monthly announcement specifying whether it will accept I-485 filings based on Chart A or Chart B for that month. You must check this announcement each month, as it varies [VERIFY - dated 2026-05].

Reading the Dates

The dates in the charts are formatted as DD-MMM-YY (e.g., 01JAN22 means January 1, 2022). The key designations are:

• "C" (Current): All qualified applicants in this category can file or be approved regardless of priority date. There is no backlog.
• "U" (Unavailable): No visa numbers are available in this category. No one can file or be approved.
• A specific date: Only applicants with a priority date before this date can file or be approved.

Country of Chargeability

The Visa Bulletin lists dates separately for different countries and regions. Under INA Section 202(b), each applicant is "charged" to the country of their birth, not their current nationality or country of residence. The standard columns are:

• All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed
• China (mainland born)
• El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras
• India
• Mexico
• Philippines

If your country of birth is not specifically listed, you use the "All Chargeability Areas" column. There is a cross-chargeability rule under INA Section 202(b)(2) that allows a spouse or parent to claim the chargeability of the other spouse or child if it would provide a more favorable priority date.

Retrogression and Advancement

Priority dates do not always move forward. Two important phenomena to understand:

Retrogression

Retrogression occurs when the State Department moves a priority date backward because demand for visas in a particular category has exceeded supply. This means that applicants whose priority dates were previously current may suddenly find that their dates are no longer current. Retrogression is particularly common in employment-based categories for India and China.

Advancement

Advancement occurs when priority dates move forward, often significantly, due to reduced demand or the availability of unused visa numbers from other categories. October (the start of the federal fiscal year) often sees significant advancement as new visa allocations become available.

The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA)

One critical concern for families in the visa queue is aging out. If a beneficiary turns 21 while waiting for their priority date to become current, they may "age out" of their category and move to a less favorable one (or lose eligibility entirely).

The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA), codified at INA Section 203(h), provides protection in certain situations. Under CSPA, the beneficiary's age for immigration purposes is calculated by subtracting the number of days the visa petition was pending from their actual age on the date a visa number becomes available. If the calculated age is under 21, the beneficiary retains their classification as a "child."

CSPA calculations are complex and can have a profound impact on your case. The Supreme Court addressed CSPA in Scialabba v. Cuellar de Osorio, 573 U.S. 41 (2014), holding that automatic conversion and priority date retention do not apply to all derivative beneficiaries who age out. The BIA further addressed CSPA in Matter of Wang, 25 I&N Dec. 28 (BIA 2009), establishing the framework for how CSPA age is calculated.

Practical Tips for Monitoring Your Priority Date

• Check the Visa Bulletin monthly. The State Department publishes it around the 15th of each month at travel.state.gov [VERIFY - dated 2026-05].
• Sign up for email alerts. USCIS and the State Department offer email notification services for Visa Bulletin updates.
• Know your category and country of chargeability. These two pieces of information determine which box in the Visa Bulletin chart applies to you.
• Understand both Chart A and Chart B. Depending on the month, USCIS may allow filing based on Chart B (earlier dates), which means you may be able to file your I-485 sooner.
• Track your receipt notice. Your I-130 or I-140 receipt date is your priority date. Keep all USCIS notices in a safe place.
• Consult with an attorney before major life changes. Marriage, turning 21, divorce, or a new job can all affect your preference category, priority date, or eligibility.

When Your Priority Date Becomes Current

When your priority date becomes current, it means you can take the next step in the green card process. For applicants inside the United States, this typically means filing Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) with USCIS. For applicants abroad, the National Visa Center will schedule a consular interview.

When filing I-485, you may also file:

• Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) for a work permit while your adjustment is pending
• Form I-131 (Application for Travel Document) for advance parole to travel while your adjustment is pending

These concurrent filings provide immediate practical benefits while you wait for your green card to be approved.

Get Expert Help Understanding Your Priority Date

The Visa Bulletin and priority date system can be confusing, especially when dates retrogress or when life changes affect your category. At J. Lee & Associates, we monitor the Visa Bulletin monthly and proactively advise our clients when their priority dates become current or when strategic action is needed.

If you have a pending immigration petition and want to understand where you stand, or if you are considering starting the green card process and want to understand the expected timeline, call us at (770) 609-9396. Our immigration attorneys can review your case, explain your priority date status, and help you plan for the future.

J. Lee & Associates Law Group assists clients with family-based and employment-based immigration throughout Georgia, including Norcross, Atlanta, Duluth, Lawrenceville, and Gwinnett County.