Visa Bulletin Explained: How to Read Priority Dates

The US Visa Bulletin can look confusing when you first open it. You may see several visa categories, country columns, dates, and two different charts. The key is knowing which category, country, chart, and priority date apply to your case. The Visa Bulletin provides a monthly snapshot of visa availability for family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories. To read it, find your category, locate your country of chargeability, choose the correct chart, and compare its cut-off date with your priority date. The two charts serve different purposes. One deals with final visa issuance or green card approval, while the other may allow eligible applicants to start the filing process earlier.

What Is the Visa Bulletin?

The Visa Bulletin is a monthly publication from the U.S. Department of State. It shows when immigrant visa numbers are available for certain family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories. Congress sets annual limits on many immigrant visa categories, along with limits on how many visas can go to applicants from individual countries. When demand is higher than the number of available visas, applicants may have to wait in line. The Visa Bulletin shows how far that line has moved for different categories and countries.

The US Visa Bulletin does not apply in the same way to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. Immediate relatives, such as spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of U.S. citizens, are not subject to the same numerical limits as family preference categories.

Cut-off dates can move forward, remain unchanged, or move backward. A backward movement is called retrogression. The Department of State can also mark a category as “U” when immigrant visa numbers are unavailable.

Check the official Department of State Visa Bulletin for current and previous monthly bulletins. 

What Is a Priority Date (and Where to Find Yours)?

Your green card priority date is the date used to determine your place in line for an immigrant visa in a preference category.

For many family-based cases, the priority date is the date USCIS receives the properly filed Form I-130 petition. For employment-based cases, the priority date is generally the date the labor certification application is filed with the Department of Labor if labor certification is required. If labor certification is not required, the priority date is generally the date USCIS receives the immigrant visa petition. You can usually find your priority date on your Form I-797 Notice of Action. Look for the field labelled “Priority Date.”

Do not confuse these details:

• Receipt Number: The tracking number assigned to your case.
• Receipt Date: The date USCIS received the filing.
• Notice Date: The date shown on the USCIS notice.
• Priority Date: The date used to determine your place in the visa queue.
• Visa Bulletin cut-off date: The monthly date used to determine visa availability for a particular category and country.

 For official guidance, see the USCIS Visa Availability and Priority Dates page.

How to Read the Visa Bulletin: Step by Step

Step 1: Identify Your Category

Start by determining whether your case is family-sponsored or employment-based. Family-sponsored preference categories cover certain qualifying relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. Employment-based categories cover several types of employment-related immigrant visas. The Visa Bulletin separates these categories into different tables. Start with the table that matches your case.

Step 2: Find Your Preference Category

Next, find your specific preference category.

Family-sponsored categories include:

• F1: Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens
• F2A: Spouses and children of lawful permanent residents
• F2B: Unmarried sons and daughters, age 21 or older, of lawful permanent residents
• F3: Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens
• F4: Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens

Employment-based categories include:

• EB-1: Priority workers
• EB-2: Members of the professions holding advanced degrees or persons of exceptional ability
• EB-3: Skilled workers, professionals, and other workers
• EB-4: Certain special immigrants
• EB-5: Employment creation for immigrants

Make sure the category matches your actual immigrant classification. The category determines which row of the Visa Bulletin you need to read.

Step 3: Find Your Country of Chargeability

After finding your category, locate the column for your country of chargeability. Most applicants fall under the “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed” column. Separate columns may appear for countries with higher demand, including China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines. Country of chargeability is generally based on your country of birth, not simply your current citizenship or where you live. There are exceptions in some cases, including certain cross-chargeability situations. If your country of birth and citizenship are different, do not automatically assume that your citizenship determines the column you should use.

Step 4: Pick the Right Chart and Find the Cut-Off Date

The Visa Bulletin normally contains two main charts:

• Final Action Dates
• Dates for Filing

Find your category row and country column on the appropriate chart. The cell where they meet will show a date, “C,” or “U.” For applicants outside the United States going through consular processing, the Final Action Dates chart is used to determine when an immigrant visa number is available for final action. For applicants filing Form I-485 inside the United States, USCIS announces each month whether applicants may use the Dates for Filing chart instead of the Final Action Dates chart. Always check the current USCIS filing chart before submitting Form I-485.

The Dates for Filing chart does not mean your green card will be approved when your date becomes current under that chart. It can allow an eligible applicant to start the filing process earlier. For adjustment of status, USCIS publishes a monthly notice stating which chart applicants should use. Always check that notice before filing Form I-485. For consular processing, the Visa Bulletin helps determine when an immigrant visa number is available and when the case can move toward visa issuance.

Reading the Symbols and Watching for Retrogression

The Visa Bulletin uses a few symbols that are easy to understand once you know what they mean.

• C = Current: There is no cut-off date for that category and country.
• U = Unavailable: No visa numbers are available for that category and country at that time.

When a date appears, your priority date generally must be earlier than that date.

For example, if the chart shows 15-JAN-2020:

• Priority date of 14-JAN-2020: Current
• Priority date of 15-JAN-2020: Not current
• Priority date of 16-JAN-2020: Not current

Cut-off dates do not always move forward. If demand for visas increases, the Department of State may move a date backward. This is called retrogression. Retrogression changes the cut-off date shown in the Visa Bulletin. Your individual priority date does not change. Think of the monthly bulletin as a visa bulletin tracker for your category and country. Check the latest release rather than relying on an older month’s dates. 

What to Do When Your Priority Date Is Current

A current priority date means you may be able to take the next step, but the exact step depends on your immigration process.

If you are inside the United States: You may be able to file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, when your priority date is eligible under the chart USCIS has designated for that month.

If you are outside the United States: Your case generally proceeds through consular processing. The National Visa Center handles document collection and other pre-interview steps, including the DS-260 immigrant visa application. Being current does not automatically mean your green card will be approved. You still need to meet the other eligibility and procedural requirements for your case. 

Check the official USCIS Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page before filing Form I-485.