What is the Visa Bulletin?

Why the Visa Bulletin exists

Congress caps the total number of immigrant visas the U.S. can issue every year, and it also caps how many can go to applicants from any single country. When demand exceeds supply, applicants are placed in line by their priority date, and the Visa Bulletin tells the world which dates are currently being processed.

If your priority date is on or before the date listed for your category and country, you are "current," meaning a visa number is available for you.

Two charts: Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing

The bulletin always publishes two charts:

• Final Action Dates — the date USCIS can actually approve your case and issue a green card. If your priority date is before this date, USCIS can finalize your application.
• Dates for Filing — the earliest moment you can submit your I-485 adjustment of status application. Dates for Filing are usually more recent than Final Action Dates, so they let you file earlier.

Each month, USCIS announces which chart applicants should use for filing I-485s. Sometimes it is the Dates for Filing chart, sometimes the Final Action Dates chart.

The categories

Each chart lists immigrant visa categories along the side and countries of chargeability across the top.

• Employment-based: EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-4, EB-5
• Family-based: F1, F2A, F2B, F3, F4

And the countries of chargeability typically tracked separately are:

• All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed (often called "Worldwide")
• China, mainland born
• India
• Mexico
• Philippines
• El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (some categories)

What "C" and "U" mean

• C (Current) — there is no backlog for this category and country. Anyone with a valid petition can move forward.
• U (Unavailable) — no visa numbers are available this month. The category is closed for now.
• A specific date — only applicants whose priority date is before that date can move forward.

What is retrogression?

Retrogression happens when a date in the bulletin moves backwards instead of forwards. If your category was at September 2022 last month and moves back to March 2022 this month, your case will pause until the date crosses your priority date again.

Retrogression is the single most stressful event in the bulletin cycle. It happens because demand spiked, the fiscal year is ending, or the State Department needs to balance allocations.

How to track the Visa Bulletin

The official bulletin is at travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin.html. It is updated mid-month for the following month.

Reading the raw PDF and the two charts every month is doable but tedious. VisaWatch reads the bulletin for you, filters it to your category and country, and notifies you the moment your priority date moves forward or retrogresses. You can also see the latest bulletin on our public Visa Bulletin page.