Visa Bulletin

The State Department publishes the Visa Bulletin every month to show the backlog for those waiting on a green card. It functions as a monthly update to the waiting list by showing the Priority Dates for family and employment-based categories.

The Priority Date is the date when a principal applicant first demonstrated their intent of immigration to the U.S. government.

For family-based applications, the Priority Date is the date that the immigration petition was filed and received by USCIS.
For employment-based applications, the priority date is the date that the immigration petition was filed with USCIS, under categories where a labor certification is not required, or when the U.S. Department of Labor, receives the labor certification application, under categories where a labor certification is required.

The Priority Date is not established until USCIS approves the immigration petition. You can find your priority date on the top of the I-797 Notice of Action.

Family-Based Applications: Finding Your Preference Category

Your preference category for family-based applications is determined by your relationship to the petitioner. It also depends on whether the petitioner is a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident.

F1 - Unmarried, adult sons and daughters (age 21 or over) of U.S. citizens
F2A - Spouses and unmarried children (under 21) of permanent residents
F2B - Unmarried adult sons and daughters of permanent residents
F3 - Married sons and daughters (any age) of U.S. citizens
F4 - Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens

F2A Category Cutoff Date:

In the F2A category, there is a cutoff date on the Dates for Filing chart. However, the category is “current” on the Final Action Dates chart. This means that applicants in the F2A category may file using the Final Action Dates chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin for that month.

For all the other family-sponsored preference categories, you must use the Dates for Filing chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin for the current month.

Employment-Based Applications: Finding Your Preference Category

Preference categories for employment-based applications have cap levels and are broken down into the following employment categories:

First: Priority Workers
- Aliens of Extraordinary Ability
- International Managers/Executives
- Outstanding Professors and Researchers
Second: Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability
Third: Skilled Workers
Fourth: Certain Special Immigrants
- Religious Workers
- Special Immigrant Juveniles
Fifth: Employment Creation

The Visa Bulletin has a few more employment categories:

Under the Employment Third Preference, there’s a separate category called “Other workers.”
Under the Employment Fourth Preference, there’s a separate category for “Certain religious workers.”
The Fifth Category is divided into two subcategories:
- 5th Non-Regional Center. (C5 and T5)
- 5th Regional Center (I5 and R5)

Restriction for Fifth Preference:

USCIS will not accept any new employment-based fifth preference adjustment of status applications based on the Regional Center Program until that program is reauthorized.

Reading the Visa Bulletin

In order to read the Visa Bulletin, you will need to visit the U.S. Department of State website, and click on the “Current Visa Bulletin.” From there, you will need to visit your corresponding preference, whether it is “Family-Sponsored Preferences” or “Employment-Based Preferences.”

Next, find your preference category, and compare your priority date to the date listed. If your priority date is before the date listed on the table, then your immigrant visa is current.

Please note that the column labeled “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed” refers to all countries other than China, India, Mexico, or Philippines.