How to read the U.S. Visa Bulletin

Wang Law Firm, LLC · David Wang, Managing Attorney

The U.S. sets annual limits on employment-based and most family-based green cards, along with per-country limits. When more people apply than there are numbers available, applicants have to wait in line — that line is the backlog. Each month, the U.S. Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin, which shows how far the line has moved.

Key concepts

Priority date

Your place in line. For employment-based cases, it's usually the date your labor certification (PERM) was filed; for categories that don't require labor certification (such as EB-1A and NIW), it's the date your I-140 was filed. For family-based cases, it's the date the I-130 was filed.

Final action dates

If your priority date is earlier than this date, your green card can be finally approved.

Dates for filing

If your priority date is earlier than this date, you can get ready and file the next stage of your application early. Whether applicants in the U.S. can use this chart to file an I-485 depends on which chart USCIS announces it will accept each month.

"C" and "U"

In the charts, "C" (Current) means there is no backlog in that category right now; "U" (Unavailable) means no visa numbers are currently available.

Your place in line depends on where you were born, not your citizenship

The Visa Bulletin is based on your country of birth, not the passport you hold now. For example, someone born in mainland China still waits in the "China – mainland born" line even after becoming a citizen of another country.

One exception is worth knowing: if the principal applicant was born in mainland China but their spouse was born in a country with a shorter wait, the applicant can sometimes use the spouse's country of birth instead ("cross-chargeability"). Whether this applies has to be decided case by case.

Common situations for applicants born in mainland China

• EB-1 (including EB-1A extraordinary ability): usually moves faster than EB-2 and EB-3, though it has also had a backlog in recent years.
• EB-2 (including NIW): the wait for applicants born in mainland China is often long.
• EB-5: there are "set-aside" categories (such as rural and high-unemployment area projects) and "unreserved" categories, and their wait times can differ significantly.
• Family-based: immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (spouses, unmarried children under 21 and parents) are not subject to annual limits; other categories (such as F2A and F4) have backlogs.

The exact cutoff dates change every month, so always check the State Department's current bulletin.

An example: how to check your own place in line

1. Find your priority date, for example the Priority Date on your I-140 receipt notice;
2. Confirm your category (such as EB-2) and your country of birth (such as mainland China);
3. Open the current month's Visa Bulletin and, in the employment-based chart, find the date in the EB-2 row under the mainland China column;
4. If your priority date is earlier than the date in the chart, your date is "current";
5. If you're in the U.S. and preparing to file an I-485, also check whether USCIS has announced it will use the "dates for filing" or the "final action dates" chart that month.

The Visa Bulletin sometimes moves forward quickly, sometimes stalls, and can even move backward (retrogress). We recommend checking it every month and preparing your documents in advance, so you can file promptly once your date is current.

What the Visa Bulletin means for your planning

How long the wait is often decides which path to take. For example, for an applicant who qualifies for both, the wait under EB-1A versus NIW can differ by years. You also need to plan ahead for how you'll maintain status in the U.S. while you wait (H-1B, E-2, F-1 and so on).

This article is general information and is not legal advice. The Visa Bulletin changes every month; always check the latest official bulletin.