- Published
- Last reviewed
- Reviewer
- Reviewed by the attorney responsible for site content at Abiiden Immigration (NEEDS_FIRM_INPUT — attorney name)
Why the bulletin exists
Congress limits the number of immigrant visas issued each year in most family and employment preference categories, with additional per-country limits. When demand exceeds supply, a queue forms. The Visa Bulletin is the published state of that queue.
Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are not subject to these numerical limits, so the bulletin generally does not govern their timing.
The two charts
Each bulletin contains charts labeled with final action dates and with dates for filing. They serve different purposes: one governs when a case may be finally approved, the other governs when certain applications may be submitted.
For adjustment of status applicants, USCIS announces each month which chart may be used. That announcement, not the bulletin alone, determines the filing rule for adjustment applicants in a given month.
- Find your category (for example, a family preference or employment preference category).
- Find your chargeability area, which is usually your country of birth rather than citizenship.
- Compare your priority date to the date listed at that intersection.
- A listing of 'C' means the category is current; a date means only cases with earlier priority dates may proceed.
Movement is not a schedule
Dates can advance, hold still, or retrogress — move backward — depending on demand and visa number usage. Retrogression is normal and does not mean anything has gone wrong with your case. Because of this, no responsible attorney can predict when a category will become current.