How to Read the U.S. Visa Bulletin (Step by Step)

The Visa Bulletin is a one-page-per-month report from the U.S. Department of State, published at travel.state.gov, that tells you whether an immigrant visa is available in your category. The first time you open it, the grid of dates and letters can look like a tax form. Once you know what each part means, it takes about a minute to find your answer. This guide walks through it piece by piece.

The big picture: cutoff dates and your place in line

Immigrant visas are limited by law each year, and there is a separate per-country cap. When more people apply than there are visas, a line forms. The Visa Bulletin shows how far that line has moved by publishing a cutoff date for each category and country.

You compare the cutoff to your own priority date - the date your petition or PERM was received. If your priority date is earlier than the cutoff, the line has reached you. If it is later, you keep waiting. If you do not know your priority date yet, see our priority date checker and the guide on what a priority date is.

The two charts

Every Visa Bulletin has two separate charts for both the family and employment sections:

1. Final Action Dates

This is the cutoff for the government to actually finish your case - approve the green card if you are in the U.S., or issue the immigrant visa at a consulate abroad. When your priority date is earlier than the Final Action Date, a visa number is available and your case can be approved.

2. Dates for Filing

This is an earlier, more generous cutoff. It can let you submit your final application (Form I-485, adjustment of status) before a visa is fully available. Filing early can unlock interim benefits like a work permit (EAD) and travel document (advance parole), even though the green card itself still waits for the Final Action Date to pass.

The catch: the Dates for Filing chart only matters if USCIS says you may use it. More on that below.

The country columns

Each chart has several columns. You read across the row for your category and down to the column for your country of chargeability, which is usually your country of birth (not citizenship). The columns are:

• CHINA-mainland born
• INDIA
• MEXICO
• PHILIPPINES
• All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed - this is the "Rest of World" or ROW column, used by everyone whose country is not separately listed.

China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines get their own columns because demand from these countries regularly exceeds the per-country limit, so their lines are longer. Everyone else shares the "All Other" column, which usually moves faster and is often current.

The category rows

The bulletin splits into two sections.

Family-sponsored (F1 to F4)

• F1 - unmarried adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.
• F2A - spouses and minor children of green card holders.
• F2B - unmarried adult sons and daughters of green card holders.
• F3 - married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.
• F4 - brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens.

(Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens - spouses, minor children, and parents - are not on the bulletin at all, because they have no annual cap and no wait for a visa number.)

Employment-based (EB-1 to EB-5)

• EB-1 - priority workers (extraordinary ability, outstanding researchers, multinational executives).
• EB-2 - advanced degree professionals and those with exceptional ability.
• EB-3 - skilled workers, professionals, and (in a sub-row) other workers.
• EB-4 - certain special immigrants.
• EB-5 - immigrant investors.

What C and U mean

Two letters replace dates in some cells:

• C = current. No backlog. Anyone in that category and country can move forward this month, regardless of priority date.
• U = unavailable. No visas are being issued in that category and country this month, usually because the annual or per-country limit is exhausted. This is common late in a fiscal year, before numbers reset on October 1.

How USCIS picks which chart to use

This is the step people miss. The two charts come from the State Department, but for adjustment of status (people already in the U.S. filing Form I-485), USCIS decides each month which chart applicants may use. USCIS posts this on its "When to File" page shortly after each bulletin.

• If USCIS says use Dates for Filing, you can file your I-485 once that earlier cutoff passes your priority date.
• If USCIS says use Final Action Dates, you must wait for the stricter cutoff.

Applicants going through consular processing abroad generally follow the Final Action Dates for visa issuance, with the National Visa Center using Dates for Filing to request documents.

Our Visa Bulletin reader pulls in the current month and lets you compare both charts against your priority date without hunting through the PDF.

Use case: reading the current month for EB-3 Philippines

Say you were born in the Philippines and your employer sponsored you in EB-3.

1. Go to the employment section of the current bulletin.
2. Find the EB-3 row, Philippines column in the Final Action Dates chart. Suppose it reads a date in 2022.
3. Compare to your priority date. If yours is earlier than that 2022 cutoff, you are current for final approval. If it is later, you are still waiting.
4. Check the Dates for Filing chart for EB-3 Philippines - it will usually show a slightly later date, meaning you may be able to file the I-485 sooner.
5. Confirm the chart on the USCIS "When to File" page for the month, then act on the chart USCIS allows.

Quick reading checklist

• Find the right section (family vs employment).
• Find your category row.
• Read across to your country column (country of birth).
• Compare both charts to your priority date.
• Confirm which chart USCIS accepts this month.
• Note any C or U.

Disclaimer

This is general information, not legal advice. The Visa Bulletin updates monthly and USCIS can change which chart applies; figures shown here are illustrative. Verify the current month at travel.state.gov and the USCIS "When to File" page, and consult a licensed immigration attorney for your specific case.