Green Card / The process
Step 4: the wait, and how to read the Visa Bulletin
The monthly Visa Bulletin decides when your green card can move. Final Action vs. Dates for Filing, what "current" and "unavailable" mean, and why country of birth matters.
About 140,000 employment-based green cards are available each year, split across categories, and no single country can use more than 7% of them. When demand from a country is higher than that, a queue forms, and the Visa Bulletin is the queue’s scoreboard.
Two charts
- Final Action Dates: if your priority date is before the date shown for your category and country, your green card can be approved.
- Dates for Filing: if your priority date is before this (usually later) date, you may be able to file your I-485 early, if USCIS says it accepts that chart that month. USCIS announces its choice each month.
Reading a cell
| You see | It means |
|---|---|
| C (current) | No backlog; anyone with an approved petition can move |
| A date, e.g. 01JAN14 | People with priority dates before January 1, 2014 can move |
| U (unavailable) | No visas can be issued in that category this month |
Why your country matters
The 7% limit is based on country of birth, not citizenship. People born in India, China, Mexico and the Philippines hit the limit in some categories, so their dates lag behind “All Chargeability” (rest of world). In some cases you can use your spouse’s country of birth (“cross-chargeability”).
Retrogression and the October reset
Dates can move backward when demand is higher than expected, often late in the fiscal year. Each October brings a new year’s numbers; for example, the State Department signaled that EB-2 India would return to at least July 15, 2014 when fiscal year 2027 started.
See this month’s dates on our Visa Bulletin tracker.
The good
- The bulletin is published every month, so progress is visible
- Dates for Filing can let you file an I-485 early and get an EAD
- Each October the new fiscal year brings fresh visa numbers
The hard
- Dates can stand still for months or even move backward (retrogression)
- India EB-2 has been "unavailable" at times
- Which chart USCIS accepts changes month to month
Recent from immigration lawyers
From independent law firms, newest first. Not reviewed by h1b-life, not legal advice and not an endorsement.
- Can an Approved I-140 Still Help After the Employer Withdraws It?Murthy Law Firm · Nov 11, 2026
- My Child Aged Out of Our Employment-Based Green Card Case: What Now?Reddy Neumann Brown · Nov 11, 2026
- MurthyAudio: Tips for Proactive I-485 FilingsMurthy Law Firm · Nov 6, 2026
- Green Card Options: Does Your Company Do Research? The Green Card Option Most Employers OverlookReddy Neumann Brown · Nov 2, 2026
Sources
- Travel.State.Gov: Visa Bulletin
- USCIS: Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin
- Badmus & Associates: October 2026 Visa Bulletin preview
Rules change often. If something here looks out of date, it probably is; check the official source and talk to an immigration attorney about your own case.