Missing your filing window on the Visa Bulletin does not just mean a longer wait. In some cases, it can lead to a denial. USCIS ties your eligibility to file, and sometimes your case's final action, to specific dates published each month. Miss the right window, and your application can be rejected outright or sit in limbo until the next opportunity arrives.
The Visa Bulletin is a monthly publication from the U.S. Department of State. It shows visa availability and cutoff dates for immigrant visa categories, while USCIS determines which filing chart adjustment of status applicants may use. Getting that timing wrong is one of the costliest mistakes in the immigration process.
With Fiscal Year 2027 (FY2027) beginning Oct. 1, 2026, the next Visa Bulletin could matter even more for applicants who have been waiting through the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY2026) backlogs. Many applicants skip checking it before they file. That mistake can delay a case, trigger a denial, or cause someone to miss a filing opportunity that will not come around again for months.
If you are unsure what the current Visa Bulletin means for your case, an immigration lawyer can help you identify your next step.
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The Visa Bulletin is a monthly publication from the U.S. Department of State. It provides information about visa availability for family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories, as well as other immigrant visa categories.
It helps answer two important questions:
Those are different questions. Understanding the difference is critical when planning a green card application.
Each monthly Visa Bulletin contains two important charts:
For adjustment of status applicants, USCIS determines which chart may be used each month.
That means you should not assume that the Dates for Filing chart can always be used. Check the USCIS announcement for the month in which you plan to file.
Every family-sponsored preference and employment-based preference case has a priority date. The rule used to establish that date depends on the type of case.
For many employment-based cases, the priority date is tied to the filing of the labor certification or immigrant petition, depending on the circumstances. For family-sponsored cases, it is generally tied to when the qualifying immigrant petition was properly filed.
Your priority date is then compared with the applicable cutoff date in the Visa Bulletin.
If your priority date is not current, you may have to remain on the waiting list until an immigrant visa number becomes available.
Your priority date is essentially your place in the queue. The Visa Bulletin shows where the government has set the cutoff for your category and country of chargeability.
FY2027 begins on Oct. 1, 2026. That date matters because the U.S. immigration system operates on a fiscal year running from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.
The annual employment-based immigrant visa allocation is generally 140,000, subject to the statutory allocation rules. The employment-based per-country limitation is generally 7% of the worldwide level, which is roughly 9,800 based on the 140,000 annual allocation.
A fresh annual allocation does not guarantee that every category will move forward. The Department of State must consider demand, available supply, per-country limits, and other statutory allocation rules when establishing cutoff dates.
Another important question is whether USCIS will allow employment-based adjustment of status applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart in October.
Do not assume that Chart B will reopen. Check USCIS guidance for the specific month before filing an adjustment of status application.
The FY2026 Visa Bulletin showed significant pressure in several employment-based categories. The State Department reported changes involving categories such as EB-2, EB-1 India, and EB-5 during the fiscal year.
The end of one fiscal year and the beginning of another can change the number of visas available for allocation. However, the reset does not erase existing demand or guarantee that a particular priority date will become current.
The October bulletin will provide the actual dates applicants need to evaluate their cases.
Until that bulletin is published, precise cutoff-date predictions would be speculation.
The September 2026 Visa Bulletin gives a preview of the pressure points that could carry into FY2027. Comparing it against August shows exactly where movement happened and where it stalled.
For adjustment of status filed with USCIS, September applicants follow the Dates for Filing chart for family-sponsored categories and the Final Action Dates chart for employment-based categories. That distinction matters because it determines which table below actually governs when someone can file.
| Category | August 2026 | September 2026 | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | 15JUN19 | 01FEB20 | About 7.5 months |
| F2A | Current | Current | No change |
| F2B | 01JAN19 | 01SEP19 | 8 months |
| F3 | 01MAR13 | 01NOV14 | 20 months |
| F4 | 22JUN10 | 01NOV11 | About 16.5 months |
Mexico and the Philippines barely moved across these same categories, so applicants chargeable to those countries should not expect the same jump.
Employment categories stayed almost flat. EB-4 was the only category to advance, moving 2 months, from 15OCT22 to 15DEC22. EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, and EB-5 final action dates carried over from August unchanged. EB-2 India and EB-5 India remain unavailable.
That gap between family and employment movement is the headline for September: family categories caught up meaningfully, employment categories mostly held in place while the Department of State manages FY2026 annual limits.
Three warnings from the bulletin itself explain why employment categories are holding steady rather than advancing:
The bulletin also flags something outside the usual supply and demand math. Visa issuance rates have decreased for applicants from certain countries due to Presidential Proclamations 10949 and 10998, along with related immigrant visa processing updates. The Department of State has been advancing dates for filing and final action dates across several categories to keep issuances within FY2026 limits given that shift, but retrogression could follow in the coming months if demand rebounds or those actions change.
One more date worth tracking: DV-2026 entitlement ends September 30, 2026. Diversity visa numbers for this cycle could run out before that date, so anyone still waiting on a DV case has a hard deadline, not a soft one.
For applicants trying to read FY2027 signals, September shows family categories moving while employment categories wait. October will show whether that pattern holds once the new fiscal year allocation resets.
Employment-based immigration is divided into several employment-based preference categories, each with eligibility requirements and visa availability:
Visa availability can vary significantly between categories and countries. In fact, applicants chargeable to India and mainland China have experienced significant employment-based backlogs in several categories.
The EB-5 program includes reserved visa categories in addition to the unreserved category.
These set-aside categories have separate allocations, so their visa availability can differ from the unreserved EB-5 category.
The codes and cutoff dates shown in the Visa Bulletin can change. Always check the current monthly bulletin instead of relying on an older chart. For current EB-5 dates and category information, use the official State Department bulletin.
Family-sponsored immigrants are also subject to the Visa Bulletin when they fall within a preference category.
Key categories include:
Family-sponsored categories can have lengthy waiting periods, and the applicable cutoff date varies by category and country of chargeability.
Mexico and the Philippines can experience particularly long waits in certain family-sponsored categories.
If you are pursuing a family-based green card and don’t have an employer's immigration counsel handling your case, a case-specific review can help you understand your category, priority date, and available options.
Visa bulletin predictions are not guaranteed. We do not publish invented cutoff dates or prediction tables. We rely on the government's published information and explain what it means for your case.
Instead, the most useful approach is to look at the government's published information and understand the factors that determine visa availability.
For the transition into FY2027, watch:
The State Department's Visa Bulletin provides the official cutoff dates. The Department can also provide commentary about expected movement when appropriate.
Even if your case cannot reach final action immediately, filing when the applicable Dates for Filing chart allows it can have important benefits.
However, filing under the Dates for Filing chart does not mean your green card can be approved immediately.
Final action generally depends on visa availability and your priority date being current under the applicable Final Action Dates chart.
USCIS provides guidance on how adjustment of status applicants should use the Visa Bulletin.
Some applicants are not stuck because of the Visa Bulletin. Their dates are moving, but another immigration deadline is approaching.
The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) can affect how a child's age is calculated for certain immigration benefits.
If your child is approaching 21, the timing of the petition, visa availability, and other factors can become critical.
Do not assume that a child will automatically retain eligibility because your family has been waiting for a long time.
H-1B status generally has a six-year limit, but certain employment-based immigration circumstances can allow extensions beyond six years.
If your employment-based green card process has been delayed, the timing of your priority date and labor certification or immigrant petition can become especially important.
The American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act (AC21) provides certain portability protections for eligible employment-based adjustment of status applicants.
Whether you can change jobs without disrupting your green card case depends on the circumstances of your case, including the stage of your adjustment application and the new position.
Your company's immigration attorney represents your company. If you leave that employer, that attorney does not become your personal immigration attorney.
A long Visa Bulletin backlog does not necessarily mean you have to abandon your immigration goals.
Some applicants may qualify for other pathways, but eligibility depends on the facts of the case.
EB-1A is an employment-based immigrant visa category for people who can demonstrate extraordinary ability in their field.
It can provide an alternative path for some highly accomplished professionals, but meeting the legal requirements requires substantial evidence.
If you are considering EB-1A because of a long employment-based backlog, review your qualifications before assuming you qualify.
A National Interest Waiver (NIW) is a pathway within the EB-2 category that can allow certain applicants to seek a waiver of the job offer and labor certification requirements.
It is not available simply because someone has an advanced degree or works in an important field.
Your education, proposed endeavor, qualifications, and the broader circumstances of your case all matter.
The EB-5 immigrant investor program provides another employment-based pathway for qualifying investors who meet the program's investment and job-creation requirements.
The Visa Bulletin includes separate EB-5 categories, including reserved categories.
EB-5 is not a solution for everyone. The financial, investment, and immigration requirements must be evaluated before choosing this path.
In some cases, an applicant may be able to use a spouse's country of birth for visa chargeability instead of their own.
This is known as cross-chargeability and can matter when one spouse is chargeable to a country with a significantly shorter backlog.
The rules are fact-specific, so do not assume cross-chargeability applies without reviewing your family circumstances.
Filing under the wrong chart or at the wrong time can create serious problems.
Avoid these errors:
The Visa Bulletin gives you the dates. Your immigration case determines what those dates actually mean for you.
Hacking Immigration Law, LLC focuses on federal U.S. immigration matters. The firm has offices in St. Louis, Chicago, San Diego, and Washington, D.C., and helps clients nationwide with immigration cases.
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If your priority date is approaching, your case is stuck in infrastructure delays, or you are unsure whether to use the dates for filing or the final action dates chart this month, we can walk you through your options.
The Visa Bulletin is a monthly publication from the Department of State that provides information about visa availability and cutoff dates for family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories.
It helps applicants determine when their priority date may be current and when they may be eligible to file or receive final action.
The Dates for Filing chart indicates when certain applicants may be able to submit applications based on the applicable visa availability rules.
Final Action Dates indicate when a visa number may be available for final action.
USCIS determines which chart adjustment of status applicants may use each month.
Find your immigrant visa category, country of chargeability, and priority date in the Visa Bulletin.
Then compare your priority date with the applicable cutoff date.
If your priority date is earlier than the listed cutoff, your date may be current for that chart, subject to the rules applicable to your case.
Backlogs change over time and vary by category.
India and mainland China have experienced significant employment-based backlogs. Mexico and the Philippines can experience lengthy waits in certain family-sponsored preference categories.
Potentially. If USCIS allows adjustment of status applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart and your priority date meets the applicable cutoff, you may be able to submit your adjustment of status application before your case is eligible for final action.
Filing does not guarantee approval. Visa availability must still exist when final action is taken.
The October Visa Bulletin is normally published by the Department of State before the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.
The exact publication date can vary, so check the Department of State's official Visa Bulletin page for the October bulletin.
It may, but this cannot be guaranteed before the October 2026 Visa Bulletin and USCIS filing guidance are published.
Employment-based adjustment of status applicants should check the USCIS filing-chart guidance for October rather than assume that the Dates for Filing chart will be available.
If your priority date has been current and your I-485 has remained pending for an unreasonable period, the issue may involve USCIS processing rather than Visa Bulletin availability.
Depending on the circumstances, a federal mandamus action may be an option to seek a decision from the government.
Generally, no.
A mandamus action is designed to address an unreasonable delay in government action. If your case cannot be adjudicated because a visa number is unavailable, a lawsuit cannot create visa availability or move your priority date forward.
The Visa Bulletin is an important part of your green card timeline, but it is not the only factor that determines what happens next. Before filing or deciding to wait, check your priority date, the applicable filing chart, Final Action Dates, visa availability, and your individual immigration circumstances.
With FY2027 beginning Oct. 1, 2026, applicants should pay particular attention to the October Visa Bulletin and any USCIS announcement about adjustment of status filing charts.
If your priority date is already current, your immigration clock is running out, or the wait no longer makes sense, there may be a more appropriate next step than simply waiting.
Do not guess about your immigration timeline. Get a case-specific assessment of your options. Talk to Hacking Immigration Law, LLC.
