Updated November 11, 2026

NVC Visa Bulletin: how Dates for Filing, Final Action Dates and consular processing work

The Department of State publishes a monthly Visa Bulletin with two charts. Dates for Filing Applications signals when the National Visa Center (NVC) notifies you to assemble and submit fees and documents. Application Final Action Dates shows when an immigrant visa can be issued and your consular interview scheduled. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, USCIS reports that family-sponsored preference visas are capped at 226,000 per year and employment-based preference visas at 140,000 per year. Your place in that queue is set by your priority date, preference category and country of chargeability.

How the NVC uses the two Visa Bulletin charts

When you apply for an immigrant visa outside the United States through consular processing, the Department of State's monthly Visa Bulletin controls two separate moments in your case: when you prepare your paperwork with the National Visa Center, and when a U.S. embassy or consulate can schedule your interview and issue your visa.

USCIS explains that the monthly Visa Bulletin summarizes immigrant visa availability across two charts. Each chart serves a distinct step in the process, whether you are going through the NVC abroad or filing Form I-485 inside the United States.

For November 2026, USCIS designated the Dates for Filing chart for both family-sponsored and employment-based preference filings for applicants adjusting status inside the United States. If a category is marked current on the Final Action Dates chart or has a later cutoff date on Final Action Dates than on Dates for Filing, adjustment applicants in that category may use the Final Action Dates chart.

How the two Visa Bulletin charts work

Who waits in the Visa Bulletin queue and who skips it

Family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories have annual statutory caps. According to USCIS, family-sponsored preference visas are limited to 226,000 per year and employment-based preference visas are limited to 140,000 per year (by statute, these annual limits may be exceeded when certain immigrant visas from the previous fiscal year's allocation were not fully used).

In addition to the overall category caps, there are statutory limits on the percentage of visas that can be allotted based on an immigrant's country of chargeability, which is usually your country of birth. When demand exceeds the supply of visas for a given year in a category or country, the category becomes oversubscribed and a waiting list forms.

Not every green card applicant has to wait for the Visa Bulletin. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, immigrant visas for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are unlimited, so a visa number is always available. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens include:

• Spouses of U.S. citizens
• Unmarried children under 21 years of age of U.S. citizens
• Parents of U.S. citizens who are at least 21 years old
• Widows or widowers of U.S. citizens, if the U.S. citizen filed a petition before dying or if the widow or widower files a petition within two years of the citizen's death

How to find your priority date and preference category

Your priority date is your place in the immigrant visa queue. You can find your priority date printed on Form I-797, Notice of Action, which USCIS issues for the immigrant petition filed on your behalf.

A common misconception is that your priority date is the day USCIS approves your petition. It is not. According to USCIS, your priority date is established when the petition or labor certification application is properly filed or accepted for processing.

For family-sponsored petitions on Form I-130, the preference categories are:

• First preference (F1): Unmarried adult sons and daughters (age 21 or older) of U.S. citizens
• Second preference (F2A): Spouses and unmarried children (under age 21) of lawful permanent residents (green card holders)
• Second preference (F2B): Unmarried adult sons and daughters (age 21 or older) of lawful permanent residents
• Third preference (F3): Married sons and daughters (any age) of U.S. citizens
• Fourth preference (F4): Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens

How priority dates are set by category (USCIS Visa Availability and Priority Dates)

How to read cutoff dates, C and U on the Visa Bulletin

To check your place in the queue, look up the row for your preference category and the column for your country of chargeability (usually your country of birth). Each cell shows either a cutoff date, the letter C, or the letter U.

• A specific date (for example, 15DEC07): This is the cutoff date. A visa is available to you only if your priority date is earlier than the date shown.
• C (Current): Demand is less than supply for that category and country. Immigrant visas are immediately available to all qualified applicants in that preference category and country of chargeability, regardless of priority date.
• U (Unavailable): Immigrant visas are temporarily unavailable to all applicants in that preference category and country of chargeability.

Worked example of priority date cutoff comparison

Here is a worked example using USCIS's own illustration: suppose the Visa Bulletin shows a cutoff date of 15DEC07 (December 15, 2007) for China in the family first preference category (F1). If your Form I-130 priority date is December 14, 2007 or earlier, a visa is available to you because your priority date is earlier than the cutoff date. If your priority date is December 15, 2007 or later, your priority date is not yet current, because it must be earlier than the cutoff date listed.

You can check the current Visa Bulletin on the Department of State website or hear a recorded message with visa cutoff dates by calling the Department of State at 202-663-1541. According to USCIS, that recording is normally updated by the middle of each month with cutoff dates for the following month.

Step-by-step NVC consular processing timeline

If you live outside the United States (or live in the United States but choose to apply for your immigrant visa abroad), your case goes through consular processing. USCIS outlines eight steps from petition to green card:

• Step 1, Determine your basis to immigrate: Confirm which family-sponsored, employment-based, special immigrant or humanitarian category you qualify under.
• Step 2, File the immigrant petition: Your U.S. citizen or permanent resident relative files Form I-130, or your U.S. employer files Form I-140 (or you file Form I-526 or Form I-360 if eligible).
• Step 3, Wait for a decision on your petition: USCIS notifies the petitioner when it makes a decision. If approved and you are processing abroad, USCIS sends the approved petition to the Department of State's National Visa Center (NVC), where it stays until an immigrant visa number is available.
• Step 4, Wait for notification from the NVC: You do not need to contact the NVC to start processing. The NVC notifies both the petitioner and the beneficiary when it receives the petition, and contacts you again when an immigrant visa number is about to become available (guided by the Dates for Filing Applications chart). The NVC collects your immigrant visa processing fees (called fee bills) and your supporting documentation.
• Step 5, Go to your consular interview: Once a visa is available or your priority date is current (earlier than the cutoff date in the monthly Visa Bulletin), the NVC forwards your petition to the appropriate U.S. consulate or embassy, which schedules you for an interview. The consular officer processes your case and decides if you are eligible for an immigrant visa.
• Step 6, Notify the NVC of any changes: While your case is at the NVC, contact the NVC immediately if you change your address, if you were under 21 and have now reached age 21, or if you change your marital status.
• Step 7, Receive your Visa Packet and enter the United States: If granted an immigrant visa, the consular officer gives you a sealed Visa Packet. Do not open this packet. Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee online before you depart for the United States. At the port of entry, hand the sealed Visa Packet to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer, who inspects you and determines whether to admit you as a lawful permanent resident.
• Step 8, Receive your green card in the mail: After you arrive and if you have paid the USCIS Immigrant Fee, USCIS mails your green card. If you do not receive your green card within 90 days of arrival, call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833) or submit an online e-Request for non-delivery of card.

Visa retrogression: why cutoff dates move backward and what happens next

Usually, cutoff dates on the Visa Bulletin move forward each month, but not always. When more people apply for a visa in a particular category or country than there are visas available for that month, cutoff dates can slow down, stop or move backward to an earlier date. This is called visa retrogression.

USCIS notes that visa retrogression typically happens toward the end of the federal fiscal year as visa issuance approaches the annual category or per-country limits. When the new fiscal year begins on October 1, a new supply of visa numbers becomes available. Usually, though not always, the new supply returns cutoff dates to where they were before retrogression.

For NVC consular processing applicants, an immigrant visa cannot be issued and a consular interview is scheduled only when a visa is available and your priority date is earlier than the cutoff date. If the cutoff date retrogresses before your visa is issued, you must wait until your priority date is current again.

For adjustment of status (Form I-485) applicants inside the United States, a visa must be available both at the time of filing and at the time of final adjudication. If your priority date retrogresses after you properly file Form I-485, USCIS holds your case in abeyance until a visa becomes available again:

• If your Form I-485 does not require an in-person interview, it is held at the USCIS Service Center where you initially filed.
• If you have already been interviewed at a USCIS office and a visa is not available, both employment-based and family-sponsored retrogressed cases are held at the National Benefits Center (NBC) after the interview and other steps are completed.
• While a properly filed Form I-485 is pending during retrogression, you can generally apply for employment authorization using Form I-765 and permission to travel outside the United States (advance parole) using Form I-131.
• If you haven't heard from USCIS within 30 days of your visa becoming available again, you can call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283.

Checklist: what to report and prepare while waiting on the Visa Bulletin

Whether your petition is waiting at the NVC for consular processing or you are preparing to file Form I-485 in the United States, keeping your records accurate prevents delays when your priority date becomes current. Use this checklist written by our team from USCIS consular processing and Form I-485 instructions:

• Verify your priority date on Form I-797, Notice of Action, and check that your preference category and country of birth are recorded accurately.
• If your case is an employment-based petition requiring labor certification, confirm that your employer filed Form I-140 within 180 days of the Department of Labor approval date.
• Report any change of address immediately. Consular processing applicants must update their address directly with the Department of State's National Visa Center (NVC), and adjustment applicants must update their address with USCIS for each family member and each form filed.
• Notify the NVC right away if an applicant who was under 21 reaches the age of 21, or if your marital status changes, because either change can alter your preference category or eligibility.
• Gather civil documents from the appropriate civil authority: birth certificates that list at least one parent, marriage certificates, and proof of legal termination of any prior marriages (divorce decree or death certificate). Check the Department of State Reciprocity Schedule by country to see which civil documents are required.
• Prepare certified English translations for any document in a foreign language, including the translator's signed certification of accuracy and competency, printed name, signature date and contact information.

What the consular officer checks at your immigrant visa interview

Once your priority date is earlier than the cutoff date in the monthly Visa Bulletin and the NVC forwards your file to the U.S. embassy or consulate, a consular officer will interview you and decide if you are eligible for an immigrant visa. Here are the key facts and documents to have ready for the window:

• Your qualifying relationship or job offer: Be ready to state clearly how you qualify under your preference category, matching the facts on your Form I-130, Form I-140, Form I-360 or Form I-526.
• Marital status and age for family preference categories: Because F1, F2A and F2B require the beneficiary to be unmarried, and F2A requires children to be under 21 (subject to Child Status Protection Act rules), the officer will verify that your age and marital status still fit the category on the day of visa issuance.
• Original civil documents: Have your birth certificate listing at least one parent, marriage certificate, and divorce or death certificates for any prior marriages ready to hand over.
• Financial support and public charge admissibility: Unless you are in an exempt category, be prepared to show that you are not inadmissible on public charge grounds under INA section 212(a) and have the required Affidavit of Support (Form I-864) where applicable.

Practice example

Your petition was filed several years ago. Have you married, had any children, or changed your job or address since the petition was filed?

Give a direct, truthful answer that covers every change since your priority date was established. If you are applying in an unmarried family preference category such as F1, F2A or F2B, confirm clearly that you remain unmarried, or disclose any marriage and divorce with exact dates and civil certificates. If you had children or moved after the Form I-130 or Form I-140 was filed, state the dates and confirm that you reported your updated address and family details to the National Visa Center. For employment-based immigrant visas, confirm that your sponsoring U.S. employer still offers the position described in the Form I-140 petition. Have your Form I-797 approval notice, original birth and marriage certificates, any divorce or death certificates for prior marriages, and updated sponsor or employer documents organized so you can hand them to the officer immediately if requested.

Because preference cases wait years for a priority date to become current on the Visa Bulletin, the consular officer checks whether changes in your marital status, age, family composition or job offer have altered your preference category or eligibility since the petition was filed.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the Department of State.