Updated November 3, 2026

Visa Bulletin explained: how to read it, with November 2026 dates

The monthly Visa Bulletin, published by the U.S. Department of State, shows when your place in the green card queue is ready so you can file Form I-485 with USCIS or submit documents to the National Visa Center. By statute, USCIS notes that annual preference visas are capped at a minimum of 226,000 for family-sponsored categories and 140,000 for employment-based categories, while immediate relatives of U.S. citizens have unlimited visas and never wait on the bulletin.

A visa is available to you when the chart shows "C" (current) or when your priority date on Form I-797 is earlier than the cut-off date listed for your preference category and country of birth.

What is the Visa Bulletin and who needs to check it?

Congress limits the number of immigrant visas the Department of State (DOS) can issue each year. These annual limits can be exceeded when certain immigrant visa numbers from the previous fiscal year were not fully used. The law also limits the percentage of visas allotted based on an immigrant's country of chargeability, which is usually your country of birth. When demand exceeds supply for a given category and country, DOS considers it oversubscribed and publishes the monthly Visa Bulletin to impose a cut-off date.

You use the Visa Bulletin whether you are inside or outside the United States. Inside the United States, USCIS uses it to decide when to accept and approve Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. Outside the United States, DOS uses it for consular processing at U.S. embassies and consulates, and to notify you when to submit documents to the National Visa Center (NVC). While waiting for consular processing, you can track your file using our guide to CEAC status meanings.

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You do not need the Visa Bulletin if you are applying as an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, because those visas are unlimited. For example, if you are applying as the spouse of a U.S. citizen, see our guide to the CR-1 visa processing time. The following categories are exempt from numerical restrictions:

• Spouses of U.S. citizens
• Unmarried children under 21 years of age of U.S. citizens
• Parents of U.S. citizens where the U.S. citizen is at least 21 years old
• Widows or widowers of U.S. citizens if the citizen filed a petition before death or if the widow or widower files a petition within 2 years of the citizen's death
• Applicants adjusting status based on refugee or asylee status, T or U nonimmigrant status, Special Agricultural Worker or Legalization provisions, certain public laws, or a private immigration bill

November 2026 Visa Bulletin dates and USCIS filing charts

Each month, USCIS announces on its Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page which of the two DOS charts applicants inside the United States must use to file Form I-485. For November 2026, USCIS requires both family-sponsored preference filings and employment-based preference filings to use the Dates for Filing chart.

Comparing the USCIS October 2026 and November 2026 adjustment of status filing charts, the family-sponsored Dates for Filing moved forward for All Chargeability Areas, China, and India across several categories. Specifically, F1 moved from 01FEB20 to 01FEB21, F2B moved from 01SEP19 to 01SEP20, and F3 moved from 01NOV14 to 01NOV15. In F4, All Chargeability Areas and China moved from 01NOV11 to 01NOV12 while India stayed at 01FEB07, and F2A remained current across all countries.

November 2026 Employment-Based Dates for Filing chart

For November 2026, USCIS also designated the Dates for Filing chart for all employment-based preference categories. Comparing the USCIS October 2026 and November 2026 charts, the Employment-Based Other Workers category moved from 01JUN22 to 01JUL22 for All Chargeability Areas and Mexico, while all other employment-based cut-off dates held steady from October 2026.

If you are tracking skilled worker or investor timelines alongside the bulletin, see our guides to the EB-3 visa processing time and EB-5 visa requirements.

Final Action Dates vs. Dates for Filing: which chart applies to you?

Since the 2015 Visa Bulletin revision, DOS posts two charts per preference category each month: Application Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing Applications.

Application Final Action Dates are the dates when immigrant visas may finally be issued by a consulate or when USCIS can finally approve a Form I-485. Under the USCIS Policy Manual, a visa must be available both when you file Form I-485 and when USCIS approves it.

Dates for Filing Applications show the earliest dates when applicants may apply. Abroad, this chart tells consular applicants when to assemble and submit required documents to the NVC. Inside the United States, USCIS announces within one week of DOS publishing the Visa Bulletin whether adjustment applicants may use the Dates for Filing chart. USCIS compares remaining fiscal year visas against documentarily qualified DOS applications, pending USCIS adjustment applications, and historical drop-off rates (denials, withdrawals, and abandonments). If more visas are available than known applicants, USCIS authorizes the Dates for Filing chart. Otherwise, you must use the Final Action Dates chart (and you may also use Final Action Dates if your category is "C" on that chart or its cut-off date is later than on Dates for Filing).

How to read the Visa Bulletin step by step (with country lookups)

Reading the Visa Bulletin takes three steps using your preference category, your country of chargeability (usually your country of birth), and your priority date.

In the USCIS worked example, a chart date of 15DEC07 for China in category F1 means visas are available for immigrants with a priority date earlier than Dec. 15, 2007. Your priority date must be strictly earlier than the cut-off date shown.

Look at the F1 row across the November 2026 Family-Sponsored Dates for Filing chart: All Chargeability Areas, China, and India show 01FEB21, Mexico shows 01DEC08, and Philippines shows 22APR15. An F1 applicant born in India, China, or All Chargeability Areas needs a priority date earlier than 01FEB21 to file Form I-485 in November 2026. Below the three steps are five worked lookups from the November 2026 charts.

• Step 1: Find your visa preference category in the first column on the left of the Family-Sponsored or Employment-Based chart.
• Step 2: Move right along that row to the column for your country of birth.
• Step 3: Check the box. "C" means current (you may apply regardless of priority date). "U" means temporarily unauthorized and unavailable. A date (DDMMMYY) means your priority date must be earlier than that exact date.
• India lookup (EB-2 and EB-3 vs. EB-1): Under "INDIA" on the Employment-Based chart, 2nd, 3rd, and Other Workers all show 15JAN15 (priority date must be earlier than 15JAN15). By contrast, 1st preference is 01JUL24.
• Philippines lookup (EB-3 vs. Family F1): Under "PHILIPPINES", Employment-Based 3rd preference is 01JAN24, 2nd is 15MAR26, and 1st is "C". On the Family-Sponsored chart, F1 is 22APR15 and F2B is 01OCT14.
• Mexico lookup (Family F2A vs. F4): Under "MEXICO" on the Family-Sponsored chart, F2A is "C" (eligible to file immediately or concurrently with Form I-130), while F4 is 30APR01.
• China-mainland born lookup (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, and EB-5): Under "CHINA-mainland born", 1st preference is 01JUL24, 2nd is 01JAN23, and 3rd is 01APR24. In 5th preference, Unreserved is 01MAR21, while all three Set Aside categories are "C".
• Rest of World / All Chargeability Areas lookup (ROW): If you were born outside China-mainland, India, Mexico, and the Philippines, use the first column. In November 2026, Employment-Based 1st is "C", 2nd is 15MAR26, 3rd is 01AUG24, and Other Workers is 01JUL22.

Priority date, retention, and cross-chargeability rules

Your priority date is printed on Form I-797, Notice of Action, for the immigrant petition filed on your behalf. For family-sponsored preference immigrants, it is the date Form I-130 (or in certain instances Form I-360) is properly filed with USCIS.

For employment-based immigrants requiring a Department of Labor (DOL) permanent labor certification, the priority date is when DOL accepts the application for processing. To preserve that date, the petitioner must file Form I-140 with USCIS within 180 days of DOL approval, or the certification expires. If no labor certification is required, the priority date is when USCIS accepts Form I-140 (or Form I-360 for 4th preference special immigrants and religious workers, or Form I-526 for 5th preference investors).

If you have multiple approved employment-based petitions under 1st, 2nd, or 3rd preference, the USCIS Policy Manual states you are entitled to the earliest priority date, unless USCIS revoked the earlier petition for fraud, willful misrepresentation of a material fact, approval in error, or revocation or invalidation of the labor certification by DOL, USCIS, or DOS.

Your country of chargeability is usually your country of birth, with a major exception called cross-chargeability. If your country of birth is backlogged in your preference category but your spouse's country of birth has a visa available, the principal applicant and derivative spouse may cross-charge to each other's country. Derivative children may cross-charge to either parent's country, but parents may never cross-charge to a child's country of birth. When a principal uses a derivative spouse's country, both must be eligible to adjust status and USCIS must approve both applications at the same time.

What is visa retrogression and what happens to your pending I-485?

Visa retrogression happens when a priority date that was current one month is no longer current the next month, or when the cut-off date moves backward because more people apply for a visa in a category or country than there are visas available for that month. Retrogression typically occurs toward the end of the fiscal year as issuance approaches annual limits. When the new fiscal year begins on October 1, a new supply of visa numbers usually, but not always, returns cut-off dates to where they were.

Because a visa must be available at both filing and final adjudication, USCIS holds a retrogressed Form I-485 in abeyance until a visa is available again on the Final Action Dates chart. Cases not requiring an in-person interview are held at the USCIS Service Center where filed. Cases that have completed an interview and security checks at a USCIS office are held at the National Benefits Center (NBC).

While your properly filed Form I-485 is held in abeyance, you can apply for employment authorization on Form I-765 and advance parole travel permission on Form I-131. In addition, employment-based applicants with a Form I-485 pending 180 days or more may qualify for adjustment portability to a same or similar occupational classification. Once a visa becomes available, USCIS updates expired security checks and may issue a Request for Evidence (RFE). You must report any address change to USCIS within 10 days of moving (and to the NVC if processing abroad). If you have not heard from USCIS within 30 days of your visa becoming available, call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833). You can also hear DOS's recorded cut-off dates, normally updated mid-month, at 202-663-1541.

Checklist: what to do when your priority date becomes current

When the monthly Visa Bulletin and USCIS filing chart show that your priority date is ready, follow this checklist from the USCIS adjustment of status, Policy Manual, and filing fee rules.

• Confirm which chart governs this month: Verify on the USCIS Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page whether Dates for Filing or Final Action Dates applies (Dates for Filing applies to both family and employment categories in November 2026).
• Check concurrent filing eligibility: If your Form I-130 or Form I-140 is not yet filed, you may file Form I-485 concurrently when your category is "C" or your priority date is earlier than the cut-off date on the applicable chart.
• Request cross-chargeability or priority date retention if applicable: If charging to your spouse's country of birth, ask that your files be kept together in a family pack. If claiming an earlier 1st, 2nd, or 3rd preference priority date, include the earlier Form I-797 approval notice.
• Include Form I-693 and Form I-864 if required: Include a civil surgeon's Form I-693 if required. Submit Form I-864 with the sponsor's most recent year's tax return showing income at or above 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or 100% for active-duty military petitioning a spouse or child. You do not need Form I-864 if you are exempt, such as having 40 qualifying Social Security quarters, or in most employment-based filings where a relative did not file the I-140 or own 5% or more of the firm.
• Follow USCIS electronic payment rules: For paper filings, USCIS no longer accepts checks or money orders without an exemption on Form G-1651. Pay separately for each benefit request using either Form G-1450 (U.S. bank card, up to a $24,999.99 daily limit) or Form G-1650 (ACH withdrawal from a U.S. bank account), and never combine G-1450 and G-1650 in one package.
• Attend biometrics and interview appointments: Go to your Application Support Center (ASC) biometrics appointment and bring original documents (including passports, travel documents, and Form I-94, expired or not) to your adjustment interview if scheduled.

How to explain your priority date at the adjustment interview

If you claim an earlier priority date or cross-chargeability on Form I-485, the officer at your adjustment interview may ask how a visa number is available to you.

"You were born in India and your current EB-2 Form I-140 was filed in 2025, yet you filed Form I-485 this month. On what basis is a visa number available to you today?"

A strong answer covers: the exact priority date, the Form I-797 approval notice from the file, and how priority date retention or spousal cross-chargeability applies under the USCIS Policy Manual.

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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.