How to read the US Visa Bulletin before planning a green card timeline

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) publishes the Visa Bulletin every month, and the report determines who is eligible to apply for a permanent resident card, commonly called a green card, and who must keep waiting. A reference guide released on 22 October 2026 sets out how employers and applicants should read it, including how priority dates, country of birth and retrogression affect timelines.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) says approximately 140,000 employment-based immigrant visas are available each fiscal year for foreign nationals, their spouses and children seeking lawful permanent residence in the United States.

Key facts

• The Visa Bulletin is a monthly DOS report covering five employment-based preference categories.
• It is released roughly two to three weeks before the month it applies to.
• Eligibility depends on the preference category, the applicant's country of chargeability and the priority date.
• Applicants born in India, China, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and the Philippines have historically exceeded their statutory limits and face the longest waits.
• Most employment-based cases require employer sponsorship, and EB-2 and EB-3 cases normally need an approved Department of Labor labor certification.

What does the Visa Bulletin show?

The report has two main sections, one for employment-based preferences and one for family-based preferences. Any family-based visas left unused during the fiscal year are added to the employment-based total.

The five employment-based categories are: EB-1 for people of extraordinary ability, outstanding professors or researchers and certain multinational managers; EB-2 for members of professions with advanced degrees or exceptional ability; EB-3 for professionals, skilled workers and other workers; EB-4 for certain "special immigrants" such as some religious workers and foreign service post employees; and EB-5 for business investors who invest $1,050,000, or $800,000 in a targeted employment area, in a new commercial enterprise employing at least 10 full-time U.S. workers.

How do priority dates work?

The priority date is the date a petition is filed with USCIS or the date a labor certification (PERM) application is submitted. Applicants find it on the Form I-797 Approval Notice issued after the Form I-140 immigrant petition is filed, or on the approved PERM labor certification itself.

The Visa Bulletin shows which priority dates are being processed. Wait times differ by category and by country of chargeability, which is normally the applicant's country of birth. An applicant may use a spouse's country of birth in some cases, a rule known as cross chargeability.

Final Action Dates or Dates for Filing?

The employment-based section is split into two tables. Final Action Dates indicate when a case can be adjudicated and a visa issued. Dates for Filing indicate when an applicant may submit an application and supporting documents for processing before a green card is available.

USCIS announces each month which table applicants should use. If visa availability exceeds the number of applicants, USCIS accepts filings that are current under Dates for Filing; otherwise it applies Final Action Dates. A date marked "C" means the category is current, so any earlier priority date is eligible to proceed. The guide illustrates this with sample charts from the January 2020 Visa Bulletin, where El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras share a single chargeability column.

Why do backlogs and retrogression happen?

Per-country limits under the Immigration and Nationality Act cap how many employment-based green cards can be issued to nationals of each country each year. India, China, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and the Philippines have historically been oversubscribed, multiplying the wait before a visa may be issued. Changes in immigration policy under successive presidential administrations have also contributed to backlogs.

A cutoff marked "U" means immigrant visas are temporarily unavailable to all applicants in that category and country. Demand that is higher than expected, or policy changes, can slow, stop or reverse the usual forward movement of cutoff dates. The guide stresses that listed dates are not guarantees of visa issuance and change month to month.

What this means for travellers

Applicants born in El Salvador should follow the Visa Bulletin column for their preference category and chargeability area, keep their priority date documentation to hand, and check each month which chart USCIS has designated for filing. Because dates can move backwards as well as forwards, planning around a single month's cutoffs carries no certainty.

The guide is intended as a foundational reference for employers and immigration professionals supporting sponsored workers. No changes to the rules themselves were announced with it; the next practical step for readers is to watch each monthly Visa Bulletin and the accompanying USCIS filing-chart announcement.