The visa line

General information, not legal advice. November 2026 bulletin data, checked on November 2, 2026.

What it is

If a relative or employer filed for a green card for you in a category with a yearly limit, you must wait your turn. Your place in line is your "priority date." Each month the State Department publishes the Visa Bulletin, which shows up to which priority date visas are available.

Official sources: USCIS · Visa availability, priority dates ↗ · State Dept. · Visa Bulletin ↗

Who

• These categories wait in line: family F1, F2A, F2B, F3, F4 and employment EB-1 to EB-5.
• Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens do NOT wait: spouses, unmarried children under 21, parents of a citizen who is 21 or older, and widows or widowers of citizens in certain cases.
• F1: unmarried sons and daughters (21+) of citizens. F2A: spouses and unmarried children under 21 of permanent residents. F2B: unmarried sons and daughters (21+) of permanent residents. F3: married sons and daughters of citizens. F4: brothers and sisters of citizens age 21+.

Official sources: USCIS · Visa availability, priority dates ↗ · State Dept. · November 2026 bulletin ↗ · USCIS · Family preference green card ↗ · USCIS · Employment-based green card ↗

How

1. Find your priority date on your I-797 notice. In family cases, it is the day USCIS received the I-130. In employment cases with labor certification (PERM), it is the day the Department of Labor accepted that application; if your case does not need PERM, it is the day USCIS received your petition (I-140, I-360 or I-526).
2. Know your category and your country of chargeability. It is usually your country of BIRTH, not your nationality or where you live. There are exceptions (called "cross-chargeability"): for example, if you and your spouse were born in different countries and immigrate together, sometimes one of you can use the other's country, which may have a shorter line. Ask a lawyer or accredited representative if this applies to you.
3. Open this month's bulletin at travel.state.gov (use the official PDF).
4. Find your category and your country's column. Mexico, India, China and the Philippines have their own columns because they ask for more visas than the 7% per-country limit. Everyone else uses "rest of world."
5. If your date is EARLIER than the date in the chart, it is your turn. "C" = current, no wait. "U" = no visas right now.
6. Dates read day-month-year: 22APR01 = April 22, 2001.

Official sources: USCIS · Visa availability, priority dates ↗ · State Dept. · Chargeability (9 FAM) ↗ · State Dept. · Nov. 2026 bulletin (PDF) ↗ · State Dept. · Visa Bulletin ↗

The two charts

• Final Action Dates: when the visa or green card can be approved.
• Dates for Filing: if your case is at the National Visa Center (NVC), when you can gather and send documents, after you get instructions from the NVC. Inside the U.S., it only lets you file Form I-485 if USCIS allows it that month.
• Inside the U.S., USCIS says each month which chart to use for Form I-485. In November 2026, USCIS says to use Dates for Filing for family and employment.

Official sources: USCIS · Visa availability, priority dates ↗ · USCIS · I-485 filing charts ↗

Family dates

• F1: rest of world 22JAN21 / 01FEB21; Mexico 22SEP08 / 01DEC08.
• F2A: rest of world 22OCT26 / C; Mexico 22APR26 / C.
• F2B: rest of world 22AUG20 / 01SEP20; Mexico 15MAY10 / 22MAR11.
• F3: rest of world 22OCT15 / 01NOV15; Mexico 15JUL01 / 01DEC02.
• F4: rest of world 22OCT12 / 01NOV12; Mexico 22APR01 / 30APR01.

Official sources: State Dept. · Nov. 2026 bulletin (PDF) ↗

Employment dates

• EB-1: rest of world and Mexico C / C.
• EB-2: rest of world and Mexico 01APR25 / 15MAR26.
• EB-3: rest of world and Mexico 15JUN24 / 01AUG24.
• EB-3 other workers: rest of world and Mexico 01JUN22 / 01JUL22.
• EB-4 and religious workers: rest of world and Mexico 15DEC22 / 01JAN25.
• EB-5, and the China, India and Philippines columns: check them in the official bulletin PDF.

Official sources: State Dept. · Nov. 2026 bulletin (PDF) ↗

How much it costs

Checking the bulletin and your case status is free.

Official sources: State Dept. · Visa Bulletin ↗

Deadlines

• The bulletin changes every month. The December 2026 bulletin is not out yet.
• The EB-4 program for religious workers who are not ministers (SR) is authorized through December 11, 2026. Ministers do not have that deadline.

Official sources: USCIS · EB-4 religious workers ↗ · State Dept. · Nov. 2026 bulletin (PDF) ↗ · State Dept. · Visa Bulletin ↗

Watch out

• Your priority date is not the day you arrived in the U.S.
• Dates can move backward.
• A current date does not guarantee a green card: there are other requirements.
• If a child turns 21 or marries, the category can change. A law (CSPA) protects some children who turn 21: talk to a lawyer or accredited representative.
• Since January 1, 2026, Presidential Proclamation 10998 (published in the Federal Register, 90 FR 59717) suspends immigrant visas for nationals of 39 countries who were outside the U.S. without a valid visa on that date, including Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica, even for spouses, children and parents of U.S. citizens, with some exceptions. The list is reviewed every 6 months and can change. Even if your date is current, check travel.state.gov to see if your country is on the list before you pay or travel to an interview.
• No one can move you up the line for money. Checking the bulletin and your case is free.
• Check your case: at USCIS with your receipt number; at the NVC at ceac.state.gov/iv.

Official sources: Federal Register · Proclamation 10998 ↗ · USCIS · Child Status Protection Act ↗ · State Dept. · November 2026 bulletin ↗ · State Dept. · NVC case status (CEAC) ↗ · USCIS · Visa availability, priority dates ↗