# How to read the Visa Bulletin

Not legal advice.

The Visa Bulletin is a monthly chart from the US Department of State. It shows whose green card case can move forward this month. Here is how to find your line.

Updated 2026-09-30.

## What the bulletin is

Each month the State Department publishes the Visa Bulletin on travel.state.gov. It lists a cutoff date for each green card category and country.

If your priority date is earlier than the cutoff date, your case can move forward. If it is not, you wait for a later bulletin.

## Find your category

Family cases use F1 to F4. Work cases use EB-1 to EB-5. Your category is printed on your approval notice, Form I-797.

Then find your country column. Most people use All Chargeability Areas. China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines have their own columns because many people from those countries apply.

## Read the cell

Where your row and your column meet, you will see one of three things. A date is the cutoff. C means current: every priority date qualifies. U means unavailable: no green cards in that category this month.

| Category | All Chargeability Areas | What it means |
| --- | --- | --- |
| F2A | 2024-02-01 | Priority dates before this date qualify. |
| EB-1 | C | Every priority date qualifies. |
| EB-4 | U | No green cards this month. |

Sample rows for illustration. Check the current month for real dates.

## Pick the right chart

The bulletin has two charts. Final Action Dates decide when a green card can be approved. Dates for Filing decide when you may submit your application early.

Each month USCIS says which chart it accepts for applications filed inside the United States. Check that before you file.

## Related

[See this month](https://visacontext.com/) · [Priority date vs. cutoff date](https://visacontext.com/guides/priority-date-vs-cutoff-date/index.md) · [What retrogression means](https://visacontext.com/guides/retrogression/index.md)