How to read the Visa Bulletin

This page is for those waiting in line for a green card through family or employment. It explains how to read the Visa Bulletin published monthly by the U.S. Department of State, what the priority date is, which table to use, and the dates relevant to Turkey in the October 2026 bulletin. Because there is no quota for the spouse, unmarried child under 21, or parents of a U.S. citizen, these people do not wait for the bulletin.

• The law limits the number of immigrant visas that may be issued each year:
  • family preference categories: at least 226,000 per year
  • employment categories: at least 140,000 per year
  • share for a single country: 7% of total preference visas (25,620)
• There is no limit for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens; a visa is always available.
• When demand exceeds supply, a line (waiting list) forms. The line progresses according to the category, country, and priority date.
• The fiscal year begins on October 1 each year, and a new visa quota becomes available.

• It is the date showing your place in line. It appears on the approval or receipt notice sent to you (Form I-797).
• Through family: The date Form I-130 was properly filed with USCIS.
• Through employment, when labor certification (PERM) is required: The date the Department of Labor (DOL) accepted the labor certification application for processing.
  • To preserve this date, the employer must file Form I-140 within 180 days of certification approval. Otherwise, the certification becomes invalid.
• Through employment, when PERM is not required (e.g., EB-1, national interest waiver): The date Form I-140 was filed with USCIS.
• Investors (EB-5): The date the Form I-526 petition was filed with USCIS.

• The bulletin separates the line by country. The relevant country is generally the place of birth (country of chargeability), not citizenship.
• Countries with separate columns in October 2026: China (mainland-born), India, Mexico, and the Philippines.
• Turkey does not have a separate column. If you were born in Turkey, look at the "All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed" column.
• Even if you are a Turkish citizen, if you were born in India, for example, the India column may apply to you.

• Final Action Dates: Shows the line for when a visa or green card may be issued. If your priority date is earlier than this date, your turn has arrived.
• Dates for Filing: Shows the line for when you may prepare and submit your documents. If your priority date is earlier than this date, NVC may contact you for documents and fees.
• Applicants from Turkey (NVC): NVC uses the "Dates for Filing" table to request documents and the "Final Action Dates" table to issue visas.
• Applicants inside the United States (Form I-485): USCIS separately announces which table will be used each month. If there is no announcement, the "Final Action Dates" table applies.
  • USCIS aims to make this announcement within one week after the bulletin is published.
  • If a category is current in the "Final Action Dates" table or the date there is later, that table may also be used that month.
• October 2026: USCIS announced that the "Dates for Filing" table would be used for both family and employment categories.

• Dates in the bulletin are written using English abbreviations: 22OCT11 means October 22, 2011.
• If a date is shown, the category is backlogged. Only those whose priority date is earlier than that date may proceed.
• "C" (current): There is no wait; everyone who meets the requirements may proceed.
• "U" (unauthorized): No visas will be issued in that category that month.
• Example: If 15DEC07 is shown for F1 in the China column, a visa is available for those whose priority date is earlier than December 15, 2007.

• F1 (unmarried children of U.S. citizens who are 21 or older)
  • Final Action: January 22, 2020
  • Dates for Filing: February 1, 2020
• F2A (spouses and unmarried children under 21 of green card holders)
  • Final Action: September 22, 2026
  • Dates for Filing: Current (C)
• F2B (unmarried children of green card holders who are 21 or older)
  • Final Action: August 22, 2019
  • Dates for Filing: September 1, 2019
• F3 (married children of U.S. citizens)
  • Final Action: October 22, 2014
  • Dates for Filing: November 1, 2014
• F4 (siblings of U.S. citizens)
  • Final Action: October 22, 2011
  • Dates for Filing: November 1, 2011
• EB-1 (extraordinary ability, outstanding professors or researchers, multinational company executives)
  • Final Action: Current (C)
  • Dates for Filing: Current (C)
• EB-2 (advanced degree, exceptional ability, national interest waiver)
  • Final Action: January 1, 2025
  • Dates for Filing: March 15, 2026
• EB-3 (skilled workers and professionals)
  • Final Action: May 15, 2024
  • Dates for Filing: August 1, 2024
• EB-3 other workers
  • Final Action: January 1, 2022
  • Dates for Filing: June 1, 2022
• EB-4 (special immigrants, including religious workers)
  • Final Action: December 15, 2022
  • Dates for Filing: January 1, 2025
• EB-5 (investors; rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure set-aside categories with unreserved quota)
  • Final Action: Current (C)
  • Dates for Filing: Current (C)
• According to the bulletin, dates advanced in many categories at the beginning of fiscal year 2027. However, some employment categories for the "rest of the world" moved backward.
• The bulletin changes every month. As of October 16, 2026, the latest published bulletin is the October 2026 bulletin. Check the latest bulletin on the official website before applying.

1. Your U.S. citizen sibling filed an I-130 for you on March 10, 2011. The category is F4, and the priority date is March 10, 2011. This date is earlier than the F4 Final Action date (October 22, 2011). Your turn has arrived; NVC will contact you for documents and a visa may be issued.
2. Your green card holder spouse filed an I-130 for you on May 1, 2026. The category is F2A, and the priority date is May 1, 2026. This date is earlier than the F2A Final Action date (September 22, 2026). A visa is available.
3. You are working in the United States and the priority date for your EB-2 petition is February 1, 2026. The Final Action date (January 1, 2025) has not yet been reached. However, because USCIS is using the "Dates for Filing" table in October 2026 and your priority date is earlier than March 15, 2026, you may file your I-485. The green card may be approved when the Final Action date becomes current for you.

• Sometimes a category that is current one month is no longer current the next month, or the date moves backward. This is called visa retrogression.
• It usually occurs when the annual quota for that category or country has been reached or is about to be reached.
• When the new fiscal year begins on October 1, dates often return to where they were before, but this is not guaranteed.
• Even if the date retrogresses, your priority date does not change. Processing continues when the bulletin date advances again past your priority date.

• Under immigration law, a "child" is an unmarried person under 21. A child who turns 21 while waiting in line normally no longer qualifies as a child (aging out).
• The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) protects some children:
  • Immediate relatives: The child's age is frozen on the date the I-130 is filed. If the child is under 21 on that date, the age limit does not apply, but the child must remain unmarried.
  • Preference categories, employment categories, and DV: The time the petition was pending is subtracted from the age on the date the visa becomes available. If the result is under 21, the person qualifies as a child.
  • The date the visa becomes available is the later of the petition approval date and the first day of the month in which the visa appears available in the bulletin's Final Action table.
• To benefit from CSPA, you must take steps toward permanent residence within 1 year after the visa becomes available. Examples include completing Part 1 of the DS-260, paying the immigrant visa fee, or filing Form I-485.
• The calculation varies by person; consult an immigration attorney if you are unsure.

• The bulletin is published every month on the U.S. Department of State's Visa Bulletin page. The page has "Current" and "Upcoming" sections.
• Each bulletin also has a printable PDF version.
• If you are applying from inside the United States, also check USCIS's page on "which chart to use this month."
• For DV (lottery) selectees, the bulletin also publishes rank-number cutoffs by region. See 3.6 Diversity visa.
• When your turn approaches, NVC will notify you. If you do not respond to the NVC notice within 1 year, your petition may be terminated.

• Not knowing that the column is selected based on place of birth, not citizenship.
• Assuming your turn has arrived when your priority date is equal to the date in the bulletin; it must be earlier than the bulletin date.
• Failing to check which table USCIS is using that month when applying from inside the United States.
• Assuming that filing an I-485 under "Dates for Filing" means the green card will be approved immediately; the Final Action date must be reached for approval.
• Acting based on the previous month's bulletin.
• Not knowing that the priority date may be lost if Form I-140 is not filed within 180 days after PERM approval.
• Failing to consider the risk that a child may turn 21 (CSPA).

• Where can I find my priority date? It appears as "Priority Date" on the receipt or approval notice sent by USCIS (Form I-797).
• Why is Turkey's waiting period in the "All Chargeability" column? Turkey does not have a separate column because it is not among the countries exceeding its quota.
• How many years is the wait? The bulletin does not show a number of years; it shows how far the line has progressed. In October 2026, in the column that includes Turkey, petitions filed before October 22, 2011, are being processed for F4 (siblings).
• My sibling has a green card; can they bring me? No. The sibling category (F4) is open only to U.S. citizens.
• The date moved backward; what will happen? Retrogression means that no visa can be issued in that category that month. Your priority date does not change; processing continues when the bulletin date advances again past your priority date.
• I am in the United States; according to which date will I file my I-485? According to the table USCIS announces for that month. In October 2026, the "Dates for Filing" table is being used for family and employment categories.

• Visa Bulletin main page
• October 2026 Visa Bulletin
• October 2026 Visa Bulletin (PDF)
• USCIS – Which chart is being used this month
• USCIS – Visa availability and priority dates
• USCIS – CSPA age calculation
• Case status inquiry (USCIS)
• CEAC – NVC case tracking
• NVC inquiry form