How We Read the Visa Bulletin

The Visa Bulletin is published monthly by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. It is the authoritative source for immigrant visa availability by preference category and country of chargeability. The bulletin typically appears between the 8th and 15th of the month preceding the month it covers (for example, the May 2026 bulletin is usually published in mid April 2026).

All visa bulletin data on EB5Status carries the Blue (Official) trust tier. We capture the bulletin within 48 hours of publication and record the exact publication date for each entry. Our Data Collection Process page describes our verification procedures in detail.

Each monthly visa bulletin contains two separate charts for each preference category:

Each month, USCIS determines which chart governs I-485 filing for each preference category. When USCIS authorizes use of the Dates for Filing chart, applicants with priority dates earlier than the listed date may file even though their Final Action Date has not yet become current. We track and display the USCIS determination alongside the bulletin data.

When a preference category displays the designation “C” (Current) on the visa bulletin, it means there is no priority date restriction for that category. All qualified applicants may proceed regardless of when their petition was filed. Visas are immediately available.

On EB5Status, we display “Current” status prominently and note the date it became current. When a category transitions from a specific cutoff date to Current, or from Current back to a specific date, we document the transition in our historical record.

Visa bulletin dates are organized by country of chargeability, which is determined by the applicant’s country of birth, not citizenship or current country of residence. The bulletin specifically lists cutoff dates for countries with high EB-5 demand (China mainland born, India, Vietnam) and groups all other countries under “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed.”

Cross-chargeability is available in limited circumstances. An applicant may be charged to the country of birth of their spouse if doing so provides a more favorable cutoff date. EB5Status displays chargeability categories exactly as published in the bulletin. We do not provide individual cross-chargeability analysis, as this is a legal determination specific to each applicant’s circumstances.

We record each monthly bulletin and compute the change in cutoff date compared to the prior month for every retrogressed country and category. Movement is expressed in calendar days advanced (positive) or retrogressed (negative). This calculated metric carries the Gray (Derived) trust tier because it is computed from official data using a simple, disclosed calculation.

We track movement separately for China mainland born and India in the EB-5 unreserved category, as these are the two countries that experience retrogression. Reserved set-aside categories are tracked separately.

The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA) created reserved set-aside categories with dedicated visa number pools:

As of the current bulletin, all three reserved categories show “Current” for every country of chargeability. This means there is no backlog for reserved category petitions regardless of country of birth. The unreserved category (the remaining 68% of visa numbers) continues to experience retrogression for China mainland born and India.

We track reserved and unreserved categories independently on EB5Status and display them in separate sections so readers can clearly compare availability.

• •Snapshot in time. The visa bulletin reflects visa availability at the moment of publication. Conditions can change within a fiscal year as the Department of State manages annual per-country and worldwide caps.
• •Mid-year retrogressions are possible. Even when a cutoff date has been advancing steadily, the Department of State may retrogress dates if demand approaches annual visa limits. Past advancement does not guarantee future advancement.
• •Fiscal year resets. At the start of each fiscal year (October 1), new visa numbers become available. This can result in significant date movements that do not reflect a sustained trend.
• •We do not forecast. EB5Status does not predict future bulletin movements. When we present trend data, it is historical observation carried under the Gray (Derived) trust tier, not a forward projection.

Visa Bulletin Overview | Current and historical visa bulletin data with movement tracking.

Processing Times Methodology | How we track USCIS processing times for EB-5 petition categories.

Full Methodology | Our complete data methodology, including trust tiers, confidence labels, and calculation descriptions.