Visa Bulletin priority dates — January 2026

The U.S. State Department publishes the Visa Bulletin monthly to show which family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visa applicants can move forward in their case. This page contains the January 2026 bulletin.

Two charts apply each month:

  • Final Action Dates — when a visa can actually be issued (consular processing) or adjustment of status can be approved.
  • Dates for Filing — when applicants can submit their adjustment of status (I-485) paperwork. USCIS chooses each month which chart applies for I-485 filings.

⚠️ Always verify the current month’s bulletin at travel.state.gov before filing. Priority dates can retrogress (move backwards) some months.

Family-Sponsored — Final Action Dates (January 2026)

Family- SponsoredAll Chargeability Areas Except Those ListedCHINA-mainland bornINDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
F108NOV1608NOV1608NOV1601SEP0601MAR13
F2A01FEB2401FEB2401FEB2401FEB2301FEB24
F2B01DEC1601DEC1601DEC1615NOV0822DEC12
F308SEP1108SEP1108SEP1101MAY0101MAR05
F408JAN0808JAN0801NOV0608APR0122JUL06

Family-Sponsored — Dates for Filing (January 2026)

Family- SponsoredAll Chargeability Areas Except Those ListedCHINA- mainland bornINDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
F101SEP1701SEP1701SEP1701SEP0722APR15
F2A22DEC2522DEC2522DEC2522DEC2522DEC25
F2B15MAR1715MAR1715MAR1715NOV0901OCT13
F322JUL1222JUL1222JUL1201JUL0101FEB06
F401MAR0901MAR0915DEC0630APR0115JAN08

Employment-Based — Final Action Dates (January 2026)

Employment- basedAll Chargeability Areas Except Those ListedCHINA- mainland bornINDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
1stC01FEB2301FEB23CC
2nd01APR2401SEP2115JUL1301APR2401APR24
3rd22APR2301MAY2115NOV1322APR2322APR23
Other Workers01SEP2108DEC1815NOV1301SEP2101SEP21
4th01JAN2101JAN2101JAN2101JAN2101JAN21
Certain Religious Workers01JAN2101JAN2101JAN2101JAN2101JAN21
5th Unreserved (including C5, T5, I5, R5, NU, RU)C15AUG1601MAY22CC
5th Set Aside: Rural (20%, including NR, RR)CCCCC
5th Set Aside: High Unemployment (10%, including NH, RH)CCCCC
5th Set Aside: Infrastructure (2%, including RI)CCCCC

Employment-Based — Dates for Filing (January 2026)

Employment- basedAll Chargeability Areas Except Those ListedCHINA- mainland bornINDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
1stC01AUG2301AUG23CC
2nd15OCT2401JAN2201DEC1315OCT2415OCT24
3rd01JUL2301JAN2215AUG1401JUL2301JUL23
Other Workers01DEC2101OCT1915AUG1401DEC2101DEC21
4th15MAR2115MAR2115MAR2115MAR2115MAR21
Certain Religious Workers15MAR2115MAR2115MAR2115MAR2115MAR21
5th Unreserved (including C5, T5, I5, R5)C22AUG1601MAY24CC
5th Set Aside: (Rural: NR, RR - 20%)CCCCC
5th Set Aside: (High Unemployment: NH, RH - 10%)CCCCC
5th Set Aside: (Infrastructure: RI - 2%)CCCCC

How to read this bulletin

Find the row for your category (F1, F2A, F2B, F3, F4 for family; EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-4, EB-5 for employment) and the column for your country of birth (or ‘All Chargeability Areas’ if your country isn’t listed separately). The date shown is the cutoff: if your priority date is BEFORE this date, you can move forward; if AFTER, you wait.

Date format: “01JAN25” means January 1, 2025. “C” means current (no wait). “U” means unavailable.

Common family categories

  • F1 — Unmarried sons/daughters of U.S. citizens (21+)
  • F2A — Spouses + minor children of LPRs (under 21)
  • F2B — Unmarried sons/daughters of LPRs (21+)
  • F3 — Married sons/daughters of U.S. citizens
  • F4 — Brothers/sisters of U.S. citizens (longest waits)

Common employment categories

  • EB-1 — Priority workers (extraordinary ability, multinational executives)
  • EB-2 — Advanced degree professionals, exceptional ability (NIW)
  • EB-3 — Skilled workers, professionals, other workers
  • EB-4 — Special immigrants (religious workers, SIJ, etc.)
  • EB-5 — Investors

Last verified: 2026-05-27. Source: U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin. General procedural information — not legal advice. Verify current bulletin before filing.