US releases January 2026 visa bulletin with major updates for green card applicants – Check priority dates

The U.S. Department of State has released the January 2026 Visa Bulletin, a monthly update that reveals the most recent priority dates and filing deadlines for family-based and employment-based immigrant visa applicants who are waiting to apply for green cards. The bulletin outlines when applicants can begin processing or applying for their visas, which is of particular interest to those who have been waiting for long periods of time.

The Visa Bulletin includes two charts titled “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications.” Final Action Dates indicate when immigrant visas may be issued or when applications to adjust status may be approved. The Dates for Filing chart indicates when an applicant can or should begin preparing to file or actually file their paperwork with the National Visa Center (NVC).

In most cases, for the January 2026 Bulletin, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is instructing applicants to use the Final Action Dates chart to determine when to file for an adjustment of status, but USCIS may issue official guidance for all categories as to which chart to follow.

Under U.S. immigration law, 226,000 family-sponsored immigrant visas are available, as are at least 140,000 employment-based visas in fiscal year 2026. No country can receive more than 7% of the total immigrant visas issued in a year, even if there is high demand. This rule is meant to keep diversity in the U.S. population. Because of this limit, applicants from countries like India(BHARAT) and China often face long waiting periods.

Family-Sponsored preference categories

The January Visa Bulletin, as seen in the above chart, for family-based preference classes, there has not been a significant change for India(BHARAT) and, depending on category, applicants continue to face long backlogs. Applicants who are in the F1 category (Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizen, aged 21 years or older) can expect to see final action dates earlier than their priority date of 1 September 2017 since the cut-off for the final action dates is at 8 November 2016.

However, those who are in the F2A category (Spouses, children, and unmarried sons and daughters of permanent residents), can file their adjustment of status applications when their priority dates are earlier than 1 February 2024. The other categories, including F2B, F3, and F4, all show very long waiting periods as their final action dates are years back. Applicants in these categories will not see relief unless the priority date requirement for final action dates advance considerably.

As seen in the above chart for dates for filing, there has been a significant change in some family-sponsored categories. F1 applicants can file when their priority dates are earlier than 1 September 2017. F2A applicants can also file for adjustment of status when their priority dates are earlier than 22 December 2025. The other family sponsored categories have not seen movement with their dates for filing for adjustment of status.

Employment-Based visa categories

In the employment-based preferences, the Visa Bulletin, as seen in the above chart, shows progress in the EB-1 category for priority workers, the final action dates are now at 1 February 2023, which should offer some relief to highly skilled professionals and researchers. The EB-2 category (advanced degree professionals) and the EB-3 category (skilled workers and professionals) both show some advancement in the priority dates for final action, but for many applicants, the priority dates are still years old. Other categories such as EB-4 (special immigrants) and EB-5 (investors) also have their own cut-off dates based on visa number availability.

The U.S. State Department’s monthly Visa Bulletin is an important document for immigrants, attorneys and employers who are tracking when applicants will be able to move forward with their case. It is recommended that applicants frequently compare their priority date (date when the initial petition was filed) with the most recent cut-off dates in the bulletin to determine their place in the queue and what next steps to take.

As the state of immigration continues to change, the January 2026 Visa Bulletin provides a look at the current waiting periods for many applicants and a roadmap for those applicants as they navigate the long green card process. For some, it is a stark reminder of the immigration backlog they are still experiencing, while others can breathe a sigh of relief as incremental progress has been made in certain categories.