Visa Bulletin

For numerically limited categories, immigrant visas are issued in the order petitions were filed. The priority date is the date used to place a case in that line. Compare it with the dates in the Visa Bulletin. Immediate relative categories are not subject to the same annual numerical limitations.

The Visa Bulletin states that numbers are authorized for issuance only for applicants whose priority date is earlier than the final action date listed. “C” means current. “U” means unauthorized / unavailable.

The Dates for Filing chart reflects dates when applicants may be notified to assemble and submit documentation to NVC. USCIS separately announces whether adjustment-of-status applicants may use Dates for Filing or must use Final Action Dates that month.

Most applicants are chargeable to their country of birth. The August 2026 bulletin lists China-mainland born, India, Mexico, and the Philippines as oversubscribed chargeability areas. Pakistan is not in that list, so Pakistani chargeability generally uses the All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed column. Confirm unusual chargeability facts with official sources.

Bulletin dates can advance or retrogress. Past months are historical. They are not a forecast.