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Visa bulletin, employment-based charts

The January 2026 visa bulletin

Every employment-based cutoff the State Department published for January 2026, on both charts, for the five countries the bulletin lists separately. Beside each cutoff is what it did since the December 2025 bulletin. The newest bulletin held here is September 2026.

What moved, 45 cells per chart

Final action dates: 24 advanced, 21 unchanged. Dates for filing: 14 advanced, 31 unchanged.

Final action dates

Each cell shows the cutoff and its move since the December 2025 bulletin.

Category All other countries China India Mexico Philippines
EB-1 priority workers Current current Feb 1, 2023 +10 days Feb 1, 2023 +323 days Current current Current current
EB-2 advanced degree and NIW Apr 1, 2024 +60 days Sep 1, 2021 +92 days Jul 15, 2013 +61 days Apr 1, 2024 +60 days Apr 1, 2024 +60 days
EB-3 skilled and professional Apr 22, 2023 +7 days May 1, 2021 +30 days Nov 15, 2013 +54 days Apr 22, 2023 +7 days Apr 22, 2023 +7 days
EB-3 other workers Sep 1, 2021 +31 days Dec 8, 2018 +365 days Nov 15, 2013 +54 days Sep 1, 2021 +31 days Sep 1, 2021 +31 days
EB-4 special immigrants Jan 1, 2021 +122 days Jan 1, 2021 +122 days Jan 1, 2021 +122 days Jan 1, 2021 +122 days Jan 1, 2021 +122 days
EB-5 unreserved Current current Aug 15, 2016 +31 days May 1, 2022 +304 days Current current Current current
EB-5 rural set-aside Current current Current current Current current Current current Current current
EB-5 high-unemployment set-aside Current current Current current Current current Current current Current current
EB-5 infrastructure set-aside Current current Current current Current current Current current Current current

Dates for filing

Each cell shows the cutoff and its move since the December 2025 bulletin.

Category All other countries China India Mexico Philippines
EB-1 priority workers Current current Aug 1, 2023 +78 days Aug 1, 2023 +108 days Current current Current current
EB-2 advanced degree and NIW Oct 15, 2024 +92 days Jan 1, 2022 +31 days Dec 1, 2013 unchanged Oct 15, 2024 +92 days Oct 15, 2024 +92 days
EB-3 skilled and professional Jul 1, 2023 unchanged Jan 1, 2022 unchanged Aug 15, 2014 unchanged Jul 1, 2023 unchanged Jul 1, 2023 unchanged
EB-3 other workers Dec 1, 2021 unchanged Oct 1, 2019 +365 days Aug 15, 2014 unchanged Dec 1, 2021 unchanged Dec 1, 2021 unchanged
EB-4 special immigrants Mar 15, 2021 +28 days Mar 15, 2021 +28 days Mar 15, 2021 +28 days Mar 15, 2021 +28 days Mar 15, 2021 +28 days
EB-5 unreserved Current current Aug 22, 2016 +31 days May 1, 2024 +761 days Current current Current current
EB-5 rural set-aside Current current Current current Current current Current current Current current
EB-5 high-unemployment set-aside Current current Current current Current current Current current Current current
EB-5 infrastructure set-aside Current current Current current Current current Current current Current current

A date means applications with a priority date earlier than it can act that month. Current means every priority date can; Unavailable means none can, usually because the fiscal year's numbers for that category and country are used up. The three EB-5 set-asides are the reserved rural, high-unemployment and infrastructure allocations created in 2022; USCIS publishes their I-485 inventory separately.

Alert

Email me when my cutoff moves

Pick your category and country. When a new bulletin changes that final-action cutoff, we email the change, before and after. Nothing on the months it doesn't move.

Double opt-in: you confirm by email first, so an address can't be signed up by someone who doesn't control it, and one click opts out. We send one confirmation every 10 minutes per address - if nothing lands, wait that long before trying again.

Source: the State Department's bulletin page.

Visa bulletin: travel.state.gov (page saved from a browser; the site refuses automated clients) · data through Sep 2026 · monthly Cutoff dates as the State Department published them each month. Nothing here is forecast.

The rules behind these numbers

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