TL;DR: The Visa Bulletin tells you when you can take the last step of a green card case. Find your priority date, your category (like EB-2 or EB-3), and your country column, then compare your date to the cut-off. If your date is earlier, you’re eligible under that chart. USCIS decides each month whether I-485 filers use the “Final Action Dates” or “Dates for Filing” chart, so always check its page too.
A candidate once sent me a screenshot of the Visa Bulletin with a message: “My PERM is approved. Why can’t I file my green card?” He was reading the right row but the wrong chart. That happens more than you’d think. The bulletin is a dense government page, and nobody explains it to you at onboarding.
So here’s how I read it with candidates, step by step. I’ll use the October 2026 bulletin, the first one of fiscal year 2027, as the example. If you haven’t started your case yet, read my PERM green card process guide first, because that’s where your priority date comes from.
What the Visa Bulletin is and why it exists
Congress caps how many green cards can be issued each year. The October 2026 Visa Bulletin says the worldwide level for employment-based preference immigrants “is at least 140,000” for FY 2027. On top of that, there’s a per-country limit set at 7% of the total annual family and employment preference limits, which the bulletin puts at 25,620.
When more people qualify than there are visa numbers, a line forms. The State Department publishes the bulletin every month to show where the line is. The State Department’s employment visa page splits the worldwide limit by category. EB-2 and EB-3 each get 28.6%, plus any unused numbers from higher categories.
Step 1: Know your priority date
Your priority date is your place in line. According to USCIS:
- With PERM: it’s the date DOL accepted the labor certification application. The employer must file the I-140 within 180 days of the PERM approval to use it.
- Without PERM (for example, EB-1 or EB-2 NIW): it’s the date USCIS accepted your I-140.
- Where to find it: on your I-140 receipt or approval notice. Ask your attorney if you don’t have a copy.
Step 2: Find your category and country column
The employment charts have rows for each category (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, Other Workers, EB-4, EB-5) and columns by country of chargeability. Chargeability is generally based on country of birth, not your passport or where you live. The October 2026 bulletin lists four oversubscribed areas separately. Everyone else, including people born in Korea, uses the first column: “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed.” Most people call it “rest of world.”
Each cell shows one of three things, per USCIS:
| You see | What it means |
|---|---|
| A date (e.g., 01JAN25) | The category is oversubscribed. Only priority dates earlier than this date can move forward. |
| C | Current. Numbers are available regardless of your priority date. |
| U | Unavailable. No numbers can be used right now. |
Step 3: Final Action Dates vs Dates for Filing
This is where people get confused. Every bulletin has two employment charts.
- Chart A, Final Action Dates. When a green card can actually be approved. The bulletin says numbers are authorized only for applicants whose priority date is “earlier than the final action date listed.”
- Chart B, Dates for Filing. When you may get in the queue early. For consular cases, applicants with an earlier priority date may send documents to the National Visa Center after they get notice. For I-485 cases, USCIS decides whether this chart can be used.
Why file early under Chart B if approval still waits for Chart A? Because a pending I-485 usually lets you apply for a work permit and travel document, and after 180 days pending you may be able to move to a same or similar job using Supplement J. For many candidates, that flexibility matters more than the green card itself.
Step 4: Check which chart USCIS uses this month
The bulletin itself says I-485 filers should use the Final Action Dates chart “unless otherwise indicated on the USCIS website.” USCIS says the same: Final Action Dates is generally the chart for deciding when to file, and USCIS may allow Dates for Filing when more visas are available than known applicants. It posts its decision each month on the Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page.
I couldn’t load that USCIS page when I wrote this, so I’m not stating which chart applies for October 2026. Check it yourself before filing. Employment and family cases can use different charts in the same month, and the choice can change month to month.
Once my I-485 is filed, am I safe from retrogression?
A lot of people assume yes. Candidates in the EB-3 backlog tell me the uncertainty is what makes them refresh the Visa Bulletin every month.
USCIS’s Policy Manual sets two checkpoints: an immigrant visa must be immediately available when you file, and it must also be available for issuance on the date USCIS approves the case. It adds that eligibility must exist at filing and continue through adjudication (USCIS Policy Manual). So a case filed while dates were current can sit waiting if the Final Action Date later moves back. Not legal advice; every case is different.
Ask your attorney: if my category retrogresses after I file, what keeps me in status and able to work while I wait?
November 2026 update: All Chargeability (rest of world)
The November 2026 Visa Bulletin is out. Final Action Dates moved forward for EB-2, EB-3 and Other Workers. Dates for Filing stayed the same except Other Workers. For employment-based adjustment of status in November, USCIS is accepting the Dates for Filing chart (Chart B). Always confirm on the USCIS “Adjustment of Status Filing Charts” page before you file.
| Category | Final Action (A) | Date for Filing (B) | Change vs Oct (A / B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | C | C | No change |
| EB-2 | 01APR25 | 15MAR26 | +3 months / same |
| EB-3 | 15JUN24 | 01AUG24 | +1 month / same |
| Other Workers | 01JUN22 | 01JUL22 | +5 months / +1 month |
| EB-4 | 15DEC22 | 01JAN25 | No change |
| EB-5 | C | C | No change |
The October numbers below are kept for comparison. This is not legal advice. Your attorney has the final word on your case.
October 2026 numbers: All Chargeability (rest of world)
These are the employment-based cut-offs from the October 2026 Visa Bulletin for the “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed” column.
| Category | Final Action Date (Chart A) | Date for Filing (Chart B) |
|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | C | C |
| EB-2 | 01JAN25 | 15MAR26 |
| EB-3 | 15MAY24 | 01AUG24 |
| Other Workers | 01JAN22 | 01JUN22 |
| EB-4 | 15DEC22 | 01JAN25 |
| EB-5 (unreserved and set-asides) | C | C |
The bulletin also notes that some employment categories for rest-of-world applicants retrogressed for FY 2027 to stay within quarterly and annual limits, and that the State Department will adjust as needed. Retrogression means the cut-off moves backward. A date that was current last month can stop being current.
Three worked examples
All three use the October 2026 rest-of-world numbers above. They’re simplified, so talk to your attorney about your real case.
- EB-2, priority date March 2024. Earlier than the Final Action Date (01JAN25), so a visa number is available. With an approved or concurrently filed I-140, an I-485 can be approved once the case is ready.
- EB-2, priority date June 2025. Later than the Final Action Date, but earlier than the Date for Filing (15MAR26). You can file an I-485 only if USCIS allows the Dates for Filing chart this month. A consular case can move documents to NVC.
- EB-3, priority date October 2024. Later than both EB-3 dates (15MAY24 and 01AUG24). You wait. Keep your nonimmigrant status valid and watch each month’s bulletin.
Notice that EB-2 and EB-3 move separately. Some candidates who qualify for both ask their employer about the category choice. That’s a legal call for the attorney, but it’s a fair question to raise.
What this means if you work at a Korean company
- Your status still has to hold. While you wait for your date, your E-2, L-1, or H-1B has to stay valid. Ask HR who tracks expiration dates.
- Time PERM early. Your priority date only starts when PERM is filed. A company policy of “we sponsor after two years” pushes your whole place in line back two years.
- Family abroad. If your spouse or children are in another country, the choice between I-485 and consular processing matters. See my post on I-140 approval with family abroad.
- Job changes. Before you take a new offer, check whether your I-485 has been pending 180 days. My H-1B transfer guide covers the visa side.
“Colleagues who came a year earlier already have green cards”
I hear this from candidates waiting on PERM: coworkers who filed earlier finish first, while their own case is held up by things they didn’t control. That feeling of being left behind is real.
Your place in line comes from your priority date, your preference category and your country of chargeability; USCIS uses those three together with the Visa Bulletin to decide whether a visa is available to you (USCIS). That’s why the company’s filing date is worth pinning down.
Ask HR directly: when exactly will my PERM be filed, and could my role qualify for EB-2 instead of EB-3?
Common mistakes I see candidates make
- Reading the family charts. The bulletin has family-sponsored and employment-based sections. If your employer sponsors you, only the employment charts apply.
- Reading Chart B as approval. A Date for Filing lets you get in the queue. It doesn’t mean your green card can be approved this month.
- Using the wrong column. Chargeability is generally tied to country of birth. Your passport or where you live now doesn’t decide it.
- Using an old bulletin. Cut-offs change every month. A forum post from last spring can be wrong today.
- Skipping the USCIS check. Even if your date beats Chart B, an I-485 filed in a month when USCIS requires Chart A can be rejected.
- Assuming the date only moves forward. As the October 2026 bulletin shows, dates can retrogress at the start of a new fiscal year or later.
My simple routine for candidates: when a new bulletin comes out, open the official State Department page, find your category row in the “All Chargeability” or your listed column, compare both charts to your priority date, then open the USCIS filing charts page. It takes five minutes. Write down the result each month so you can see the trend.
Questions to ask your employer or attorney
- What is my exact priority date, and which category is my I-140 in?
- Will you file my I-485 as soon as USCIS allows the Dates for Filing chart?
- Who watches the bulletin each month, and how will I hear when my date is current?
- If the date retrogresses after I file, what happens to my case and work permit?
- Will the company keep extending my temporary visa while I wait?
FAQ
When is the Visa Bulletin released?
The State Department publishes a new bulletin for each month on travel.state.gov. Check the official page rather than relying on screenshots or forum posts.
My priority date is current. Do I get a green card right away?
No. A current date means a visa number can be used. USCIS or the consulate still has to review and approve your application.
Which column do I use if I was born in Korea?
Korea isn’t listed separately in the October 2026 bulletin, so you use “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed.” That’s true for anyone born in a country that isn’t listed.
Can a date move backward?
Yes. That’s retrogression. The October 2026 bulletin notes some rest-of-world employment categories retrogressed for FY 2027.
Does USCIS always use Final Action Dates for I-485?
Generally, yes, unless USCIS says otherwise on its filing charts page. Check it every month before you file.
Not legal advice. Talk to an immigration attorney about your case. Sources: State Dept Visa Bulletin, October 2026, State Dept employment-based visas, USCIS visa availability and priority dates, USCIS filing charts, USCIS Supplement J. Checked October 2026.
