The Visa Bulletin (VB) is a monthly U.S. government report released by the State Department’s Travel Website. This monthly bulletin tells you when you can get a green card based on your priority date.
Summary of Key points for VB for January 2026:
- USCIS Filing Guidance: For January 2026, USCIS allows applicants in all family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories to use the more favorable Dates for Filing chart (Chart B) when submitting adjustment of status applications (Form I-485) in the U.S.
- Employment-Based Categories: Most categories advanced in both Final Action Dates (when visas can be issued/green cards approved) and Dates for Filing (when I-485 can be submitted). Advancements range from a few weeks to over a year in some cases (e.g., China EB-3 Other Workers advanced significantly).
- Notable progress in EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 for countries like China, India, and All Chargeability Areas.
- EB-5 (investor) categories also saw advancements, particularly for China.
- Family-Sponsored Categories: Generally modest or no movement, with some categories remaining unchanged.
- Diversity Visa (DV-2026): The annual limit is reduced to approximately 52,000 due to legislative amendments.
- Other Notes: The Certain Religious Workers (SR) category remains available with dates aligned to other Employment Fourth Preference categories. No major retrogressions reported.
For the full details, including exact cutoff dates by category and country, refer to the official Visa Bulletin on the Department of State website: Visa Bulletin for January 2026
Source of Information:
- Dept. of State (travel.state.gov), Website: Visa Bulletin
- Dept. of State (travel.state.gov), 12/2/25, Department of State Publication 9514: Visa Bulletin For December 2026
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