The U.S. Department of State released its Visa Bulletin for October 2023. That’s a big deal if you’re waiting for your priority date to be current so that your green card application can move forward.
If you don’t know what a “visa bulletin” or a “priority date” is, we’ve got you covered. Start by checking out the Boundless guide on How to Read the Visa Bulletin.
If you’re already familiar with those terms, scroll down to our summary of key developments or to the filing category that’s most relevant to you:
- F-1: Unmarried Children (Age 21 and Older) of U.S. Citizens
- F-2A: Spouses and Unmarried Children (Under Age 21) of U.S. Green Card Holders
- F-2B: Unmarried Children (Age 21 or Older) of U.S. Green Card Holders
- F-3: Married Children of U.S. Citizens
- F-4: Siblings of U.S. Citizens
- EB-1: Extraordinary People, Outstanding Researchers and Professors, and Multinational Executives and Managers
- EB-2: Exceptional People and Advanced Degree Holders
- EB-3: Bachelor’s Degree Holders, Skilled Workers, and Unskilled Workers
- EB-4: Special Immigrants
- EB-5: Investors
Every month, USCIS announces whether applicants already living in the United States should file their “adjustment of status” applications based on the “Final Action Dates” or the “Dates for Filing.”
For October, family-based applicants and employment-based application must use the “Dates for Filing” (available on the State Department’s website).
Family-Based Green Card Backlogs
F-1: UNMARRIED CHILDREN (AGE 21 AND OLDER) OF U.S. CITIZENS
| Country | New Cut-off Date | Old Cut-off Date | Change in Wait Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Category | 1-Sept-17 | 1-Sept-17 | No Change |
| China | 1-Sept-17 | 1-Sept-17 | No Change |
| India | 1-Sept-17 | 1-Sept-17 | No Change |
| Mexico | 1-Apr-05 | 1-Apr-05 | No Change |
| Philippines | 22-Apr-15 | 22-Apr-15 | No Change |
This category sees no change for all countries.
F-2A: SPOUSES AND UNMARRIED CHILDREN (UNDER AGE 21) OF U.S. GREEN CARD HOLDERS
| Country | New Cut-off Date | Old Cut-off Date | Change in Wait Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Category | 1-Sept-23 | 1-Sept-23 | No Change |
| China | 1-Sept-23 | 1-Sept-23 | No Change |
| India | 1-Sept-23 | 1-Sept-23 | No Change |
| Mexico | 1-Sept-23 | 1-Sept-23 | No Change |
| Philippines | 1-Sept-23 | 1-Sept-23 | No Change |
This category sees no change for all countries.
F-2B: unmarried children (age 21 or older) of U.S. green card holders
| Country | New Cut-off Date | Old Cut-off Date | Change in Wait Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Category | 1-Jan-17 | 1-Jan-17 | No Change |
| China | 1-Jan-17 | 1-Jan-17 | No Change |
| India | 1-Jan-17 | 1-Jan-17 | No Change |
| Mexico | 1-Aug-04 | 1-Aug-04 | No Change |
| Philippines | 1-Oct-13 | 1-Oct-13 | No Change |
This category sees no change for all countries.
F-3: married children of U.S. citizens
| Country | New Cut-off Date | Old Cut-off Date | Change in Wait Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Category | 1-Mar-10 | 1-Mar-10 | No Change |
| China | 1-Mar-10 | 1-Mar-10 | No Change |
| India | 1-Mar-10 | 1-Mar-10 | No Change |
| Mexico | 15-June-01 | 15-June-01 | No Change |
| Philippines | 8-Nov-03 | 8-Nov-03 | No Change |
This category sees no change for all countries.
F-4: siblings of U.S. citizens
| Country | New Cut-off Date | Old Cut-off Date | Change in Wait Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Category | 1-Mar-08 | 1-Mar-08 | No Change |
| China | 1-Mar-08 | 1-Mar-08 | No Change |
| India | 22-Feb-06 | 22-Feb-06 | No Change |
| Mexico | 15-April-01 | 01-April-01 | No Change |
| Philippines | 22-Apr-04 | 22-Apr-04 | No Change |
This category sees no change for all countries.
EB-1: extraordinary people, outstanding researchers and professors, and multinational executives and managers
| Country | New Cut-off Date | Old Cut-off Date | Change in Wait Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Category | No Wait | 1-Aug-23 | -2 months |
| China | 1-Aug-22 | 1-Feb-22 | -6 months |
| Central America | No Wait | 1-Aug-23 | -2 months |
| India | 1-July-19 | 1-Jan-12 | -7 years, 7 months |
| Mexico | No Wait | 1-Aug-23 | -2 months |
| Philippines | No Wait | 1-Aug-23 | -2 months |
This category sees a 2-month change for the General Category, Central America, Mexico, and the Philippines, a 6-month change for China, and a 7-year, 7-month change for India.
EB-2: exceptional people and advanced degree holders
| Country | New Cut-off Date | Old Cut-off Date | Change in Wait Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Category | 1-Jan-23 | 1-Jul-22 | -6 months |
| China | 1-Jan-20 | 8-Jul-19 | -5 months, 3 weeks |
| Central America | 1-Jan-23 | 1-Jul-22 | -6 months |
| India | 15-May-12 | 1-Jan-11 | -2 years, 4 months, 2 weeks |
| Mexico | 1-Jan-23 | 1-Jul-22 | -6 months |
| Philippines | 1-Jan-23 | 1-Jul-22 | -6 months |
This category sees a 6-month change for General Category, Central America, Mexico, and the Philippines, a 5-month, 3-week change for China, and a 2-year, 4-month, 2-week change for India.
EB-3: bachelor’s degree holders, skilled workers, and unskilled workers
| Country | New Cut-off Date | Old Cut-off Date | Change in Wait Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Category | 1-Feb-23 | 1-May-20 | -2 years, 9 months |
| China | 1-Sept-20 | 1-Sept-19 | -1 year |
| Central America | 1-Feb-23 | 1-May-20 | -2 years, 9 months |
| India | 1-Aug-12 | 1-Jan-09 | -3 years, 8 months |
| Mexico | 1-Feb-23 | 1-May-20 | -2 years, 9 months |
| Philippines | 1-Jan-23 | 1-May-20 | -2 years, 8 months |
This category sees a 2-year, 9-month change for General Category, Central America, and Mexico, a 2-year, 8-month change for Philippines, a 1-year change for China and a 3-year, 8-month change for India.
The EB-4 “special immigrants” category saw a change of 6 months for all countries and the EB-5 “investors” category saw a change of over a year for China and 5 years for India.
| Category | Country | New Cut-off Date | Old Cut-off Date | Change in Wait Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-4: Special Immigrants | General Category | 1-Mar-19 | 1-Sept-18 | -6 months |
| China | 1-Mar-19 | 1-Sept-18 | -6 months | |
| Central America | 1-Mar-19 | 1-Sept-18 | -6 months | |
| India | 1-Mar-19 | 1-Sept-18 | -6 months | |
| Mexico | 1-Mar-19 | 1-Sept-18 | -6 months | |
| Philippines | 1-Mar-19 | 1-Sept-18 | -6 months | |
| Vietnam | 1-Mar-19 | 1-Sept-18 | -6 months | |
| EB-5: Investors | General Category | No wait | No wait | No Change |
| China | 1-Jan-17 | 08-Sept-15 | -1 year, 3 months, 3 weeks | |
| Central America | No wait | No wait | No Change | |
| India | 1-April-22 | 1-April-17 | -5 years | |
| Mexico | No wait | No wait | No Change | |
| Philippines | No wait | No wait | No Change | |
| Vietnam | No wait | No wait | No Change |
Why This Matters
If you’re in line for a green card, it’s important to keep track of actual changes (and likely future developments) in the Visa Bulletin. It’s always a good idea to prepare all the documents needed for your green card application ahead of time, so you can be ready to file as quickly as possible once the Visa Bulletin shows that a green card is available to you. By failing to file in a month when a green card is available, you risk facing a surprise backward movement (“retrogression”) in the next Visa Bulletin, which would close your window of opportunity for filing a green card application. Stay tuned for next month’s update! As always, we’ll highlight all the important changes for you.