<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/5393ff16-b22e-45af-a520-73d60c0e28cc/aa596fb5-0b28-49da-bf68-675f9e6d5fe8/bookmark_star.png" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/5393ff16-b22e-45af-a520-73d60c0e28cc/aa596fb5-0b28-49da-bf68-675f9e6d5fe8/bookmark_star.png" width="40px" /> Immediate relative petitions (spouse, unmarried child under the age of 21, or parent of a U.S. citizen) are considered current once they are approved. They are not included in the family preference categories, so the visa bulletin is irrelevant in immediate relative cases.

If you are the spouse, parent, or unmarried child (under the age of 21) of a US citizen then you can skip the visa bulletin.

</aside>

You can find the most recent visa bulletin on the Department of State Website at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin.html.

About The Visa Bulletin

<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/5393ff16-b22e-45af-a520-73d60c0e28cc/7ce99760-a21e-4241-be97-883f7f5334b2/kwy.png" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/5393ff16-b22e-45af-a520-73d60c0e28cc/7ce99760-a21e-4241-be97-883f7f5334b2/kwy.png" width="40px" /> Every month a new visa bulletin is released. You can check the priority date of your visa against the visa bulletin to determine if your visa current, which would make it available for you to use to apply for residency.

</aside>

The visa bulletin, issued every month by the Department of State, shows which green card applications can move forward, based on when the I-130 petition (or I-140 petition for employment-based visas) was originally filed. It is based on the visa availability set by statute. It can be thought of as showing you your place in line for a green card. Once your I-130 petition has been filed, you will receive a receipt notice that will have a priority date. You will be able to check the priority date against the visa bulletin to track your place in line.

Terms in the Visa Bulletin

• Priority date: This is the date that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received your I-130 petition. Think of this date as your place in line. You can find your priority date on the receipt notice USCIS mailed approving your I-130 petition (Form I-797).
• Current: Your priority date is “current” when it has become available because there are no people in front of you in line. An entire preference category can be “current” if there’s no backlog and no wait time within that category at a particular time.
• Chargeability area: This is the green card applicant’s country of birth. Your own green card will be “charged” to the annual quota of green cards available to citizens of your country of birth, which are limited by law.
• Immediate relative: A spouse, parent, or child (under age 21) of a U.S. citizen.
• Cut-off date: The dates you see on the visa bulletin tables are called “cut-off dates.” Applicants with priority dates prior to the cut-off date can submit their green card applications. Applicants with priority dates after the cut-off date have to keep waiting.

Four Preference Categories

F1 (first preference): Unmarried adults (age 21 and over) who are children of U.S. citizens. The cap for this category is 23,400 green cards per year.

F2 (second preference): Spouses and unmarried children of green card holders. The overall cap for this category is 114,200 green cards per year, but it’s split into two sub-categories:

• F2A: Spouses and unmarried minor children (under age 21) of green card holders. If you are a green card holder who has applied for a green card for your spouse, this is the category you’ll need to watch when you check the visa bulletin. 77% of the second category quota goes towards this F2A sub-category (that’s 87,934 green cards per year).
• F2B: Unmarried adult children (age 21 and over) of green card holders. 23% of the second category quota goes towards this F2B sub-category (that’s 26,266 green cards per year).

F3 (third preference): Married children of U.S. citizens, regardless of age. The cap for this category is 23,400 green cards per year.

F4 (fourth preference): Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens. The cap for this category is 65,000 green cards per year.