The U.S. Department of State has released the January 2026 Visa Bulletin, outlining updated priority dates that determine when immigrant visa applicants may file for permanent residency (green cards) or receive final approval.
The monthly bulletin publishes two key charts—Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing Applications—across family-based and employment-based categories. These dates are especially critical for applicants from India and China, where long backlogs continue to shape wait times.
The latest bulletin shows limited movement in family-based categories and modest advances in select employment-based queues.
Family-Based Categories Remain Stalled
The January bulletin indicates that family-based priority dates have largely remained unchanged, particularly for India and China. As a result, many applicants will continue to face extended waits before their green card applications can advance to approval.
Final Action Dates for Indian applicants (Family-Based):
- F1 (Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens): 8 November 2016
- F2B (Unmarried adult sons and daughters of permanent residents): 1 December 2016
- F3 (Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens): 8 September 2011
- F4 (Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens): 1 November 2006
The only notable exception is F2A (spouses and children of permanent residents), which shows a current date of 1 February 2024, allowing more recent petitions to proceed compared with other family-based categories.
Employment-Based Categories See Modest Gains
By contrast, the January bulletin brings incremental progress for certain employment-based categories, offering some relief to professionals and investors.
Based on the updated tables:
- EB-1 (Priority workers, including researchers and executives) has advanced to 1 February 2023, reflecting nearly a year of progress compared with earlier charts.
- EB-2 (Advanced degree professionals) and EB-3 (Skilled workers) also show modest advancements in their priority dates.
While the gains are gradual, these movements reduce wait times for some applicants with earlier priority dates and signal continued, if slow, easing following prolonged delays in prior months.
