Visa Bulletin
Apr2024

Visa Bulletin

Apr2024

Priority Dates

April 2024
In effect April 1–30, 2024. USCIS: employment-based filers use Final Action Dates, family-sponsored use Dates for Filing.Which chart applies to me?
April 2024 Visa Bulletin Final Action Dates: cut-off dates by preference category and country of chargeability. “C” means current (no backlog); “U” means unavailable.
CategoryAll AreasChinaIndiaMexicoPhilippines
Employment-Based
EB-1First PreferenceC01SEP22↑01MAR21↑CC
EB-2Second Preference15JAN23↑01FEB20↑15APR12↑15JAN23↑15JAN23↑
EB-3Third Preference22NOV22↑01SEP2015AUG12↑22NOV22↑22NOV22↑
EB-3Other Workers08OCT20↑01JAN1715AUG12↑08OCT20↑01MAY20
EB-4Fourth Preference01NOV20↑01NOV20↑01NOV20↑01NOV20↑01NOV20↑
EB-4Certain Religious WorkersU↓U↓U↓U↓U↓
EB-5UnreservedC15DEC1501DEC20CC
EB-5Set-aside (Rural)CCCCC
EB-5Set-aside (High Unemployment)-----
EB-5Set-aside (Infrastructure)CCCCC
Family-Sponsored
F1Unmarried Sons/Daughters08FEB1508FEB1508FEB1501MAY0101MAR12
F2ASpouses/Children08SEP20↑08SEP20↑08SEP20↑15AUG20↑08SEP20↑
F2BUnmarried sons/daughters (21+)22NOV1522NOV1522NOV1522OCT0322OCT11
F3Married Sons/Daughters01OCT0901OCT0901OCT0908SEP9808JUN02
F4Brothers/Sisters08JUN0708JUN0715DEC0515OCT0015JUN03

Final Action Dates controls when USCIS or the Department of State can actually approve your green card. If you are processing through a U.S. consulate abroad, DOS always uses this chart. If you are adjusting status in the U.S. and USCIS has not designated Dates for Filing for the month, you must also use this chart. Your priority date must be earlier than the cutoff shown for your case to be approved. Why are there two charts?

Movement by Month

April 2024

Summary

24 of the 75 cut-offs on the Final Action Dates chart moved between March 2024 and April 2024: 24 advanced.

  • EB-2 India advanced 1mo 15d to 15APR12
  • EB-1 India advanced 5mo 1d to 01MAR21
  • EB-2 all other areas advanced 1mo 24d to 15JAN23

Employment-Based

5 changed

EB-1

All Areas
—
China
1mo 18d
India
5mo 1d
Mexico
—
Philippines
—

EB-2

All Areas
1mo 24d
China
1mo 1d
India
1mo 15d
Mexico
1mo 24d
Philippines
1mo 24d

EB-3

All Areas
2mo 15d
China
—
India
1mo 15d
Mexico
2mo 15d
Philippines
2mo 15d

EB-3

All Areas
1mo
China
—
India
1mo 15d
Mexico
1mo
Philippines
—

EB-4

All Areas
11mo 6d
China
11mo 6d
India
11mo 6d
Mexico
11mo 6d
Philippines
11mo 6d

Family-Sponsored

1 changed

F2A

All Areas
2mo 18d
China
2mo 18d
India
2mo 18d
Mexico
2mo 1d
Philippines
2mo 18d

Movement by Year

April 2023 – April 2024
Category

EB-2

Second Preference

Avg pace (24 mo)

-19 days

Longest stall

14 mo

Retrogressions

5

Apr '24+1mo 15d
May '23Apr '24

How the Visa Bulletin Works

What is the Visa Bulletin?

The Visa Bulletin is a monthly U.S. Department of State update that shows when you can move forward in the green card process.

Because a limited number of green cards are issued each year, not everyone can apply at once.

Key terms

Priority dates
: your place in line, set when your petition was filed. If it’s earlier than the listed cutoff, you’re eligible to move ahead.
Final Action Dates
: the chart showing when a green card can actually be approved.
Dates for Filing
: the chart showing when you may submit your application, in months USCIS authorizes its use.
Current (“C”)
: no backlog: you can move ahead regardless of your priority date. A category “becoming current” means the wait has cleared.
Retrogression
: a cutoff date moves backward, so some applicants who were eligible must wait again.
Unavailable (“U”)
: no green cards are available in that category this month.

Frequently Asked Questions

Visa Bulletin
FAQ

Common questions about priority dates and what to do when your date is current.

The Visa Bulletin is a monthly publication from the U.S. Department of State that tells applicants for family- and employment-based green cards whether their priority date is current - i.e., whether they can move forward with the next step of the immigration process.
Final Action Dates control when USCIS or DOS can actually approve a green card. Dates for Filing is usually earlier and controls when you can submit your I-485 or get documentarily qualified at the NVC. Filing under Dates for Filing doesn’t mean approval - it parks your application so you can get an EAD and advance parole while waiting for the Final Action date to become current.
It depends on where you’re filing. Consular processing abroad always uses Final Action Dates. For Adjustment of Status inside the U.S., USCIS decides each month whether family and employment AOS filers may use the more generous Dates for Filing chart. Check uscis.gov/visabulletininfo for the current month’s determination. If your category is “C” (current) on Final Action or the Final Action cutoff is later than the Dates for Filing cutoff, you can use Final Action regardless.
Find your preference category (EB-2, F2A, etc.) in the left column, then find your country of chargeability. The cell is either a date (your priority date must be earlier than this to act), “C” (current - no wait), or “U” (unavailable - no visas in this category).
For employment-based cases, it’s usually the date your PERM labor certification (or I-140 if PERM wasn’t required) was filed. For family cases, it’s the date your I-130 petition was filed. It determines your place in the queue.
Typically between the 8th and 15th of each month, for the following month. The State Department posts it on travel.state.gov. We update this page within minutes of each release.
Per-country annual limits cap how many green cards can be issued to nationals of any single country each year. High-demand categories from India and China often stall or retrogress because demand vastly exceeds those limits.
If you’re in the U.S., you can file an I-485 adjustment of status application. If you’re abroad, the National Visa Center will schedule a consular interview. Either way, act quickly - dates can retrogress in future months.

Data ingested from travel.state.gov

Past Visa Bulletins

See all 129 bulletins

2026

2025

2024