Guide
Visa Bulletin Update Guide
Use this page to understand monthly movement, category-level trends, and how priority date movement affects timeline expectations.
How to read movement
Track Final Action Dates first, then compare your category and chargeability area before interpreting any timeline.
What changes month to month
Cutoff dates, demand pressure, and center processing pace can move differently across EB and family categories.
Frequently Asked Questions
What matters more: PD or receipt date?
Priority date controls visa-number availability. Receipt date helps estimate queue position once a case is current.
Can a bulletin move backward?
Yes. Retrogression can happen when demand exceeds available numbers in a category or chargeability area.
Try the estimator
Ready to test your own inputs? Use the interactive tool on the home page and compare your estimate window against this guide.