USCIS January 2026 visa bulletin: New update for Green Card applicants; priority dates out

State Department sets priority dates for family and employment based category visas.

The U.S. Department of State has released its January 2026 Visa Bulletin, providing updated priority dates for immigrant visa categories that guide when applicants can file for permanent residency (green cards) or have their applications approved.

State Department sets priority dates for family and employment visas(Photo by Chris DELMAS / AFP) (AFP) (HT_PRINT)

The monthly bulletin outlines the ‘Final Action Dates’ and the ‘Dates for filing applications’ across family-based and employment-based categories.

These dates dictate when many people can proceed with the green card application process, particularly those from countries like China and India that have lengthy backlogs. The most recent bulletin offers modest advancement in a few of the employment-based queues but shows little movement for family-based categories.

Family-based categories remain stalled

The bulletin for January shows that family-based priority dates, especially for India and China, have largely remained unchanged. This means that many applicants will still face long waits before their green petitions can move forward to be approved.

Here are the Final action dates for Indian applicants:

1. F1 (unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) – 8 November 2016
2. F2B (unmarried adult sons and daughters of permanent residents) - 1 December 2016
3. F3 (married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) - 8 September 2011
4. F4 (brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens) - 1 November 2006

Only the F2A category (spouses and children of permanent residents) shows a current date of 1 February 2024, allowing more recent petitions to progress than others.

Employment-based categories see modest gains

On the other hand, the January bulletin shows progress in certain employment-based visa categories for Indian applicants, giving professionals and investors some encouragement. Based on the most recent tables:

1. The EB-1 category (priority workers such as researchers and executives) has advanced to 1 February 2023 - nearly a year’s progress compared with earlier charts.
2. The EB-2 category (advanced degree professionals) and EB-3 category (skilled workers) have also experienced modest advancements in their priority dates.

These adjustments represent ongoing, albeit gradual, relief in these categories following protracted delays in earlier months and reduce wait periods for some employment-based applicants, especially those with early priority dates.