The US Department of State has published the April 2026 Visa Bulletin, showing when applicants can advance in the immigration process. It explains both Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing, which guide visa approval and status adjustment timelines.
Immigrant visas are allocated according to applicants’ priority dates, processed in order of submission up to March 4, 2026. If demand surpasses available visas categories become oversubscribed and cut-off dates are applied, delaying processing for later applicants.
For fiscal 2026, the US limits family-sponsored visas to 226,000 worldwide, while employment-based visas have a minimum allocation of 140,000. These annual limits determine how many applicants in each category can be granted visas during the year.
Each country is allowed a maximum of 7% of all visas, equalling 25,620. Dependent territories face a tighter 2% limit or 7,320 visas, preventing any single nation or region from monopolising the annual US visa allocations.
Countries including India, China, Mexico, and the Philippines continue to see high demand for US visas. These nations remain oversubscribed, meaning applicants from these regions often face longer waiting periods due to limited visa availability.
Meanwhile, Family-sponsored immigration is divided into four categories. These include unmarried children of US citizens, families of permanent residents, married children of citizens and siblings of adult citizens, with each category receiving a fixed annual allocation.
The F2 category, with 114,200 visas, is divided into F2A and F2B. F2A covers spouses and children of permanent residents, while F2B applies to unmarried adult children aged 21 and above, with separate quota shares.
On the other hand , Employment-based visas are divided into five groups. EB-1 covers priority workers, EB-2 includes advanced degree professionals, and EB-3 applies to skilled and some unskilled workers, each receiving 28.6% of the total annual quota.
Alongside this, EB-4 and EB-5 categories receive 7.1% each. EB-5 investor visas reserve 32% for targeted investments, including rural, high-unemploymentand infrastructure projects, while the remaining 68% is available for general investment applicants.
