The U.S. Department of State’s June 2026 Visa Bulletin is now available, and immigration practitioners have been sharing it widely so that employment- and family-based applicants can check their priority dates for the month. For EB-2 and National Interest Waiver (NIW) petitioners in particular, the monthly bulletin is the single most important document for knowing when a green card number is available.
Each Visa Bulletin publishes two sets of charts. The “Final Action Dates” chart governs when an immigrant visa or adjustment of status can actually be approved and the green card issued. The “Dates for Filing” chart governs when an applicant may submit their adjustment-of-status paperwork to USCIS. Crucially, USCIS announces each month which of the two charts it will accept for adjustment-of-status filings, so applicants should confirm that determination rather than assuming the more favorable chart applies.
For employment-based categories, applicants should locate their preference category (such as EB-1, EB-2, or EB-3) and read across to their country of chargeability. Applicants chargeable to Rest-of-World countries often see more favorable dates than those born in heavily backlogged chargeability areas, where cutoff dates can sit years in the past. A priority date that is earlier than the listed cutoff — or a category marked “C” for current — means a visa number is available.
Because the bulletin updates every month and can advance, hold, or retrogress depending on demand and the federal fiscal-year calendar, applicants are advised to verify the figures directly against the official version on the State Department’s travel.state.gov website each month. As the fiscal year heads toward its September 30 close, late-year demand can move dates in either direction, making it worth checking the June and upcoming July bulletins side by side.
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Source: X (Twitter) @AttorneyMarlene