The US Department of State announced on Wednesday, December 17, the visa bulletin for January 2026, outlining the priority dates for immigrant visas, also known as green card visas.
The visas are divided into two categories: Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based. Each category includes an A chart for Application Final Action Dates (FAD) and a B chart for Dates for Filing Applications (DFA).
Among applicants born in mainland China, the priority dates for the F2A family-sponsored green card category have advanced by one month, while F2B has moved up by 7 days, with the rest remaining unchanged.
In the employment-based green card category, the final approval priority date for third-preference non-skilled workers has advanced by 1 year, marking the most significant leap. The filing dates for third-preference applicants have not changed, while other categories have moved forward from 10 days to 4 months.
The A chart provides the date when the immigration authority can approve a green card. Applicants who submit their petitions (e.g., I-140/I-130/I-526) before the published date have a chance of approval in the same month.
The B chart indicates the priority date when the immigration authority can accept green card applications. This date is typically mentioned on the Notice of Action received after submitting the petition, labor certification approval, or I-140 receipt. It is always earlier than the A chart. Applicants whose priority dates precede the dates in the B chart can submit their I-485 applications in the same month.
The US Congress allocates family-based immigration visas annually as follows:
– First preference F1: Unmarried adult children of US citizens, 23,400 visas per year.
– Second preference F2-A, F2-B: Spouses and unmarried children under 21 of permanent residents, and unmarried adult children of permanent residents, 114,200 visas per year.
– Third preference F3: Married children of US citizens, 23,400 visas per year.
– Fourth preference F4: Siblings of adult US citizens, 65,000 visas per year.
The US Congress annually allocates approximately 140,000 employment-based immigrant visas across five preference areas:
– First preference EB-1: Outstanding researchers, professors, multinational executives.
– Second preference EB-2: Professionals with advanced degrees, individuals with exceptional abilities in arts, sciences, or business.
– Third preference EB-3: Skilled workers, professionals, and other workers without advanced degrees.
– Fourth preference EB-4: Special immigrants including religious workers.
– Fifth preference EB-5: Investors, with subcategories like Unreserved for direct investment, regional center projects, and Set-Asides for rural areas, high unemployment regions, and government infrastructure projects.
Regarding US immigration policy, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau are considered separate territories from mainland China, and their visa quotas are not included in the “China mainland” category. However, due to the CCP’s “one country, two systems” policy, Hong Kong is now subject to the same EB-5 visa bulletin system as mainland China.