The May 2026 Visa Bulletin is out, and this is the opening edition of our monthly series that reads it in plain English. Each month we walk through where every employment-based category and country stands, who should be paying attention, and which chart USCIS is accepting for filing. This edition reads the current month and, in the new section below, looks at what changed since the April 2026 bulletin. Every date below is taken directly from the official Department of State chart — for your own exact cell, use our Visa Bulletin Tracker.
Which chart applies this month
Each month, USCIS tells adjustment-of-status applicants which of the bulletin's two charts they may use to file: the Final Action Dates chart or the more generous Dates for Filing chart. For May 2026, employment-based adjustment-of-status filings follow the Final Action Dates chart. That is the same chart that governs when a case can actually be approved, so this month the date that lets you file is also the date that decides your finish line. Always confirm the current instruction on the USCIS adjustment-of-status filing charts page before you file, since USCIS can choose a different chart in any given month. If the two charts are new to you, our guide on how the Visa Bulletin works explains the difference.
Where each employment category stands (May 2026)
Below is a plain-English read of the Final Action Dates for each employment-based category. Throughout, "Current" (shown as "C" in the bulletin) means there is no backlog at all for that country, so anyone with a valid priority date can move forward. A date means only applicants with a priority date earlier than that cutoff may proceed this month.
EB-1 (Priority Workers)
For most of the world, EB-1 is Current: Mexico, the Philippines, and all other countries have no cutoff this month. The two exceptions are China and India, which both sit at a Final Action Date of 1 April 2023. If you were born in China or India and your EB-1 priority date is before that day, you are current; if it is after, you are still in line.
EB-2 (Advanced Degree / Exceptional Ability)
EB-2 is Current for Mexico, the Philippines, and all other countries. China stands at 1 September 2021, while India remains the most backlogged at 15 July 2014. For India-born EB-2 applicants in particular, the line continues to stretch back more than a decade, which is why many in that group also weigh whether they qualify for EB-1.
EB-3 (Skilled Workers & Professionals)
EB-3 shows a cutoff for every country this month. China is at 15 June 2021 and India at 15 November 2013. Mexico and all other countries share a Final Action Date of 1 June 2024, and the Philippines sits at 1 August 2023. Notably, for China the EB-3 date (June 2021) is earlier than its EB-2 date (September 2021) — a reminder that the "higher" category is not always the faster one for a given country.
EB-3 Other Workers
The Other Workers subcategory of EB-3 runs behind the main EB-3 line for several countries. China is at 1 February 2019, India at 15 November 2013, the Philippines at 1 November 2021, and both Mexico and all other countries at 1 February 2022. If your job is classified as "other worker," this is the row that applies to you rather than the main EB-3 figure above.
EB-4 (Special Immigrants)
EB-4, including the Certain Religious Workers subcategory, carries the same Final Action Date of 15 July 2022 across every country this month — China, India, Mexico, the Philippines, and all others alike. So for EB-4, the relevant question is simply whether your priority date falls before that single July 2022 cutoff.
EB-5 (Immigrant Investors)
The investor categories split in two. Under EB-5 Unreserved, China has a Final Action Date of 22 September 2016 and India of 1 May 2022, while Mexico, the Philippines, and all other countries are Current. The three set-aside categories — Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure — are Current for every country this month, including China and India. That makes the set-aside paths the one corner of the employment-based system where China- and India-born investors face no cutoff date right now.
For your own category and country, the Visa Bulletin Tracker reads the exact cell for you, and the Priority Date Calculator tells you instantly whether a specific priority date is current.
What moved from April 2026
This edition begins our month-over-month read: a plain look at which Final Action Dates changed since the April 2026 bulletin. The headline is that movement was modest this month — most employment-based categories and countries held exactly where they were in April, with no change at all. Below are the cutoffs that did move, taken directly from the official Department of State charts for the two months.
In EB-3 Other Workers, the worldwide line — the date that also applies to Mexico — advanced from 1 November 2021 to 1 February 2022, a step forward of about three months. This is the Other Workers subcategory specifically, which runs on its own date behind the main EB-3 line, so it affects applicants whose jobs are classified as "other workers" rather than skilled or professional roles.
In EB-5 Unreserved, China moved from 1 September 2016 to 22 September 2016, a smaller advance of about three weeks. Every other EB-5 figure, including the Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure set-asides, stayed unchanged.
Every other category and country we track — EB-1, EB-2, the main EB-3 line, EB-4, and the EB-5 set-asides — held steady between April and May, showing no movement in their Final Action Dates. A flat month is completely normal, and we do not read any direction into it or predict where these dates go next. To see how each of these dates has trended across the last 13 months rather than just two, our EB Visa Bulletin Trends chart plots the full trajectory by category and country.
Who should pay attention
A few groups stand out this month. China- and India-born applicants in EB-2 and EB-3 remain in the longest lines — India's EB-2 cutoff in particular reaches all the way back to 2014 — so for many of them the practical question is whether another category or a future filing window might help. At the same time, the EB-5 set-aside categories are Current for every country, which keeps them an option worth understanding for investors from heavily backlogged countries. And anyone whose category is Current should remember that "Current" reflects this month only and is not a guarantee for the months ahead. We are not predicting where any of these dates will go; we are describing only what the May 2026 chart shows.
A note on retrogression
Cutoff dates do not only move forward. A date can sit still for months, and it can also move backward — a phenomenon called retrogression — when demand outpaces the visa numbers available, which tends to happen later in the government's fiscal year (October through September). Because of this, a category that is Current or fast-moving today can tighten with little notice. We do not forecast specific movement in this series; for the mechanics of why dates retrogress and how they usually recover when the new fiscal year begins, see our guide on how the Visa Bulletin works.
This analysis is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. The official Visa Bulletin and USCIS guidance always control, and immigration law is complex and fact-specific. For advice about your individual situation, consult a licensed immigration attorney or accredited representative.
Frequently asked questions
For May 2026, USCIS is accepting the Final Action Dates chart for employment-based adjustment-of-status filings. USCIS makes this choice month by month, so always confirm the current instruction on the USCIS adjustment-of-status filing charts page before you file.
Current, shown as 'C' in the bulletin, means there is no backlog for that category and country. A visa number is available to anyone with a valid priority date, so you are not waiting on a cutoff date to reach you.
Yes. Cutoff dates often sit still for a month or more, especially later in the government fiscal year when annual or per-country limits are tight. A flat month does not mean anything has gone wrong with your case, and we do not predict which direction a date will move next.
We publish a new read of the employment-based Visa Bulletin each month after the U.S. Department of State releases it. From next month onward, each edition will also note what changed since the prior month.
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