United States · green card
July 2026 Visa Bulletin is live for Green Card priority dates
The State Department has published the July 2026 Visa Bulletin, which Green Card applicants use to check priority-date movement.
The priority-date takeaway
If you are waiting for a Green Card, this update tells you which priority dates can move forward this month. It does not mean every case in that category will be approved immediately.
Green Card applicants who need the July bulletin
People with family-sponsored or employment-based Green Card cases, especially anyone tracking a priority date, preference category, or country of chargeability.
What the July 2026 bulletin can unlock
- The Visa Bulletin is the monthly official reference for family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visa cut-off dates.
- Applicants should compare both final action dates and dates for filing with USCIS adjustment-of-status guidance.
- A movement in the bulletin is a queue signal, not an individual case decision.
Visa Bulletin details to read first
The State Department lists July 2026 as the current Visa Bulletin for fiscal year 2026.
Visa Bulletin dates are shown in day-month-year format and must be read by preference category and country of chargeability.
Adjustment-of-status applicants still need to check USCIS filing guidance because the filing chart can differ from the final-action chart.
How to use the July 2026 Visa Bulletin
July 2026 Visa Bulletin
The bulletin is monthly queue information. The useful action is to match your category and country first, then read the right chart for your filing path.
Main families of cases
2
Family-sponsored and employment-based categories are listed separately.
Charts to check
2
Final action dates and dates for filing answer different questions.
USCIS filing guidance
Still needed
Adjustment-of-status applicants must check which chart USCIS accepts for the month.
| If you are | What the bulletin helps you check |
|---|---|
| Consular processing | Whether a visa number may be available before embassy scheduling |
| Adjusting status in the U.S. | Whether USCIS allows filing from the relevant chart this month |
| Not current yet | How your priority date compares with this month's category line |
| Already filed | Whether visa availability may affect final action on the case |
Official material used
- State Department Visa Bulletin for July 2026
Do not treat current as approved
- Read by preference category and country of chargeability.
- A current date is not a final approval notice.
If your priority date moved, paused, or is still waiting
Your priority date is current
Check whether USCIS is using the filing chart for your category this month if you are adjusting status. If you are consular processing, the next practical wait may be document review, interview scheduling, or embassy capacity.
Your category moved backward
Retrogression can pause progress even when your own paperwork is complete. Keep notices and documents ready, but do not treat the earlier movement as a personal approval promise.
You do not know your category
Find the preference category and country of chargeability before reading dates. Without those two pieces, the bulletin can look scarier or more hopeful than it really is.
Priority-date worries, answered
Does current mean approved?
No. Current usually means a visa number may be available for that category and priority date. Your case can still need filing, review, interview scheduling, security checks, or a final decision.
Why did someone with a later date move before me?
First check category, country of chargeability, and whether they are consular processing or adjusting status. Those differences can make timelines look unfair when they are not the same queue.
How this affects filing and final action
If your priority date becomes current, your next step depends on whether you are consular processing or adjusting status inside the United States.
If your category retrogresses, your application can remain pending even after earlier progress.
Green Card wait comparisons should be split by category and country of chargeability before comparing people with each other.
Check these before assuming you can move forward
- Find your preference category before reading any date.
- Compare your priority date against both the final action date and the date for filing.
- Check whether USCIS is accepting the filing chart for adjustment of status this month.
- Keep a record of the exact bulletin month you used when comparing your case with waits shared by other applicants.
Use the bulletin beside USCIS guidance
Use the bulletin to understand visa availability. Use USCIS case updates to understand your individual case stage.
A Visa Bulletin movement is not the same thing as USCIS case processing speed, so do not compare it directly with someone else's approval timeline.
What the bulletin does not decide
- The bulletin does not say when an individual case will be approved.
- A current priority date can unlock a next step, but missing documents, interviews, consular scheduling, or USCIS workload can still affect timing.
Help improve the wait data
Share your US Green Card application date
If this update matters to your US Green Card wait, add your application date so other readers can compare real timelines. It takes about a minute, and submissions are reviewed before they affect public wait numbers.
Official citation
Published July 1, 2026. Original source: U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin.