Retrogression Explained: How Visa Bulletin Dates Can Move Backward
USCIS describes visa retrogression this way: a priority date that is current one month will not be current the next month, or the cut-off date will move backward to an earlier date. USCIS says this occurs when more people apply for a visa in a particular category than there are visas available for that month, generally when the annual limit for a category or country has been exhausted or is expected to run out soon.
How do the yearly and per-country limits work?
USCIS says that, in general, family-sponsored preference visas are limited to 226,000 visas per year, and employment-based preference visas are limited to 140,000 visas per year. USCIS says there are also limits to the percentage of visas that can be allotted based on an immigrant's country of chargeability. When demand is higher than the supply of visas for a given year in any given category or country, USCIS says a visa queue, a waiting list or backlog, forms. If demand is more than supply for a particular category and country of chargeability, USCIS says the Department of State must impose a cut-off date to keep the allocation of visas within the statutory limits.
Which date applies?
Two dates matter here. The first is the priority date, which USCIS says the Department of State uses to determine an immigrant's place in the visa queue. The second is the cut-off date shown in the Visa Bulletin. USCIS says a visa is available when the priority date is earlier than the cut-off date shown for the preference category and country of chargeability in the applicable chart in the Visa Bulletin. Retrogression is when that cut-off date moves backward to an earlier date.
| Entry | What USCIS says it means |
|---|---|
| "C" | Immigrant visas are currently (immediately) available to all qualified adjustment of status applicants and overseas immigrant visa applicants in that particular preference category and country of chargeability. |
| "U" | Immigrant visas are temporarily unavailable to all applicants in that particular preference category and/or country of chargeability. |
The two monthly charts
USCIS says the Department of State, working with the Department of Homeland Security, revises the Visa Bulletin each month, and USCIS refers to two charts in it: the Final Action Dates chart and the Dates for Filing chart. According to USCIS, if it determines there are more immigrant visas available for a fiscal year than there are known applicants for such visas, it will state that the Dates for Filing chart may be used; otherwise it will indicate that the Final Action Dates chart must be used to determine when an adjustment of status application may be filed. USCIS adds that if a category is current on the Final Action Dates chart, or the cutoff date on that chart is later than the date on the Dates for Filing chart, applicants in that immigrant visa category may file using the Final Action Dates chart during that month.
USCIS says it anticipates designating one of the two charts each month within one week of the Department of State's publication of the Visa Bulletin. In the version of its filing charts page used for this guide, USCIS says the Dates for Filing chart must be used for all family-sponsored and all employment-based preference categories in the Visa Bulletin for October 2026 and in the one for November 2026.
What USCIS says happens after retrogression
USCIS says that when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1, a new supply of visa numbers becomes available, and that usually, but not always, the new supply returns the cut-off dates to where they were before retrogression. USCIS also says that if the Department of State makes any changes to either chart after publishing the Visa Bulletin, USCIS will review those changes and determine if any further action is necessary.
What is not covered and what depends on the situation
USCIS says the waiting time before receiving an immigrant visa or adjusting status depends on the demand for and supply of immigrant visas, per-country visa limitations and the number of visas allocated for the preference category, so these pages print no single waiting period. These two USCIS pages do not list the current cut-off dates themselves or explain how retrogression affects an application that is already pending.
The beach picture on this page is illustrative only: one person walks barefoot on wet sand at the edge of the sea, and water that comes in and slides back is a simple image of a cut-off date that can move backward.
Where to read the current dates
The chart USCIS designates for the current and the next month, with links to the Department of State Visa Bulletin, is on the USCIS Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin page, and the VisaNow note on source links and date labels shows where each guide lists the pages it used.
Scope of this page
This page is general information drawn from the cited USCIS pages and is not legal advice; a question about a personal situation belongs with an independent attorney, and the guide on finding authorized immigration help describes official routes.
- USCIS: Adjustment of status filing charts from the Visa Bulletin
- USCIS: Visa availability and priority dates
VisaNow.AI is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. This page is general information taken from official government pages as read on the date shown; it does not assess anyone's case. Check the official pages for current details and talk to a licensed immigration attorney about your own case.
Information current as of 2026-10-29