Visa Bulletin Tracker

EB-2 — China (mainland-born)

Employment-based preference · Final Action Dates 1 September 2021 · Dates for Filing 1 January 2022 · July 2026 bulletin

In the July 2026 Visa Bulletin, EB-2 for China (mainland-born) has a Final Action Dates cut-off of 1 September 2021 and a Dates for Filing cut-off of 1 January 2022. The Final Action cut-off has been advancing, so the page shows its measured pace and what that pace would imply for a given priority date — as an estimate, never a prediction. This page carries the full published history State printed for this combination: 254 Final Action Dates bulletins back to January 2005, and 130 Dates for Filing bulletins back to October 2015 — every cut-off, every month it moved, and the exact text State printed in each cell. It reports what was published; it is not legal advice.

Source bulletin July 2026 U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs — Visa Bulletin. A work of the U.S. Government, in the public domain (17 U.S.C. §105). Every figure below is the one State printed, kept with its exact source text.

The July 2026 cut-offs

State publishes two charts for EB-2, and they are not interchangeable. Both are shown here as printed. China (mainland-born) has its own column because demand from applicants chargeable there exceeds the per-country limit, so its cut-offs are usually further behind than the "all other countries" column.

This is not legal advice This page republishes cut-off dates exactly as the State Department published them. It cannot tell you what will happen to your case, and being current in a chart is not the same as a visa being issued. Cut-off dates routinely stall, and they can move backward without warning. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed immigration attorney.

Final Action Dates

The chart that decides whether a visa can be issued. State has published a Final Action Dates figure for EB-2 / China (mainland-born) in 254 bulletins since January 2005.

Final Action Dates: when would a priority date be reached?

The cut-off to compare against The Final Action Dates cut-off in the July 2026 bulletin is 1 September 2021. A priority date earlier than that has been reached.

The date your petition was filed — it is printed on your I-797 receipt notice. Nothing is sent anywhere: this runs entirely in your browser.

Enter a priority date to compare it against the July 2026 cut-off of 1 September 2021.

Any estimate here is an estimate Estimate only. It projects the cut-off forward at its average pace over the trailing published bulletins and assumes that pace holds. It is not a prediction and not a guarantee: cut-off dates routinely stall, and they can move BACKWARD (retrogress) without warning. Not legal advice.

How fast has this cut-off actually moved?
Measured movement of the Final Action Dates cut-off over its trailing published bulletins. This describes what already happened. It is not a forecast, and it is not what any estimate on this page is computed from.
Window Bulletins used Total movement Average per month
Last 3 bulletins April 2026 – July 2026 3 of 3 carried a measurable move 0 days about 0 days
Last 6 bulletins January 2026 – July 2026 6 of 6 carried a measurable move 0 days about 0 days
Last 12 bulletins July 2025 – July 2026 12 of 12 carried a measurable move 260 days forward about 21.7 days forward

This table describes what already happened; it is not a forecast and it is not what any estimate on this page is computed from. A pace can be zero, or negative when the cut-off has been moving backward, and some windows have nothing measurable in them at all — a category that spent the window Current or Unavailable has no distance to average. A category State has stopped moving can also keep showing a pace from a window that closed years ago, which describes that window and nothing since.

Final Action Dates — the full published history January 2005 – July 2026 · 254 published bulletins · cut-offs from 1 January 2000 to 1 September 2021
Final Action Dates: EB-2, China (mainland-born), January 2005 – July 2026 Final Action Dates for EB-2, China (mainland-born), January 2005 – July 2026. 239 of 254 published bulletins carry a dated cut-off, ranging from 1 January 2000 to 1 September 2021. Current (no backlog) in 10 months. Unavailable (no visas issued) in 5 months. 8 retrogressions (the cut-off moving backward) are marked. 3 breaks in the line where months are missing; the line is never drawn across them. C Current — no backlog: January 2005 to September 2005 (9 bulletins) Current — no backlog: July 2007 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 No bulletin in the public record: March 2009. The line is not drawn across it. No bulletin in the public record: September 2009 to November 2009. The line is not drawn across it. No bulletin in the public record: October 2012. The line is not drawn across it. Retrogressed December 2007: 1 January 2006 back to 1 January 2003 (1,096 days backward) Retrogressed October 2008: 1 August 2006 back to 1 April 2004 (852 days backward) Retrogressed July 2009: 15 February 2005 back to 1 January 2000 (1,872 days backward) Retrogressed May 2012: 1 May 2010 back to 15 August 2007 (990 days backward) Retrogressed September 2015: 15 December 2013 back to 1 January 2006 (2,905 days backward) Retrogressed June 2016: 1 September 2012 back to 1 January 2010 (974 days backward) Retrogressed September 2018: 1 March 2015 back to 1 January 2013 (789 days backward) Retrogressed October 2019: 1 January 2017 back to 1 January 2015 (731 days backward) U Unavailable — no visas issued: August 2007 Unavailable — no visas issued: June 2012 to September 2012 (4 bulletins) 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Every published cut-off is on the line above; the table below lists every month it moved.

  • Published cut-off date
  • Retrogression — the cut-off moved backward (8)
  • C — Current: no backlog. Not a date, so it is not on the line
  • U — Unavailable: no visas issued. Not a date either
  • No bulletin in the public record — the line stops rather than crossing it
Final Action Dates — the 24 most recent of 174 bulletins in which this cut-off changed, newest first. Months in which it held steady are not listed: it held in 80 of the published bulletins. Direction is shown by the ↑ / ↓ glyph and the word, never by colour alone.
Bulletin From To What changed
January 20261 June 20211 September 2021Advanced92 days
December 20251 April 20211 June 2021Advanced61 days
October 202515 December 20201 April 2021Advanced107 days
July 20251 December 202015 December 2020Advanced14 days
June 20251 October 20201 December 2020Advanced61 days
April 20258 May 20201 October 2020Advanced146 days
March 202522 April 20208 May 2020Advanced16 days
January 202522 March 202022 April 2020Advanced31 days
October 20241 March 202022 March 2020Advanced21 days
July 20241 February 20201 March 2020Advanced29 days
April 20241 January 20201 February 2020Advanced31 days
January 202422 October 20191 January 2020Advanced71 days
December 20231 October 201922 October 2019Advanced21 days
October 20238 July 20191 October 2019Advanced85 days
August 20238 June 20198 July 2019Advanced30 days
October 20221 April 20198 June 2019Advanced68 days
July 20221 March 20191 April 2019Advanced31 days
February 202222 January 20191 March 2019Advanced38 days
January 20221 January 201922 January 2019Advanced21 days
December 202115 November 20181 January 2019Advanced47 days
November 20211 July 201815 November 2018Advanced137 days
September 20211 April 20181 July 2018Advanced91 days
August 20211 December 20171 April 2018Advanced121 days
July 20211 May 20171 December 2017Advanced214 days
Show the earlier 150 changes — back to January 2005
The remaining 150 bulletins in which the Final Action Dates cut-off changed, newest first, back to January 2005. 3 of these span more than one month, because State published no bulletin for the months named in the row — the change is real, but it did not happen in a single month, and is not shown as if it did.
Bulletin From To What changed
June 20211 December 20161 May 2017Advanced151 days
May 20211 September 20161 December 2016Advanced91 days
April 202115 July 20161 September 2016Advanced48 days
March 202115 June 201615 July 2016Advanced30 days
February 20211 June 201615 June 2016Advanced14 days
January 20211 May 20161 June 2016Advanced31 days
December 202022 April 20161 May 2016Advanced9 days
November 20201 March 201622 April 2016Advanced52 days
October 202015 January 20161 March 2016Advanced46 days
August 20208 November 201515 January 2016Advanced68 days
July 20201 November 20158 November 2015Advanced7 days
June 20201 October 20151 November 2015Advanced31 days
May 20201 September 20151 October 2015Advanced30 days
April 202015 August 20151 September 2015Advanced17 days
March 202015 July 201515 August 2015Advanced31 days
February 20201 July 201515 July 2015Advanced14 days
January 202022 June 20151 July 2015Advanced9 days
December 201915 March 201522 June 2015Advanced99 days
November 20191 January 201515 March 2015Advanced73 days
October 20191 January 20171 January 2015Retrogressed731 days
August 20191 November 20161 January 2017Advanced61 days
July 20191 August 20161 November 2016Advanced92 days
June 201915 May 20161 August 2016Advanced78 days
May 20191 April 201615 May 2016Advanced44 days
April 20191 January 20161 April 2016Advanced91 days
March 20191 October 20151 January 2016Advanced92 days
February 20191 August 20151 October 2015Advanced61 days
January 20191 July 20151 August 2015Advanced31 days
December 201815 May 20151 July 2015Advanced47 days
November 20181 April 201515 May 2015Advanced44 days
October 20181 January 20131 April 2015Advanced820 days
September 20181 March 20151 January 2013Retrogressed789 days
August 20181 January 20151 March 2015Advanced59 days
July 20181 September 20141 January 2015Advanced122 days
May 20181 August 20141 September 2014Advanced31 days
April 20188 December 20131 August 2014Advanced236 days
March 20181 October 20138 December 2013Advanced68 days
February 20188 August 20131 October 2013Advanced54 days
January 20181 July 20138 August 2013Advanced38 days
December 201715 June 20131 July 2013Advanced16 days
November 201722 May 201315 June 2013Advanced24 days
October 201715 May 201322 May 2013Advanced7 days
September 201722 April 201315 May 2013Advanced23 days
August 201722 March 201322 April 2013Advanced31 days
July 20171 March 201322 March 2013Advanced21 days
June 20178 February 20131 March 2013Advanced21 days
May 201715 January 20138 February 2013Advanced24 days
April 201715 December 201215 January 2013Advanced31 days
March 201715 November 201215 December 2012Advanced30 days
February 201715 October 201215 November 2012Advanced31 days
January 201722 September 201215 October 2012Advanced23 days
December 201615 July 201222 September 2012Advanced69 days
November 201615 February 201215 July 2012Advanced151 days
October 20161 January 201015 February 2012Advanced775 days
June 20161 September 20121 January 2010Retrogressed974 days
April 20161 August 20121 September 2012Advanced31 days
March 20161 March 20121 August 2012Advanced153 days
February 20161 February 20121 March 2012Advanced29 days
November 20151 January 20121 February 2012Advanced31 days
October 20151 January 20061 January 2012Advanced2,191 days
September 201515 December 20131 January 2006Retrogressed2,905 days
August 20151 October 201315 December 2013Advanced75 days
July 20151 June 20131 October 2013Advanced122 days
June 20151 June 20121 June 2013Advanced365 days
May 20151 April 20111 June 2012Advanced427 days
April 20151 September 20101 April 2011Advanced212 days
March 201515 March 20101 September 2010Advanced170 days
February 20151 February 201015 March 2010Advanced42 days
January 20151 January 20101 February 2010Advanced31 days
December 20148 December 20091 January 2010Advanced24 days
November 201415 November 20098 December 2009Advanced23 days
October 20148 October 200915 November 2009Advanced38 days
August 20141 July 20098 October 2009Advanced99 days
July 201422 May 20091 July 2009Advanced40 days
June 201415 April 200922 May 2009Advanced37 days
May 20148 March 200915 April 2009Advanced38 days
April 201415 February 20098 March 2009Advanced21 days
March 20148 January 200915 February 2009Advanced38 days
February 20148 December 20088 January 2009Advanced31 days
January 20148 November 20088 December 2008Advanced30 days
December 20138 October 20088 November 2008Advanced31 days
November 201315 September 20088 October 2008Advanced23 days
October 20138 August 200815 September 2008Advanced38 days
July 201315 July 20088 August 2008Advanced24 days
June 201315 May 200815 July 2008Advanced61 days
May 20131 April 200815 May 2008Advanced44 days
April 201315 February 20081 April 2008Advanced46 days
March 201315 January 200815 February 2008Advanced31 days
February 20138 December 200715 January 2008Advanced38 days
January 201322 October 20078 December 2007Advanced47 days
December 20121 September 200722 October 2007Advanced51 days
November 2012 over 2 months, from the September 2012 bulletin — no bulletin was published for October 2012Unavailable1 September 2007Became available again
June 201215 August 2007UnavailableBecame Unavailable
May 20121 May 201015 August 2007Retrogressed990 days
March 20121 January 20101 May 2010Advanced120 days
February 20121 January 20091 January 2010Advanced365 days
January 201215 March 20081 January 2009Advanced292 days
December 20111 November 200715 March 2008Advanced135 days
November 201115 July 20071 November 2007Advanced109 days
October 201115 April 200715 July 2007Advanced91 days
August 20118 March 200715 April 2007Advanced38 days
July 201115 October 20068 March 2007Advanced144 days
June 20111 August 200615 October 2006Advanced75 days
May 201122 July 20061 August 2006Advanced10 days
April 20118 July 200622 July 2006Advanced14 days
March 20111 July 20068 July 2006Advanced7 days
February 201122 June 20061 July 2006Advanced9 days
January 20118 June 200622 June 2006Advanced14 days
December 20101 June 20068 June 2006Advanced7 days
November 201022 May 20061 June 2006Advanced10 days
October 20108 May 200622 May 2006Advanced14 days
September 20101 March 20068 May 2006Advanced68 days
August 201022 November 20051 March 2006Advanced99 days
June 201022 September 200522 November 2005Advanced61 days
May 201022 August 200522 September 2005Advanced31 days
April 20108 July 200522 August 2005Advanced45 days
March 201022 May 20058 July 2005Advanced47 days
February 20101 May 200522 May 2005Advanced21 days
January 20101 April 20051 May 2005Advanced30 days
December 2009 over 4 months, from the August 2009 bulletin — no bulletin was published for September 2009, October 2009, November 20091 October 20031 April 2005Advanced548 days
August 20091 January 20001 October 2003Advanced1,369 days
July 200915 February 20051 January 2000Retrogressed1,872 days
April 2009 over 2 months, from the February 2009 bulletin — no bulletin was published for March 20091 January 200515 February 2005Advanced45 days
February 20098 July 20041 January 2005Advanced177 days
January 20091 June 20048 July 2004Advanced37 days
November 20081 April 20041 June 2004Advanced61 days
October 20081 August 20061 April 2004Retrogressed852 days
September 20081 June 20061 August 2006Advanced61 days
August 20081 April 20041 June 2006Advanced791 days
June 20081 January 20041 April 2004Advanced91 days
May 20081 December 20031 January 2004Advanced31 days
March 20081 January 20031 December 2003Advanced334 days
December 20071 January 20061 January 2003Retrogressed1,096 days
September 2007Unavailable1 January 2006Became available again
August 2007CurrentUnavailableCurrent to Unavailable
July 20071 January 2006CurrentBecame Current
June 200722 April 20051 January 2006Advanced254 days
December 200615 April 200522 April 2005Advanced7 days
November 20061 April 200515 April 2005Advanced14 days
October 20061 March 20051 April 2005Advanced31 days
July 20061 July 20041 March 2005Advanced243 days
June 20061 January 20041 July 2004Advanced182 days
May 20061 January 20031 January 2004Advanced365 days
April 20061 July 20021 January 2003Advanced184 days
March 20061 April 20021 July 2002Advanced91 days
February 20061 June 20011 April 2002Advanced304 days
January 20061 February 20011 June 2001Advanced120 days
December 20051 May 20001 February 2001Advanced276 days
October 2005Current1 May 2000Retrogressed from Current
January 2005not publishedCurrentFirst published

Dates for Filing

The chart that decides when an application may be submitted — usually the more optimistic of the two. It did not exist before October 2015, so its history is shorter by design, not by omission: 130 bulletins since October 2015.

Dates for Filing: when would a priority date be reached?

The cut-off to compare against The Dates for Filing cut-off in the July 2026 bulletin is 1 January 2022. A priority date earlier than that has been reached.

The date your petition was filed — it is printed on your I-797 receipt notice. Nothing is sent anywhere: this runs entirely in your browser.

Enter a priority date to compare it against the July 2026 cut-off of 1 January 2022.

Any estimate here is an estimate Estimate only. It projects the cut-off forward at its average pace over the trailing published bulletins and assumes that pace holds. It is not a prediction and not a guarantee: cut-off dates routinely stall, and they can move BACKWARD (retrogress) without warning. Not legal advice.

How fast has this cut-off actually moved?
Measured movement of the Dates for Filing cut-off over its trailing published bulletins. This describes what already happened. It is not a forecast, and it is not what any estimate on this page is computed from.
Window Bulletins used Total movement Average per month
Last 3 bulletins April 2026 – July 2026 3 of 3 carried a measurable move 0 days about 0 days
Last 6 bulletins January 2026 – July 2026 6 of 6 carried a measurable move 0 days about 0 days
Last 12 bulletins July 2025 – July 2026 12 of 12 carried a measurable move 365 days forward about 30.4 days forward

This table describes what already happened; it is not a forecast and it is not what any estimate on this page is computed from. A pace can be zero, or negative when the cut-off has been moving backward, and some windows have nothing measurable in them at all — a category that spent the window Current or Unavailable has no distance to average. A category State has stopped moving can also keep showing a pace from a window that closed years ago, which describes that window and nothing since.

Dates for Filing — the full published history October 2015 – July 2026 · 130 published bulletins · cut-offs from 1 January 2013 to 1 January 2022
Dates for Filing: EB-2, China (mainland-born), October 2015 – July 2026 Dates for Filing for EB-2, China (mainland-born), October 2015 – July 2026. 130 of 130 published bulletins carry a dated cut-off, ranging from 1 January 2013 to 1 January 2022. 2 retrogressions (the cut-off moving backward) are marked. C 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Retrogressed October 2016: 1 June 2013 back to 1 March 2013 (92 days backward) Retrogressed October 2019: 1 June 2017 back to 1 August 2016 (304 days backward) U 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026

Every published cut-off is on the line above; the table below lists every month it moved.

  • Published cut-off date
  • Retrogression — the cut-off moved backward (2)
Dates for Filing — the 24 most recent of 36 bulletins in which this cut-off changed, newest first. Months in which it held steady are not listed: it held in 94 of the published bulletins. Direction is shown by the ↑ / ↓ glyph and the word, never by colour alone.
Bulletin From To What changed
January 20261 December 20211 January 2022Advanced31 days
October 20251 January 20211 December 2021Advanced334 days
June 20251 November 20201 January 2021Advanced61 days
April 20251 October 20201 November 2020Advanced31 days
October 20241 June 20201 October 2020Advanced122 days
January 20241 January 20201 June 2020Advanced152 days
October 20238 October 20191 January 2020Advanced85 days
August 20238 July 20198 October 2019Advanced92 days
October 20221 May 20198 July 2019Advanced68 days
July 20221 April 20191 May 2019Advanced30 days
December 20211 February 20191 April 2019Advanced59 days
November 20211 September 20181 February 2019Advanced153 days
September 20211 July 20181 September 2018Advanced62 days
July 20211 January 20181 July 2018Advanced181 days
June 20211 July 20171 January 2018Advanced184 days
May 20211 January 20171 July 2017Advanced181 days
April 20211 October 20161 January 2017Advanced92 days
October 20201 August 20161 October 2016Advanced61 days
October 20191 June 20171 August 2016Retrogressed304 days
September 20191 February 20171 June 2017Advanced120 days
July 20191 November 20161 February 2017Advanced92 days
June 20191 September 20161 November 2016Advanced61 days
May 20191 July 20161 September 2016Advanced62 days
April 20191 May 20161 July 2016Advanced61 days
Show the earlier 12 changes — back to October 2015
The remaining 12 bulletins in which the Dates for Filing cut-off changed, newest first, back to October 2015.
Bulletin From To What changed
March 20191 November 20151 May 2016Advanced182 days
February 20198 September 20151 November 2015Advanced54 days
December 201815 June 20158 September 2015Advanced85 days
October 20181 April 201515 June 2015Advanced75 days
July 20181 February 20151 April 2015Advanced59 days
March 201815 November 20141 February 2015Advanced78 days
February 201815 November 201315 November 2014Advanced365 days
October 20171 October 201315 November 2013Advanced45 days
May 20171 March 20131 October 2013Advanced214 days
October 20161 June 20131 March 2013Retrogressed92 days
March 20161 January 20131 June 2013Advanced151 days
October 2015not published1 January 2013First published

How to read this page

What a priority date is

A priority date is the date that fixes your place in the queue for an immigrant visa number. For most family-sponsored categories it is the date the petition was filed; for employment-based categories that require labour certification, it is the date that certification was filed. It is printed on the I-797 receipt or approval notice. Your priority date does not move — the cut-off moves toward it.

Congress caps how many immigrant visas may be issued each year, both in total per category and per country of chargeability. When more people want a category than the cap allows, a queue forms, and State publishes a cut-off date each month: the priority date it has reached. If your priority date is earlier than the cut-off, your turn has come in that chart.

Why China (mainland-born) has its own column

Chargeability is normally your country of birth — not your citizenship or where you live. State gives China (mainland-born) its own column because demand from applicants chargeable there exceeds the per-country limit, so its queue is tracked separately and its cut-offs are usually further behind than the "all other countries" column. Applicants from countries without their own column are all counted together in that column instead.

The two charts are not interchangeable

Final Action Dates is when a visa can actually be issued or a green card approved. Dates for Filing is when the application may be submitted; it is usually the earlier and more optimistic of the two, and being past it does not mean a visa can be issued. Which chart U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will accept for adjustment-of-status filings is announced by USCIS each month and is not decided by State or by this site. The Dates for Filing chart was introduced in October 2015 and does not exist for any earlier bulletin.

What Current and Unavailable mean

Current (printed C) means there is no backlog at all: every priority date in the category is being acted on. Unavailable (printed U) means no visas are being issued in the category at all that month — usually because the annual limit has been reached. Neither is a date, and neither can be compared to one, so this site never plots them on a date axis and never projects from them.

Retrogression: the cut-off can move backward

A cut-off is not a promise and does not only move forward. When more people apply than the annual limit allows — often after a period of rapid advancement draws in filings — State pulls the cut-off back to an earlier date. This is called retrogression, and it can undo years of progress in a single bulletin. It has happened 359 times across the whole published record this site holds. The largest on record is F3 for Mexico in August 2006, which moved back 12.79 years in one month. Retrogressions on this page are marked on the chart with a ▼ mark and listed in the movement tables with a ↓ glyph — never by colour alone.

Frequently asked questions

What is the EB-2 priority date cut-off for China (mainland-born) in the July 2026 Visa Bulletin?
The Final Action Dates cut-off is 1 September 2021 and the Dates for Filing cut-off is 1 January 2022. State printed those cells as "01SEP21" and "01JAN22". A priority date earlier than 1 September 2021 has been reached in the Final Action chart.
What is the difference between Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing for EB-2?
They answer different questions and they are not interchangeable. Final Action Dates is when a visa can actually be issued or a green card approved. Dates for Filing is when the application may be submitted — it is usually the earlier and more optimistic of the two, and being past it does not mean a visa can be issued. For EB-2 and China (mainland-born) in the July 2026 bulletin they read 1 September 2021 and 1 January 2022 respectively. Which chart U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services accepts for adjustment-of-status filings is announced by USCIS each month and is not decided by this site. The Dates for Filing chart did not exist before October 2015.
What is a priority date?
A priority date is the date that fixes your place in the queue for a visa number. For most family-sponsored and employment-based categories it is the date the petition was filed with the government (for employment categories requiring labour certification, it is the date that certification was filed). It is printed on the I-797 receipt or approval notice. The Visa Bulletin publishes a cut-off date each month for each category and country of chargeability; if your priority date is earlier than the cut-off, your turn has come in that chart. Your priority date never changes on its own — the cut-off moves toward it.
Has the EB-2 cut-off for China (mainland-born) ever moved backward?
Yes. Moving backward is called retrogression, and it happens when more people apply in a category than the annual limit allows, forcing State to pull the cut-off back to an earlier date. This combination has retrogressed 13 times in the published record — 11 in the Final Action Dates chart and 2 in the Dates for Filing chart. The largest was in September 2015, when the Final Action cut-off moved back from 15 December 2013 to 1 January 2006 — 2,905 days, or about 8.0 years, in a single bulletin.
When will a priority date in EB-2 become current for China (mainland-born)?
Nobody can tell you that, and this site does not claim to. What can be measured is the pace: over the trailing published bulletins the Final Action Dates cut-off has advanced by an average of about 21.7 days per bulletin. The tool on this page projects the published cut-off of 1 September 2021 forward at that pace to estimate which bulletin would reach a given priority date. That is an estimate and assumes the pace holds. It is not a prediction and not a guarantee: cut-off dates routinely stall, and they can move backward without warning. This is not legal advice.
Where does this EB-2 history come from, and how far back does it go?
Every figure is the one the U.S. Department of State printed in its monthly Visa Bulletin, kept alongside the exact cell text it came from. This page carries 254 Final Action Dates bulletins back to January 2005 and 130 Dates for Filing bulletins back to October 2015. The Visa Bulletin is a work of the U.S. Government and is in the public domain (17 U.S.C. section 105). 5 months are absent from the public record in that span (March 2009, September 2009, October 2009, November 2009, October 2012); they are shown as a break in the chart and are never filled in from a neighbouring month.

Source and method

Every figure on this page is read from the U.S. Department of State's monthly Visa Bulletin — the July 2026 edition for the current cut-offs, and each bulletin's own edition for the history. The Visa Bulletin is a work of the U.S. Government prepared by federal employees in the course of their duties, and is therefore in the public domain under 17 U.S.C. §105. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the U.S. Department of State or any government agency.

This page carries 384 published cut-off cells for EB-2 / China (mainland-born) and 210 recorded changes across both charts. Each cell is stored with the exact text State printed for it (the 01SEP21 shown above is the source's own), so every figure here is traceable back to the bulletin it came from.

5 months in the December 2001 to July 2026 span are absent from the public record — March 2009, September 2009, October 2009, November 2009, October 2012. They are recorded as gaps and shown as breaks in the charts above, never filled in from a neighbouring month.

Data version visa-bulletin-derived-v1 · 291 bulletins, December 2001 to July 2026 · Next monthly bulletin. The State Department publishes one bulletin per month, typically mid-month for the following month; past bulletins are immutable once published.

All 75 categories in the July 2026 bulletin →