Visa Bulletin Tracker

F1 — All other countries

Family-sponsored preference · Final Action Dates 1 February 2018 · Dates for Filing 1 January 2019 · July 2026 bulletin

In the July 2026 Visa Bulletin, F1 for All other countries has a Final Action Dates cut-off of 1 February 2018 and a Dates for Filing cut-off of 1 January 2019. 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: 291 Final Action Dates bulletins back to December 2001, 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 F1, and they are not interchangeable. Both are shown here as printed. This is the All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed column — it covers every country that does not have a column of its own, which is most of the world. It is not a worldwide figure.

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 F1 / All other countries in 291 bulletins since December 2001.

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 February 2018. 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 February 2018.

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 276 days forward about 92 days forward
Last 6 bulletins January 2026 – July 2026 6 of 6 carried a measurable move 450 days forward about 75 days forward
Last 12 bulletins July 2025 – July 2026 12 of 12 carried a measurable move 566 days forward about 47.2 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 December 2001 – July 2026 · 291 published bulletins · cut-offs from 1 July 1995 to 1 February 2018
Final Action Dates: F1, All other countries, December 2001 – July 2026 Final Action Dates for F1, All other countries, December 2001 – July 2026. 291 of 291 published bulletins carry a dated cut-off, ranging from 1 July 1995 to 1 February 2018. 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 2000 2005 2010 2015 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 June 2002: 1 March 1999 back to 1 July 1995 (1,339 days backward) Retrogressed November 2003: 15 May 2000 back to 15 January 2000 (121 days backward) Retrogressed July 2006: 22 April 2001 back to 1 January 2000 (477 days backward) Retrogressed August 2006: 1 January 2000 back to 1 January 1997 (1,095 days backward) Retrogressed January 2011: 15 February 2006 back to 1 January 2005 (410 days backward) Retrogressed April 2011: 1 January 2005 back to 1 May 2004 (245 days backward) Retrogressed September 2017: 22 December 2010 back to 1 May 2010 (235 days backward) Retrogressed September 2018: 8 May 2011 back to 8 April 2011 (30 days backward) U 2004 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)
  • No bulletin in the public record — the line stops rather than crossing it
Final Action Dates — the 24 most recent of 198 bulletins in which this cut-off changed, newest first. Months in which it held steady are not listed: it held in 92 of the published bulletins. Direction is shown by the ↑ / ↓ glyph and the word, never by colour alone.
Bulletin From To What changed
July 20261 September 20171 February 2018Advanced153 days
May 20261 May 20171 September 2017Advanced123 days
April 20268 November 20161 May 2017Advanced174 days
October 202515 July 20168 November 2016Advanced116 days
July 20258 June 201615 July 2016Advanced37 days
June 202515 March 20168 June 2016Advanced85 days
April 202522 November 201515 March 2016Advanced114 days
January 202522 October 201522 November 2015Advanced31 days
July 20248 July 201522 October 2015Advanced106 days
May 20248 February 20158 July 2015Advanced150 days
March 20241 January 20158 February 2015Advanced38 days
August 202315 December 20141 January 2015Advanced17 days
May 20231 December 201415 December 2014Advanced14 days
September 202122 November 20141 December 2014Advanced9 days
August 202115 November 201422 November 2014Advanced7 days
July 20211 November 201415 November 2014Advanced14 days
June 202122 October 20141 November 2014Advanced10 days
May 20218 October 201422 October 2014Advanced14 days
April 202122 September 20148 October 2014Advanced16 days
March 202115 September 201422 September 2014Advanced7 days
September 202015 August 201415 September 2014Advanced31 days
August 20208 July 201415 August 2014Advanced38 days
July 202022 May 20148 July 2014Advanced47 days
June 202022 March 201422 May 2014Advanced61 days
Show the earlier 174 changes — back to June 2002
The remaining 174 bulletins in which the Final Action Dates cut-off changed, newest first, back to June 2002. 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
May 20201 January 201422 March 2014Advanced80 days
April 20208 October 20131 January 2014Advanced85 days
March 202022 August 20138 October 2013Advanced47 days
February 202015 July 201322 August 2013Advanced38 days
January 202015 May 201315 July 2013Advanced61 days
December 20191 March 201315 May 2013Advanced75 days
November 201915 January 20131 March 2013Advanced45 days
October 20191 January 201315 January 2013Advanced14 days
September 20191 July 20121 January 2013Advanced184 days
August 20198 March 20121 July 2012Advanced115 days
July 201915 February 20128 March 2012Advanced22 days
June 20198 January 201215 February 2012Advanced38 days
May 20191 December 20118 January 2012Advanced38 days
April 201922 October 20111 December 2011Advanced40 days
March 201922 September 201122 October 2011Advanced30 days
February 201922 August 201122 September 2011Advanced31 days
January 20198 August 201122 August 2011Advanced14 days
December 201822 June 20118 August 2011Advanced47 days
November 20181 June 201122 June 2011Advanced21 days
October 20188 April 20111 June 2011Advanced54 days
September 20188 May 20118 April 2011Retrogressed30 days
August 201822 April 20118 May 2011Advanced16 days
July 20188 April 201122 April 2011Advanced14 days
April 201822 March 20118 April 2011Advanced17 days
March 201815 March 201122 March 2011Advanced7 days
January 20181 February 201115 March 2011Advanced42 days
December 201722 January 20111 February 2011Advanced10 days
November 201722 December 201022 January 2011Advanced31 days
October 20171 May 201022 December 2010Advanced235 days
September 201722 December 20101 May 2010Retrogressed235 days
June 20178 December 201022 December 2010Advanced14 days
May 201715 October 20108 December 2010Advanced54 days
April 20171 June 201015 October 2010Advanced136 days
March 201722 February 20101 June 2010Advanced99 days
February 20178 January 201022 February 2010Advanced45 days
January 20171 December 20098 January 2010Advanced38 days
December 201622 October 20091 December 2009Advanced40 days
November 201622 September 200922 October 2009Advanced30 days
October 201615 September 200922 September 2009Advanced7 days
September 201622 May 200915 September 2009Advanced116 days
August 201622 March 200922 May 2009Advanced61 days
July 201615 January 200922 March 2009Advanced66 days
June 201622 November 200815 January 2009Advanced54 days
May 201622 September 200822 November 2008Advanced61 days
April 20168 August 200822 September 2008Advanced45 days
March 20168 July 20088 August 2008Advanced31 days
February 201615 May 20088 July 2008Advanced54 days
January 20161 April 200815 May 2008Advanced44 days
December 201522 February 20081 April 2008Advanced39 days
November 201515 January 200822 February 2008Advanced38 days
October 201515 December 200715 January 2008Advanced31 days
September 20151 November 200715 December 2007Advanced44 days
August 20151 October 20071 November 2007Advanced31 days
July 20151 September 20071 October 2007Advanced30 days
June 201515 August 20071 September 2007Advanced17 days
May 20151 August 200715 August 2007Advanced14 days
March 201522 July 20071 August 2007Advanced10 days
February 20158 July 200722 July 2007Advanced14 days
January 201522 June 20078 July 2007Advanced16 days
December 20148 June 200722 June 2007Advanced14 days
November 201422 May 20078 June 2007Advanced17 days
October 20141 May 200722 May 2007Advanced21 days
September 201422 April 20071 May 2007Advanced9 days
August 20141 April 200722 April 2007Advanced21 days
July 201422 March 20071 April 2007Advanced10 days
June 20148 March 200722 March 2007Advanced14 days
May 201422 February 20078 March 2007Advanced14 days
April 20141 February 200722 February 2007Advanced21 days
March 20141 January 20071 February 2007Advanced31 days
February 20148 December 20061 January 2007Advanced24 days
January 201415 November 20068 December 2006Advanced23 days
December 201322 October 200615 November 2006Advanced24 days
November 20131 October 200622 October 2006Advanced21 days
October 201315 September 20061 October 2006Advanced16 days
September 20131 September 200615 September 2006Advanced14 days
August 20131 June 20061 September 2006Advanced92 days
July 201322 April 20061 June 2006Advanced40 days
June 20131 April 200622 April 2006Advanced21 days
May 20138 March 20061 April 2006Advanced24 days
April 201315 February 20068 March 2006Advanced21 days
March 201315 January 200615 February 2006Advanced31 days
February 201322 December 200515 January 2006Advanced24 days
January 20131 December 200522 December 2005Advanced21 days
December 20121 November 20051 December 2005Advanced30 days
November 2012 over 2 months, from the September 2012 bulletin — no bulletin was published for October 20121 October 20051 November 2005Advanced31 days
September 20121 August 20051 October 2005Advanced61 days
August 20128 July 20051 August 2005Advanced24 days
July 201222 June 20058 July 2005Advanced16 days
June 20121 May 200522 June 2005Advanced52 days
May 20121 April 20051 May 2005Advanced30 days
April 20121 February 20051 April 2005Advanced59 days
March 201222 December 20041 February 2005Advanced41 days
February 201215 October 200422 December 2004Advanced68 days
January 20121 September 200415 October 2004Advanced44 days
December 201122 July 20041 September 2004Advanced41 days
November 201115 June 200422 July 2004Advanced37 days
October 20111 May 200415 June 2004Advanced45 days
April 20111 January 20051 May 2004Retrogressed245 days
January 201115 February 20061 January 2005Retrogressed410 days
October 20101 January 200615 February 2006Advanced45 days
September 20101 August 20051 January 2006Advanced153 days
August 20101 April 20051 August 2005Advanced122 days
July 20108 November 20041 April 2005Advanced144 days
June 20108 September 20048 November 2004Advanced61 days
May 20108 July 20048 September 2004Advanced62 days
April 201022 June 20048 July 2004Advanced16 days
March 20101 June 200422 June 2004Advanced21 days
February 20101 April 20041 June 2004Advanced61 days
January 201022 January 20041 April 2004Advanced70 days
December 2009 over 4 months, from the August 2009 bulletin — no bulletin was published for September 2009, October 2009, November 20098 January 200322 January 2004Advanced379 days
August 200915 November 20028 January 2003Advanced54 days
July 20098 November 200215 November 2002Advanced7 days
June 200922 September 20028 November 2002Advanced47 days
May 200915 August 200222 September 2002Advanced38 days
April 2009 over 2 months, from the February 2009 bulletin — no bulletin was published for March 20098 July 200215 August 2002Advanced38 days
February 200915 June 20028 July 2002Advanced23 days
January 200922 May 200215 June 2002Advanced24 days
December 20081 May 200222 May 2002Advanced21 days
November 200815 April 20021 May 2002Advanced16 days
October 20081 April 200215 April 2002Advanced14 days
September 200815 March 20021 April 2002Advanced17 days
June 20088 March 200215 March 2002Advanced7 days
May 200822 February 20028 March 2002Advanced14 days
April 200815 February 200222 February 2002Advanced7 days
March 20088 February 200215 February 2002Advanced7 days
February 20081 February 20028 February 2002Advanced7 days
January 20088 January 20021 February 2002Advanced24 days
December 20078 December 20018 January 2002Advanced31 days
November 20078 November 20018 December 2001Advanced30 days
October 20071 October 20018 November 2001Advanced38 days
September 20078 August 20011 October 2001Advanced54 days
August 20071 July 20018 August 2001Advanced38 days
July 20071 June 20011 July 2001Advanced30 days
June 200715 May 20011 June 2001Advanced17 days
May 20078 May 200115 May 2001Advanced7 days
April 20071 May 20018 May 2001Advanced7 days
February 200722 April 20011 May 2001Advanced9 days
November 20061 May 200022 April 2001Advanced356 days
October 20061 January 19981 May 2000Advanced851 days
September 20061 January 19971 January 1998Advanced365 days
August 20061 January 20001 January 1997Retrogressed1,095 days
July 200622 April 20011 January 2000Retrogressed477 days
October 200515 April 200122 April 2001Advanced7 days
September 20058 April 200115 April 2001Advanced7 days
June 20051 April 20018 April 2001Advanced7 days
May 200515 March 20011 April 2001Advanced17 days
April 200522 February 200115 March 2001Advanced21 days
March 200522 January 200122 February 2001Advanced31 days
February 200522 December 200022 January 2001Advanced31 days
January 200522 November 200022 December 2000Advanced30 days
December 20041 November 200022 November 2000Advanced21 days
November 200422 October 20001 November 2000Advanced10 days
April 20041 October 200022 October 2000Advanced21 days
March 20048 September 20001 October 2000Advanced23 days
February 20041 August 20008 September 2000Advanced38 days
January 200415 July 20001 August 2000Advanced17 days
December 200315 January 200015 July 2000Advanced182 days
November 200315 May 200015 January 2000Retrogressed121 days
October 20038 April 200015 May 2000Advanced37 days
September 20031 February 20008 April 2000Advanced67 days
August 200315 December 19991 February 2000Advanced48 days
July 20031 November 199915 December 1999Advanced44 days
June 20031 October 19991 November 1999Advanced31 days
May 20031 August 19991 October 1999Advanced61 days
April 200322 June 19991 August 1999Advanced40 days
March 200322 May 199922 June 1999Advanced31 days
February 20031 May 199922 May 1999Advanced21 days
January 20038 April 19991 May 1999Advanced23 days
December 200215 March 19998 April 1999Advanced24 days
November 20021 March 199915 March 1999Advanced14 days
October 20021 April 19971 March 1999Advanced699 days
September 20021 July 19961 April 1997Advanced274 days
August 20021 July 19951 July 1996Advanced366 days
June 20021 March 19991 July 1995Retrogressed1,339 days

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 2019. 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 2019.

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 306 days forward about 102 days forward
Last 6 bulletins January 2026 – July 2026 6 of 6 carried a measurable move 487 days forward about 81.2 days forward
Last 12 bulletins July 2025 – July 2026 12 of 12 carried a measurable move 487 days forward about 40.6 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 May 2009 to 1 January 2019
Dates for Filing: F1, All other countries, October 2015 – July 2026 Dates for Filing for F1, All other countries, October 2015 – July 2026. 130 of 130 published bulletins carry a dated cut-off, ranging from 1 May 2009 to 1 January 2019. C 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 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
Dates for Filing — the 24 most recent of 40 bulletins in which this cut-off changed, newest first. Months in which it held steady are not listed: it held in 90 of the published bulletins. Direction is shown by the ↑ / ↓ glyph and the word, never by colour alone.
Bulletin From To What changed
July 20261 October 20181 January 2019Advanced92 days
May 20261 March 20181 October 2018Advanced214 days
April 20261 September 20171 March 2018Advanced181 days
July 20231 January 20171 September 2017Advanced243 days
May 20238 August 20161 January 2017Advanced146 days
August 20221 July 20168 August 2016Advanced38 days
July 202215 May 20161 July 2016Advanced47 days
July 20211 March 201615 May 2016Advanced75 days
June 20211 October 20151 March 2016Advanced152 days
May 202115 September 20151 October 2015Advanced16 days
April 20218 August 201515 September 2015Advanced38 days
February 202122 July 20158 August 2015Advanced17 days
September 20208 June 201522 July 2015Advanced44 days
August 202022 April 20158 June 2015Advanced47 days
July 202015 February 201522 April 2015Advanced66 days
June 202022 November 201415 February 2015Advanced85 days
May 20201 September 201422 November 2014Advanced82 days
April 20208 June 20141 September 2014Advanced85 days
March 202022 March 20148 June 2014Advanced78 days
February 202015 March 201422 March 2014Advanced7 days
January 202015 November 201315 March 2014Advanced120 days
December 20191 September 201315 November 2013Advanced75 days
November 201915 July 20131 September 2013Advanced48 days
October 20191 May 201315 July 2013Advanced75 days
Show the earlier 16 changes — back to October 2015
The remaining 16 bulletins in which the Dates for Filing cut-off changed, newest first, back to October 2015.
Bulletin From To What changed
September 20191 March 20131 May 2013Advanced61 days
August 20198 November 20121 March 2013Advanced113 days
July 20198 October 20128 November 2012Advanced31 days
June 201922 August 20128 October 2012Advanced47 days
May 20191 July 201222 August 2012Advanced52 days
April 201922 April 20121 July 2012Advanced70 days
March 20198 April 201222 April 2012Advanced14 days
February 20198 March 20128 April 2012Advanced31 days
July 20188 January 20128 March 2012Advanced60 days
May 20181 January 20128 January 2012Advanced7 days
October 201722 July 20111 January 2012Advanced163 days
May 20171 January 201122 July 2011Advanced202 days
October 20161 January 20101 January 2011Advanced365 days
August 20161 October 20091 January 2010Advanced92 days
January 20161 May 20091 October 2009Advanced153 days
October 2015not published1 May 2009First 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 All other countries has its own column

This page is the column State prints as "All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed". It is the queue for every country that does not have its own column — not a global average, and not everyone. A country gets its own column only when demand from applicants chargeable to it exceeds the per-country limit; in the July 2026 bulletin those are China (mainland-born), India, Mexico and the Philippines. If your country of chargeability is not one of those, this column is the one that applies to you.

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.

Where F1 sits among the family preferences

Family-sponsored preference categories run F1 through F4, and they are separate queues with separate annual limits: F1 (unmarried adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens), F2A (spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents), F2B (unmarried adult sons and daughters of permanent residents), F3 (married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) and F4 (brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens). Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens — spouses, minor children and parents — are not subject to these limits and do not appear in the Visa Bulletin at all.

Frequently asked questions

What is the F1 priority date cut-off for All other countries in the July 2026 Visa Bulletin?
The Final Action Dates cut-off is 1 February 2018 and the Dates for Filing cut-off is 1 January 2019. State printed those cells as "01FEB18" and "01JAN19". A priority date earlier than 1 February 2018 has been reached in the Final Action chart.
What is the difference between Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing for F1?
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 F1 and All other countries in the July 2026 bulletin they read 1 February 2018 and 1 January 2019 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 F1 cut-off for All other countries 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 8 times in the published record — 8 in the Final Action Dates chart and 0 in the Dates for Filing chart. The largest was in June 2002, when the Final Action cut-off moved back from 1 March 1999 to 1 July 1995 — 1,339 days, or about 3.7 years, in a single bulletin.
When will a priority date in F1 become current for All other countries?
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 47.2 days per bulletin. The tool on this page projects the published cut-off of 1 February 2018 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 F1 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 291 Final Action Dates bulletins back to December 2001 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 421 published cut-off cells for F1 / All other countries and 238 recorded changes across both charts. Each cell is stored with the exact text State printed for it (the 01FEB18 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 →