Visa Bulletin Tracker

F4 — India

Family-sponsored preference · Final Action Dates 1 November 2006 · Dates for Filing 15 December 2006 · July 2026 bulletin

In the July 2026 Visa Bulletin, F4 for India has a Final Action Dates cut-off of 1 November 2006 and a Dates for Filing cut-off of 15 December 2006. 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: 280 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 F4, and they are not interchangeable. Both are shown here as printed. India 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 F4 / India in 280 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 November 2006. 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 November 2006.

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 116 days forward about 9.7 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 December 2001 – July 2026 · 280 published bulletins · cut-offs from 22 September 1988 to 1 November 2006
Final Action Dates: F4, India, December 2001 – July 2026 Final Action Dates for F4, India, December 2001 – July 2026. 280 of 280 published bulletins carry a dated cut-off, ranging from 22 September 1988 to 1 November 2006. 4 retrogressions (the cut-off moving backward) are marked. 4 breaks in the line where months are missing; the line is never drawn across them. C 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 State published a bulletin, but did not list this category: August 2002 to June 2003. The line is not drawn across it. 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 September 2003: 22 May 1990 back to 1 January 1990 (141 days backward) Retrogressed February 2011: 1 January 2002 back to 1 January 2000 (731 days backward) Retrogressed June 2016: 22 July 2003 back to 1 January 2001 (932 days backward) Retrogressed September 2017: 22 September 2003 back to 1 January 2002 (629 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 (4)
  • No bulletin in the public record — the line stops rather than crossing it
  • State published a bulletin but did not list this category
Final Action Dates — the 24 most recent of 214 bulletins in which this cut-off changed, newest first. Months in which it held steady are not listed: it held in 66 of the published bulletins. Direction is shown by the ↑ / ↓ glyph and the word, never by colour alone.
Bulletin From To What changed
August 20258 July 20061 November 2006Advanced116 days
July 202515 June 20068 July 2006Advanced23 days
April 20258 April 200615 June 2006Advanced68 days
January 20258 March 20068 April 2006Advanced31 days
November 20241 March 20068 March 2006Advanced7 days
October 202422 January 20061 March 2006Advanced38 days
July 202415 January 200622 January 2006Advanced7 days
May 202415 December 200515 January 2006Advanced31 days
March 202415 November 200515 December 2005Advanced30 days
January 20248 October 200515 November 2005Advanced38 days
October 202315 September 20058 October 2005Advanced23 days
September 20211 September 200515 September 2005Advanced14 days
August 202115 August 20051 September 2005Advanced17 days
July 20218 May 200515 August 2005Advanced99 days
June 202115 April 20058 May 2005Advanced23 days
May 20218 April 200515 April 2005Advanced7 days
April 202122 March 20058 April 2005Advanced17 days
March 202115 March 200522 March 2005Advanced7 days
January 20218 March 200515 March 2005Advanced7 days
September 202022 February 20058 March 2005Advanced14 days
August 20208 February 200522 February 2005Advanced14 days
July 202022 January 20058 February 2005Advanced17 days
June 20208 January 200522 January 2005Advanced14 days
May 202022 December 20048 January 2005Advanced17 days
Show the earlier 190 changes — back to January 2002
The remaining 190 bulletins in which the Final Action Dates cut-off changed, newest first, back to January 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
April 20208 December 200422 December 2004Advanced14 days
March 202022 November 20048 December 2004Advanced16 days
February 20208 November 200422 November 2004Advanced14 days
January 20201 November 20048 November 2004Advanced7 days
December 201915 October 20041 November 2004Advanced17 days
November 20191 October 200415 October 2004Advanced14 days
October 201922 September 20041 October 2004Advanced9 days
September 201915 September 200422 September 2004Advanced7 days
August 201922 August 200415 September 2004Advanced24 days
July 201915 August 200422 August 2004Advanced7 days
June 20191 August 200415 August 2004Advanced14 days
May 201915 July 20041 August 2004Advanced17 days
April 20198 July 200415 July 2004Advanced7 days
March 201922 June 20048 July 2004Advanced16 days
February 201915 June 200422 June 2004Advanced7 days
January 20198 June 200415 June 2004Advanced7 days
December 20181 June 20048 June 2004Advanced7 days
November 20181 May 20041 June 2004Advanced31 days
October 20188 April 20041 May 2004Advanced23 days
September 201822 March 20048 April 2004Advanced17 days
July 201815 March 200422 March 2004Advanced7 days
June 20181 March 200415 March 2004Advanced14 days
May 201815 February 20041 March 2004Advanced15 days
April 20181 February 200415 February 2004Advanced14 days
March 20188 January 20041 February 2004Advanced24 days
February 201815 December 20038 January 2004Advanced24 days
January 201822 November 200315 December 2003Advanced23 days
December 201722 October 200322 November 2003Advanced31 days
November 20171 October 200322 October 2003Advanced21 days
October 20171 January 20021 October 2003Advanced638 days
September 201722 September 20031 January 2002Retrogressed629 days
July 201715 September 200322 September 2003Advanced7 days
June 20178 September 200315 September 2003Advanced7 days
May 201715 August 20038 September 2003Advanced24 days
April 201722 July 200315 August 2003Advanced24 days
March 201715 June 200322 July 2003Advanced37 days
February 201715 May 200315 June 2003Advanced31 days
January 20171 April 200315 May 2003Advanced44 days
December 201615 February 20031 April 2003Advanced45 days
November 20161 December 200215 February 2003Advanced76 days
October 20161 January 20011 December 2002Advanced699 days
June 201622 July 20031 January 2001Retrogressed932 days
April 20161 July 200322 July 2003Advanced21 days
March 20168 June 20031 July 2003Advanced23 days
February 201622 April 20038 June 2003Advanced47 days
January 201622 March 200322 April 2003Advanced31 days
December 20151 March 200322 March 2003Advanced21 days
November 20158 February 20031 March 2003Advanced21 days
October 201515 January 20038 February 2003Advanced24 days
September 20151 December 200215 January 2003Advanced45 days
August 201522 October 20021 December 2002Advanced40 days
July 20158 September 200222 October 2002Advanced44 days
June 20151 August 20028 September 2002Advanced38 days
May 201515 June 20021 August 2002Advanced47 days
April 201515 May 200215 June 2002Advanced31 days
March 201515 April 200215 May 2002Advanced30 days
February 201522 March 200215 April 2002Advanced24 days
January 201522 February 200222 March 2002Advanced28 days
December 20148 February 200222 February 2002Advanced14 days
November 201422 January 20028 February 2002Advanced17 days
October 20141 January 200222 January 2002Advanced21 days
August 201422 December 20011 January 2002Advanced10 days
July 201415 December 200122 December 2001Advanced7 days
June 20148 December 200115 December 2001Advanced7 days
May 201422 November 20018 December 2001Advanced16 days
April 20148 November 200122 November 2001Advanced14 days
March 201422 October 20018 November 2001Advanced17 days
February 20141 October 200122 October 2001Advanced21 days
January 20148 September 20011 October 2001Advanced23 days
December 201322 August 20018 September 2001Advanced17 days
November 20138 August 200122 August 2001Advanced14 days
October 201322 July 20018 August 2001Advanced17 days
September 201322 June 200122 July 2001Advanced30 days
August 201322 May 200122 June 2001Advanced31 days
July 20131 May 200122 May 2001Advanced21 days
April 201322 April 20011 May 2001Advanced9 days
March 201315 April 200122 April 2001Advanced7 days
February 20138 April 200115 April 2001Advanced7 days
January 20131 April 20018 April 2001Advanced7 days
December 201222 March 20011 April 2001Advanced10 days
November 2012 over 2 months, from the September 2012 bulletin — no bulletin was published for October 20128 March 200122 March 2001Advanced14 days
September 201215 February 20018 March 2001Advanced21 days
August 201222 January 200115 February 2001Advanced24 days
July 20128 January 200122 January 2001Advanced14 days
June 20121 December 20008 January 2001Advanced38 days
May 20128 November 20001 December 2000Advanced23 days
April 20128 October 20008 November 2000Advanced31 days
March 20128 September 20008 October 2000Advanced30 days
February 201215 August 20008 September 2000Advanced24 days
January 201215 July 200015 August 2000Advanced31 days
December 201115 June 200015 July 2000Advanced30 days
November 201115 May 200015 June 2000Advanced31 days
October 201115 April 200015 May 2000Advanced30 days
September 20118 April 200015 April 2000Advanced7 days
August 20118 March 20008 April 2000Advanced31 days
May 20111 February 20008 March 2000Advanced36 days
April 20111 January 20001 February 2000Advanced31 days
February 20111 January 20021 January 2000Retrogressed731 days
November 20101 December 20011 January 2002Advanced31 days
October 201015 October 20011 December 2001Advanced47 days
September 20101 June 200115 October 2001Advanced136 days
August 20101 January 20011 June 2001Advanced151 days
July 20101 September 20001 January 2001Advanced122 days
June 201015 May 20001 September 2000Advanced109 days
May 20101 March 200015 May 2000Advanced75 days
April 201015 January 20001 March 2000Advanced46 days
March 201015 November 199915 January 2000Advanced61 days
February 20101 October 199915 November 1999Advanced45 days
January 20108 September 19991 October 1999Advanced23 days
December 2009 over 4 months, from the August 2009 bulletin — no bulletin was published for September 2009, October 2009, November 200922 December 19988 September 1999Advanced260 days
August 200922 October 199822 December 1998Advanced61 days
July 200915 August 199822 October 1998Advanced68 days
June 20098 June 199815 August 1998Advanced68 days
May 200915 April 19988 June 1998Advanced54 days
April 2009 over 2 months, from the February 2009 bulletin — no bulletin was published for March 200915 January 199815 April 1998Advanced90 days
February 20091 November 199715 January 1998Advanced75 days
January 200915 September 19971 November 1997Advanced47 days
December 200822 July 199715 September 1997Advanced55 days
November 200822 May 199722 July 1997Advanced61 days
October 20088 April 199722 May 1997Advanced44 days
September 200822 February 19978 April 1997Advanced45 days
August 200815 February 199722 February 1997Advanced7 days
July 20081 February 199715 February 1997Advanced14 days
June 20081 January 19971 February 1997Advanced31 days
May 200822 November 19961 January 1997Advanced40 days
April 20081 November 199622 November 1996Advanced21 days
March 20088 October 19961 November 1996Advanced24 days
February 200815 September 19968 October 1996Advanced23 days
January 200815 August 199615 September 1996Advanced31 days
December 200722 June 199615 August 1996Advanced54 days
November 20078 May 199622 June 1996Advanced45 days
October 200715 April 19968 May 1996Advanced23 days
September 20071 March 199615 April 1996Advanced45 days
August 20078 February 19961 March 1996Advanced22 days
July 200722 January 19968 February 1996Advanced17 days
June 20078 January 199622 January 1996Advanced14 days
May 20071 January 19968 January 1996Advanced7 days
April 20078 November 19951 January 1996Advanced54 days
March 20078 October 19958 November 1995Advanced31 days
February 20071 October 19958 October 1995Advanced7 days
January 200722 September 19951 October 1995Advanced9 days
December 20061 August 199522 September 1995Advanced52 days
October 20061 July 19951 August 1995Advanced31 days
September 20061 January 19951 July 1995Advanced181 days
August 20061 October 19941 January 1995Advanced92 days
July 200615 August 19941 October 1994Advanced47 days
June 20061 June 199415 August 1994Advanced75 days
May 20061 April 19941 June 1994Advanced61 days
April 200622 March 19941 April 1994Advanced10 days
March 20061 February 199422 March 1994Advanced49 days
February 200622 December 19931 February 1994Advanced41 days
January 200615 November 199322 December 1993Advanced37 days
December 20051 October 199315 November 1993Advanced45 days
November 20051 August 19931 October 1993Advanced61 days
October 20051 June 19931 August 1993Advanced61 days
September 200522 February 19931 June 1993Advanced99 days
August 200515 January 199322 February 1993Advanced38 days
July 200515 December 199215 January 1993Advanced31 days
June 200522 October 199215 December 1992Advanced54 days
May 20058 September 199222 October 1992Advanced44 days
April 200522 July 19928 September 1992Advanced48 days
March 200515 May 199222 July 1992Advanced68 days
February 20058 April 199215 May 1992Advanced37 days
January 200515 February 19928 April 1992Advanced53 days
December 200422 December 199115 February 1992Advanced55 days
November 20041 November 199122 December 1991Advanced51 days
October 200422 September 19911 November 1991Advanced40 days
September 20041 August 199122 September 1991Advanced52 days
August 200422 June 19911 August 1991Advanced40 days
July 200415 May 199122 June 1991Advanced38 days
June 20041 April 199115 May 1991Advanced44 days
May 200422 February 19911 April 1991Advanced38 days
April 200422 January 199122 February 1991Advanced31 days
March 200422 December 199022 January 1991Advanced31 days
February 200422 November 199022 December 1990Advanced30 days
January 20041 October 199022 November 1990Advanced52 days
December 200315 August 19901 October 1990Advanced47 days
November 200322 July 199015 August 1990Advanced24 days
October 20031 January 199022 July 1990Advanced202 days
September 200322 May 19901 January 1990Retrogressed141 days
August 200322 March 199022 May 1990Advanced61 days
July 2003not published22 March 1990First published
August 200222 May 1990not publishedLeft the chart
July 20021 July 198922 May 1990Advanced325 days
June 20021 May 19891 July 1989Advanced61 days
May 200215 March 19891 May 1989Advanced47 days
April 20021 February 198915 March 1989Advanced42 days
March 200215 December 19881 February 1989Advanced48 days
February 20021 November 198815 December 1988Advanced44 days
January 200222 September 19881 November 1988Advanced40 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 15 December 2006. 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 15 December 2006.

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 14 days forward about 1.2 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.

Dates for Filing — the full published history October 2015 – July 2026 · 130 published bulletins · cut-offs from 1 February 2004 to 15 December 2006
Dates for Filing: F4, India, October 2015 – July 2026 Dates for Filing for F4, India, October 2015 – July 2026. 130 of 130 published bulletins carry a dated cut-off, ranging from 1 February 2004 to 15 December 2006. C 2005 2006 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 35 bulletins in which this cut-off changed, newest first. Months in which it held steady are not listed: it held in 95 of the published bulletins. Direction is shown by the ↑ / ↓ glyph and the word, never by colour alone.
Bulletin From To What changed
October 20251 December 200615 December 2006Advanced14 days
June 20251 October 20061 December 2006Advanced61 days
April 202515 August 20061 October 2006Advanced47 days
January 20251 August 200615 August 2006Advanced14 days
November 202415 June 20061 August 2006Advanced47 days
May 20248 April 200615 June 2006Advanced68 days
April 202422 February 20068 April 2006Advanced45 days
April 20221 January 200622 February 2006Advanced52 days
September 20211 December 20051 January 2006Advanced31 days
February 202122 November 20051 December 2005Advanced9 days
September 20208 November 200522 November 2005Advanced14 days
August 202022 October 20058 November 2005Advanced17 days
July 20201 October 200522 October 2005Advanced21 days
June 20208 September 20051 October 2005Advanced23 days
May 202022 August 20058 September 2005Advanced17 days
April 20208 August 200522 August 2005Advanced14 days
March 202022 July 20058 August 2005Advanced17 days
February 20208 July 200522 July 2005Advanced14 days
January 20201 July 20058 July 2005Advanced7 days
December 201915 June 20051 July 2005Advanced16 days
November 20191 June 200515 June 2005Advanced14 days
October 201922 May 20051 June 2005Advanced10 days
September 201915 May 200522 May 2005Advanced7 days
August 201922 April 200515 May 2005Advanced23 days
Show the earlier 11 changes — back to October 2015
The remaining 11 bulletins in which the Dates for Filing cut-off changed, newest first, back to October 2015.
Bulletin From To What changed
July 201915 April 200522 April 2005Advanced7 days
June 201915 March 200515 April 2005Advanced31 days
May 201915 February 200515 March 2005Advanced28 days
April 20198 February 200515 February 2005Advanced7 days
March 20191 February 20058 February 2005Advanced7 days
February 20191 January 20051 February 2005Advanced31 days
July 20181 December 20041 January 2005Advanced31 days
May 201822 June 20041 December 2004Advanced162 days
May 20171 May 200422 June 2004Advanced52 days
January 20161 February 20041 May 2004Advanced90 days
October 2015not published1 February 2004First 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 India has its own column

Chargeability is normally your country of birth — not your citizenship or where you live. State gives India 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.

Where F4 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 F4 priority date cut-off for India in the July 2026 Visa Bulletin?
The Final Action Dates cut-off is 1 November 2006 and the Dates for Filing cut-off is 15 December 2006. State printed those cells as "01NOV06" and "15DEC06". A priority date earlier than 1 November 2006 has been reached in the Final Action chart.
What is the difference between Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing for F4?
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 F4 and India in the July 2026 bulletin they read 1 November 2006 and 15 December 2006 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 F4 cut-off for India 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 4 times in the published record — 4 in the Final Action Dates chart and 0 in the Dates for Filing chart. The largest was in June 2016, when the Final Action cut-off moved back from 22 July 2003 to 1 January 2001 — 932 days, or about 2.6 years, in a single bulletin.
When will a priority date in F4 become current for India?
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 9.7 days per bulletin. The tool on this page projects the published cut-off of 1 November 2006 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 F4 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 280 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 410 published cut-off cells for F4 / India and 249 recorded changes across both charts. Each cell is stored with the exact text State printed for it (the 01NOV06 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 →