What does C mean in the Visa Bulletin?

C means current: visa numbers are available for every applicant in that category and country, regardless of priority date.

What does U mean in the Visa Bulletin?

U means unauthorized: no visa numbers may be issued in that category and country that month, even if your priority date is old.

When is the Visa Bulletin released?

The State Department publishes it monthly, usually around the middle of the month before it takes effect. There is no fixed release day, which is why many people set up alerts.

How do I know if my priority date is current this month?

Compare your priority date with the date in your category row and country column of the chart USCIS (or the consulate) says to use. If yours is earlier, it is current. See Is my priority date current?.

Visa Bulletin

How do I read the Visa Bulletin chart?

Updated November 12, 2026 · Not legal advice

Find the row for your category (for example EB-2 or F2A) and the column for your chargeability country. If your priority date is earlier than the date in that cell, your date is current; "C" means every priority date is current and "U" means no visas are available.

What each cell in the Visa Bulletin can show
Cell shows	Meaning	What it means for you
A date (e.g. 01JAN13)	The cutoff date for that category and country	Current only if your priority date is earlier than this date
C	Current	All priority dates are current for that category and country
U	Unauthorized / unavailable	No visa numbers can be used this month, whatever your priority date

The five steps

Find your priority date on your I-797 approval notice (I-130 or I-140) or, for PERM cases, the date the labor certification was filed with the Department of Labor.
Know your category (EB-1 to EB-5, F1, F2A, F2B, F3 or F4) and your chargeability country, which is normally your country of birth, not citizenship.
Open the current bulletin on travel.state.gov. Family tables come first, employment tables second. Each is printed twice: Final Action Dates (Chart A) and Dates for Filing (Chart B).
If you are adjusting status inside the U.S., check which chart USCIS says to use this month. Consular applicants follow the State Department's instructions.
Compare: your priority date must be earlier than the listed date. If it is, you are current for that chart.

Rows that people miss

EB-3 has a separate Other Workers row for unskilled jobs.
EB-4 has a separate Certain Religious Workers row.
EB-5 has an Unreserved row plus set-aside rows for rural, high-unemployment and infrastructure projects.
Mainland-China-born applicants use the China column; people born in Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan generally do not.

Why the dates are years behind today

Congress caps family-preference and employment-based green cards each fiscal year, and no single country can use more than 7% of the combined preference limit. When demand from a category or country is larger than its share, the State Department sets a cutoff date so that only the oldest-waiting applicants can move forward. The cutoff is a queue position, not a promise of when your turn will come.

Quick answers

What does C mean in the Visa Bulletin?: C means current: visa numbers are available for every applicant in that category and country, regardless of priority date.
What does U mean in the Visa Bulletin?: U means unauthorized: no visa numbers may be issued in that category and country that month, even if your priority date is old.
When is the Visa Bulletin released?: The State Department publishes it monthly, usually around the middle of the month before it takes effect. There is no fixed release day, which is why many people set up alerts.
How do I know if my priority date is current this month?: Compare your priority date with the date in your category row and country column of the chart USCIS (or the consulate) says to use. If yours is earlier, it is current. See Is my priority date current?.

What to do next

Get an email the day your category moves in the Visa Bulletin.

Set up a free alert

Sources

Checked: November 12, 2026