This USCIS Visa Bulletin lists the “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications” for January, outlining when immigrant visa applicants should be informed to gather and submit necessary evidence to the National Visa Center.

The visa notice is a month to month update that the U.S. government gives to keep green card candidates who need to sit tight for visas informed about whether all is good and well to present their green card applications.

The endorsed I-130 request implies that USCIS has affirmed you have a passing relationship and you’ve laid out your place in line for a visa. The visa notice lets you know when the visa is really free to utilize. Truth be told, it is the need date that determines your particular spot in line.

The U.S. Division of State delivered its Visa Announcement for February 2026. That is no joking matter assuming you’re hanging tight for your need date to be current so your green card application can push ahead. On the off chance that you don’t have any idea what a “visa release” or a “need date” is, we take care of you

Assuming that USCIS decides there are more settler visas accessible for a financial year than there are known candidates for such visas, we will state on this page that you might involve the Dates for Recording outline. Any other way, we will show on this page that you should utilize the Last Activity Dates diagram to decide when you might record your change of status application. Nonetheless, assuming a specific migrant visa class is “current” on the Last Activity Dates outline or the end date on the Last Activity Dates graph is later than the date on the Dates for Recording diagram, candidates in that settler visa class might document utilizing the Last Activity Dates outline during that month.

We expect to assign one of the two outlines every month and connecting to the applicable graph underneath in something like multi week of DOS’s distribution of the Visa Announcement.

Current Month’s Change of Status Documenting Outlines
For Family-Supported Filings:
For all family-supported inclination classifications, you should involve the Dates for Documenting graph in the Branch of State Visa Release for January 2026.

For Business Based Inclination Filings:
For all business based inclination classes, you should involve the Dates for Documenting outline in the Branch of State Visa Announcement for January 2026.

USCIS January 2026 Change of Status Recording Outlines
The following Month’s Change of Status Recording Outlines

For Family-Supported Filings:
For all family-supported inclination classifications, you should involve the Dates for Documenting graph in the Branch of State Visa Release for February 2026.

For Work Based Inclination Filings:
For all work based inclination classes, you should involve the Dates for Documenting diagram in the Division of State Visa Notice for February 2026.

USCIS February 2026 Change of Status Documenting Outlines

The visa release is given consistently by the Branch of State. It shows which green card applications can push ahead, in light of when the I-130 request that begins the green card process was initially documented. It likewise allows you to gauge what amount of time it can require before you will get your green card, in light of how rapidly the “line” is moving at this point. When your I-130 appeal has been recorded, you’ll have the option to check the visa notice and watch your place in line push ahead.

Here is the main concern for relatives looking for green cards:

• In the event that you’re the mate, parent, or unmarried youngster (under age 21) of a U.S. resident, you don’t for a moment even need to peruse the visa release — there’s no green card build-up or sit tight time for you!
• In the event that you’re the companion or unmarried youngster (under age 21) of a U.S. green card holder, you’ll need to stand by additional 12-year and a half for your green card to open up.
• On the off chance that you’re in an alternate classification, your green card stand by time might change — from years to many years.

The visa announcement exists since Congress covers the quantity of green cards that can be given every year. The quantity of individuals who are looking for green cards has reliably surpassed this yearly breaking point, making an overabundance — truth be told, a few excesses.

There are presently 366,000 green cards accessible every year, except that all out is separated into a mind boggling classification framework, with a particular share for every class. The two broadest classes are family-based green cards (226,000), which incorporate marriage-based green cards, and business based green cards (140,000).

As well as drawing a general line on the quantity of green cards that can be given each year, Congress likewise restricts the quantity of accessible green cards in view of nation of beginning. Under this yearly “country cap,” no single nation of beginning can represent over 7% of the green cards in a specific classification.

That is not a problem for a nation like, say, Belgium (populace 11 million) — as a matter of fact, no European or African nations create sufficient green card interest to knock facing the nation cap. In any case, there are significant accumulations confronting the many green card searchers from China (populace 1.4 billion), India (populace 1.3 billion), Mexico (populace 129 million), and the Philippines (populace 105 million).

The most effective method to peruse the Visa Notice

The covers on family-based green cards are separated into four essential “inclination classifications”.

F1 (first inclination): Unmarried grown-ups (over the age of 21) who are offspring of U.S. residents. The cap for this class is 23,400 green cards each year.

F2 (second inclination): Mates and unmarried offspring of green card holders. The general cap for this class is 114,200 green cards each year, yet it’s parted into two sub-classes:

F2A: Life partners and unmarried minor youngsters (under age 21) of green card holders. In the event that you are a green card holder who has applied for a green card for your life partner, this is the classification you’ll have to watch when you check the visa notice. 77% of the second classification portion goes towards this F2A sub-classification (that is 87,934 green cards each year).

F2B: Unmarried grown-up kids (over the age of 21) of green card holders. 23% of the second class portion goes towards this F2B sub-class (that is 26,266 green cards each year).

F3 (third inclination): Wedded offspring of U.S. residents, paying little mind to progress in years. The cap for this class is 23,400 green cards each year.

F4 (fourth inclination): Family of U.S. residents. The cap for this classification is 65,000 green cards each year.