May 2026 Visa Bulletin: Priority Dates, Analysis, and What It Means

F2A jumps six months for all countries, family categories keep advancing, and employment-based dates hold steady after April's surge

The State Department released the May 2026 Visa Bulletin on April 2, 2026, and the movement is split. Family categories moved, in some cases significantly. F2A (spouses and children of permanent residents) jumped six months across every country. F1 and F4 posted solid advances too. Employment-based categories, meanwhile, barely budged. After EB-2 going Current and EB-4 leaping a full year in recent months, the pipeline gets a quiet month.

The underlying cause hasn't changed. Presidential Proclamations 10949 and 10998, plus updated immigrant visa processing guidance for certain nationalities, are still reducing consular visa issuances overseas, and the unused numbers get redirected elsewhere. One thing is new this month though. The State Department added a specific warning about potential retrogression in India EB-5 unreserved, driven by higher demand from Indian applicants.

If you want to understand how priority dates and the bulletin actually work before reading on, our complete visa bulletin guide covers the mechanics.

What Changed This Month

May is a family-sponsored month. Here's what moved.

Family-Sponsored — Month-Over-Month Changes:

Employment-Based — Month-Over-Month Changes:

Month-over-month changes from the April to May 2026 Visa Bulletin, showing family categories advancing while employment-based dates hold steady.

Family-Sponsored Categories: All Final Action Dates

F2A: Six Months Forward Across the Board

F2A is the headline. It moved from February 1, 2024 to August 1, 2024 for worldwide, China, India, and Philippines applicants. Mexico F2A went from February 1, 2023 to August 1, 2023. Same six-month gain across the board.

A quick technicality on how F2A numbers get allocated. For May, F2A numbers exempt from the per-country limit are available for applicants from all countries with priority dates before August 1, 2023. F2A numbers subject to the per-country limit are available for all countries except Mexico with priority dates from August 1, 2023 through August 1, 2024. All F2A numbers for Mexico are exempt from the per-country limit.

Why does this matter? F2A covers the spouse and minor children of lawful permanent residents. A six-month jump means a lot more families can now move forward with their green card applications.

F1 and F4: Continued Gains

F1 (unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) moved four months worldwide, from May 1, 2017 to September 1, 2017. Mexico F1 gained six months. Philippines F1 didn't move.

F4 (brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens) advanced about three months for worldwide and China, from June 8, 2008 to September 15, 2008. Philippines F4 gained around 5.5 months. India and Mexico F4 held flat.

F2B (unmarried sons and daughters of permanent residents, age 21+) sat still in May after a 5.7-month jump in April. The State Department often lets one category catch up while pausing another.

Tracking a family petition? Our I-130 petition guide walks through each stage, and our I-130 processing time breakdown has realistic timelines.

Employment-Based Categories: All Final Action Dates

EB-1, EB-2, EB-3: Holding Steady

After a wild few months (EB-2 Worldwide went Current in April, EB-3 Worldwide jumped eight months), May brings no changes to the main employment-based categories. EB-2 Worldwide, Mexico, and Philippines stay Current. EB-2 China stays at September 1, 2021. EB-2 India stays at July 15, 2014. EB-3 is flat everywhere.

That's not unusual. When categories go Current or make big jumps, there's almost always a pause while the State Department watches how many I-485 filings actually come in. The filing volume tells them whether to keep advancing or pull dates back.

The India employment-based backlog keeps hitting EB-2 and EB-3 India hard, because the per-country limit under INA Section 202 caps allocations at 7% of the annual total.

Other Workers: Three-Month Advance

The one notable employment-based move this month was Other Workers. Worldwide and Mexico both went from November 1, 2021 to February 1, 2022, a three-month gain. China and India Other Workers stayed flat.

EB-5: New India Retrogression Warning

EB-5 set-aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, Infrastructure) stay Current for every country, including China and India.

EB-5 Unreserved for China nudged forward about three weeks to September 22, 2016. India EB-5 Unreserved sits at May 1, 2022.

Here's the new part. The May bulletin includes a Section E specifically about India EB-5 Unreserved. The State Department warns that rising demand and higher number usage by India in this category could force retrogression of the final action date, or even make the category unavailable, to keep issuances within the FY2026 annual limit. If you're an Indian national with a pending EB-5 unreserved case, watch the June and July bulletins closely.

Which Chart Should You Use in May?

USCIS decides each month whether you can use the Dates for Filing chart or have to use Final Action Dates. Check USCIS.gov/visabulletininfo at the start of May to see which one applies.

If USCIS allows the Dates for Filing chart, the employment-based dates are:

For family-sponsored Dates for Filing in May:

F2A is fully Current on the Dates for Filing chart. If USCIS allows the chart, any F2A applicant can file I-485 regardless of priority date and get an EAD (work permit) and Advance Parole while they wait.

Why Did Employment-Based Dates Stall?

The same administration actions are still in play: Presidential Proclamations 10949 and 10998, and the updated immigrant visa processing guidance. But the State Department pushed dates forward hard in March and April, and now they're watching.

When EB-2 Worldwide went Current in April and EB-3 jumped eight months, a lot of new I-485 filings became possible. The State Department needs to see how many actually hit USCIS before deciding whether to keep advancing or dial it back. May's pause is the watching period.

Per-country limits under INA Section 202 still box in China and India regardless. And April's retrogression warning carries forward into May, now with the specific India EB-5 note added on top.

April was the employment-based month. May is the family-sponsored month. This chart shows how the State Department rotated its focus between the two bulletins.

Your Priority Date Is Current. Now What?

If you're in the U.S.: File Form I-485 with USCIS. Include your medical exam (Form I-693), identity documents, and the underlying petition materials. For employment-based cases, confirm your I-140 is approved and your job offer still stands.

If you're abroad: The National Visa Center handles scheduling for consular immigrant visa interviews. Processing times vary, since the same proclamations that affect domestic dates also affect consular operations.

If you already filed I-485: Check your USCIS case status, make sure your address is current, and verify your medical exam hasn't expired.

For permanent residents watching the family categories, the 3-year naturalization rule might let you apply for citizenship sooner if you're married to a U.S. citizen. Naturalizing moves your family members from preference categories to Immediate Relatives with no visa wait.

Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery Update

For May, DV-2026 numbers are available with these regional cutoffs: Africa 55,000 (Algeria 37,000, Egypt 30,000), Asia 35,000 (Nepal 10,000), Europe 20,000, North America (Bahamas) 50, Oceania 1,500, South America and Caribbean 3,000.

The bulletin also previews June cutoffs. The only change is Nepal moving from 10,000 to 11,000. Everything else stays the same.

DV-2026 entitlement expires September 30, 2026. Numbers could run out before then. If you were selected in the DV-2026 lottery and haven't finished processing, don't wait. The DV-2026 annual limit has been cut to about 52,000 because of NACARA and NDAA provisions.

For passport requirements for the DV lottery, see our DV Lottery 2027 passport requirement guide.

What to Expect for June 2026

The fiscal year ends September 30, 2026, leaving the State Department four more bulletins to distribute what's left of FY2026 visa numbers. A few things to watch.

Employment-based movement may resume. May's pause is probably temporary. If April's advances don't draw too many filings, EB-3 and Other Workers could move again. EB-1 and EB-2 for China and India could see modest gains.

F2A may keep advancing. The six-month jump suggests the State Department sees room in the family allocation. F2A Dates for Filing is already Current, and Final Action Dates creeping toward recency points to a pipeline with excess capacity.

India EB-5 Unreserved is the wildcard. The new Section E warning is specific and unusual. If Indian demand comes in faster than expected, retrogression in June or July is a real possibility.

Retrogression is still on the table across categories. The bulletin keeps repeating that dates could move backward if demand spikes or policy shifts again.

The June 2026 bulletin should come out in mid-May. To follow the trend, our April 2026 visa bulletin analysis, March 2026 analysis, and February 2026 analysis are a good place to start. For a full explanation of how the system works, our complete visa bulletin guide covers it.

Official Sources

This guide is based on the May 2026 Visa Bulletin released by the U.S. Department of State on April 2, 2026. All information was verified against these official sources as of April 2026:

Department of State

• Visa Bulletin for May 2026
• Visa Bulletin Archive
• Immigrant Visa Processing Updates

USCIS Resources

• USCIS Visa Bulletin Information — which chart applies each month
• USCIS Filing Fees
• USCIS Processing Times
• Form I-485 Instructions
• Form I-693 Medical Exam

Federal Law

• Immigration and Nationality Act, Sections 201-203 — visa allocation and preference categories
• INA Section 202 — per-country limits (7% cap)
• Presidential Proclamation 10949
• Presidential Proclamation 10998

Immigration law changes often. We monitor USCIS and State Department updates and revise this guide when the regulations change.