November 2022 Visa Bulletin

How To Read the November 2022 Visa Bulletin

The U.S. Department of State has published its November 2022 Visa Bulletin, which shows the most recent priority date cut-offs for green card filings.

The Visa Bulletin can be difficult to read, but we’ve put all the information you need to know in easy-to-read charts below. To find the cut-off date for your category, you’ll need to know your preference category and your priority date.

Your preference category is based on:

• Your familial connection if you’re applying for a family-basedgreen card

• Your professional credentials and education if you’re applying for an employment-basedgreen card

Your priority date is the date USCIS received your green card application. You can find yours on the Notice of Action (Form I-797) that USCIS sent you via mail or email after receiving your application.

If your priority date is before the cut-off date listed in the relevant chart below — congratulations! — you can submit your green card application. If your priority date is after the cut-off date, you need to wait to submit your green card application.

If you want to learn more about the visa bulletin, preference categories, or priority dates, you can read our visa bulletin guide.

Family-Based Green Cards by Preference Category

The November 2022 Visa Bulletin shows few changes in cut-off dates for family green cards for applicants from most countries. The one exception is a slight decrease in several preference categories for those applying for family green cards from Mexico.

• The backlog for first preference (F1) family green cards — unmarried children (age 21 or older) of U.S. citizens — for those applying from Mexico decreased by one year from Dec. 1, 2001, to Dec. 1, 2002. 

• The backlog for second preference (F2B) family green cards — for unmarried sons and daughters of permanent residents — decreased by four months and 24 days. The old cut-off date was Aug. 8, 2001, and the new cut-off date is Jan. 1, 2002.

• The backlog for third preference (F3) family green cards — married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens — for those applying from Mexico decreased by two months and three days. The old cut-off date was April 12, 2001, and the new cut-off date is June 15, 2001.

• The backlog for fourth preference (F4) family green cards— siblings of adult U.S. citizens — also decreased slightly for those applying from Mexico by 17 days. The old cut-off date was March 15, 2001, and the new cut-off date is April 1, 2001.

Though a decrease in the backlog for applying for family green cards is always welcome news, would-be green card applicants from Mexico are still having to wait many years more than their counterparts from other countries for their priority dates to become current. The one exception is the second preference (F2A) category — spouses and children of permanent residents — which remains current for Mexico and all other eligible countries.

The November 2022 Visa Bulletin shows that employment-basedgreen card cut-offs remain unchanged from the October 2022 Visa Bulletin. Cut-off dates for EB-1 green cards for priority workers and EB-5 green cards for investors in all categories (rural, high unemployment, and infrastructure) remain current for all eligible countries. You can find the latest cut-off dates for other types of employment-basedgreen cards in the tables below.

*Note: For simplicity’s sake, our tables contain the language “All Other Countries” rather than USCIS’s language “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed,” but the meaning and intent is the same.

Backlog for F1 (first preference) Green Cards: Unmarried Children (at least 21 years old) of U.S. Citizens

Backlog for F2A (second preference) Green Cards: Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents

Backlog for F2B (second preference) Green Cards: Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Permanent Residents

Backlog for F3 (third preference) Green Cards: Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens

Backlog for F4 (fourth preference) Green Cards: Brothers and Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens

What This Means for Family-Based Green Card Applicants

If your priority date is before the cut-off date listed above, you can submit your green card application. If your priority date is after the cut-off date, you need to wait to submit your green card application. Your priority date is the date USCIS received your Form I-130: Petition for Alien Relative. You can find your priority date on the Notice of Action (Form I-797) that USCIS sends you to confirm it’s received your I-130 application.

Employment-Based Green Cards by Preference Category

The November 2022 Visa Bulletin shows that employment-based green card cut-offs remain unchanged from the October 2022 Visa Bulletin. Cut-off dates for EB-1 green cards for priority workers and EB-5 green cards for investors in the rural, high unemployment, and infrastructure categories remain current for all eligible countries. You can find the latest cut-off dates for other types of employment-basedgreen cards in the tables below.

Backlog for EB-1 Green Cards for Priority Workers 

Backlog for EB-2 Green Cards for Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability

Backlog for EB-3 Green Cards for Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Other Workers

Backlog for EB-4 Green Cards for Certain Special Immigrants

Backlog for EB-5 Green Cards for Immigrant Investors

What This Means for Employment-Based Green Card Applicants

If your priority date is before the cut-off date listed above, you can submit your green card application. If your priority date is after the cut-off date, you need to wait to submit your green card application. Your priority date is the date USCIS received your PERM application or (if not required) the date USCIS received your Form I-140 or Form I-526, employment-based visa petition. You can find your priority date on the Notice of Action (Form I-797) that USCIS sends you to confirm it’s received your employment-based visa application.