China’s EB-3 Dates for FilingThe Visa Bulletin chart showing the earliest priority dates for which applicants may submit documents, or in some months file for adjustment of status, ahead of a visa number being available.See it in the glossary advanced from January 8, 2022 to April 1, 2024 in the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, a jump of more than two years. The Final Action DatesThe Visa Bulletin chart showing the priority dates for which a visa number can actually be issued or a green card approved in that month.See it in the glossary for the same category moved seven days, to January 8, 2022.
The filing chart also moved sharply for China in EB-5 unreserved, up four years, and in EB-3 Other Workers and EB-2, each up a year. The final action chart moved far less. Because USCIS said it will accept the Dates for Filing chart in October, the larger jumps set the cutoff for submitting adjustment applications this month. Our report on the switch has the details.
China employment dates, September to October
| Category | Final action, Sep | Final action, Oct | Filing, Sep | Filing, Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Jul 1, 2023 | Jul 1, 2023 | Dec 1, 2023 | Jul 1, 2024 |
| EB-2 | Sep 1, 2021 | Oct 1, 2021 | Jan 1, 2022 | Jan 1, 2023 |
| EB-3 | Jan 1, 2022 | Jan 8, 2022 | Jan 8, 2022 | Apr 1, 2024 |
| EB-3 Other Workers | May 1, 2019 | Oct 1, 2019 | Oct 1, 2019 | Oct 1, 2020 |
| EB-4 | Dec 15, 2022 | Dec 15, 2022 | Jan 1, 2023 | Jan 1, 2025 |
| EB-5 unreserved | Dec 1, 2016 | Dec 1, 2016 | Mar 1, 2017 | Mar 1, 2021 |
Two charts, a wide gap
The distance between the charts is the story of this bulletin for China. In EB-3, the filing date now sits more than two years past the final action date. In unreserved EB-5, the filing date of March 1, 2021 is about four years past the final action date of December 1, 2016, which did not move.
The gap matters because the charts answer different questions. The Dates for Filing chart shows when applicants may begin the process. The Final Action Dates chart shows when a visa number can be issued or an adjustment approved, and only for Priority dateThe date a petition was filed, or a labor certification was submitted, used to determine an applicant's place in line for a visa category with limited annual numbers.See it in the glossary earlier than the listed date.
What changed for China in context
China’s EB-2 final action date moved one month to October 1, 2021, and EB-3 Other Workers moved five months to October 1, 2019. For a longer view of how these cutoffs have swung, see our 10-year history of China EB-2 and EB-3 dates, and the guide to the EB-5 investor green card.
China moved forward while EB-2 and EB-3 for most other countries fell back in the same bulletin.