The China EB-2 cutoff date started fiscal year 2016 at January 1, 2012 and started fiscal year 2026 at April 1, 2021, according to the State Department’s China employment final action date history and its later October bulletins. In ten years the line moved forward by about nine years and three months. The China EB-3 cutoff moved from October 15, 2011 to March 1, 2021 over the same period. In the September 2026 bulletin, the EB-2 date is September 1, 2021 and the EB-3 date is January 1, 2022.
This article traces the China EB-2 and EB-3 cutoff dates over that decade, how old the cutoffs were at the start of each fiscal year, and the years when the dates dropped back. It is the companion to our look at India’s EB-2 and EB-3 cutoff dates.
China EB-2 and EB-3 Cutoff Dates, FY2016 to September 2026
A 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 is the 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 of the first applicant who could not be reached within the numerical limits. Only applicants with an earlier priority date can have a visa number authorized. The chart plots the date printed in each October bulletin, which opens a fiscal year, plus the latest reading in September 2026. The EB-3 date sits later than the EB-2 date in most years, with exceptions at the start of fiscal years 2016, 2023 and 2026.
| Fiscal year | Bulletin | EB-2 China | EB-3 China |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2016 | October 2015 | January 1, 2012 | October 15, 2011 |
| FY2017 | October 2016 | February 15, 2012 | January 22, 2013 |
| FY2018 | October 2017 | May 22, 2013 | January 1, 2014 |
| FY2019 | October 2018 | April 1, 2015 | June 1, 2015 |
| FY2020 | October 2019 | January 1, 2015 | November 1, 2015 |
| FY2021 | October 2020 | March 1, 2016 | July 1, 2017 |
| FY2022 | October 2021 | July 1, 2018 | January 8, 2019 |
| FY2023 | October 2022 | June 8, 2019 (Dec 2022) | June 15, 2018 |
| FY2024 | October 2023 | October 1, 2019 | January 1, 2020 |
| FY2025 | October 2024 | March 22, 2020 | April 1, 2020 |
| FY2026 | October 2025 | April 1, 2021 | March 1, 2021 |
| Latest | September 2026 | September 1, 2021 | January 1, 2022 |
The October figures for fiscal years 2016 to 2021 come from the State Department’s historical table. The fiscal year 2022 dates come from the October 2021 bulletin, and the EB-3 date for fiscal year 2023 from the October 2022 bulletin. The EB-2 figure for fiscal year 2023 is the date in the December 2022 bulletin, which was unchanged from the prior month. Later years come from the October 2023, October 2024 and October 2025 bulletins, and the last row from the September 2026 bulletin.
How Old the China Cutoff Dates Have Been
Measuring the gap between the bulletin month and the cutoff date gives a second view of the same data. The China EB-2 cutoff was 3.7 years old at the start of fiscal year 2016 and 4.5 years old at the start of fiscal year 2026. The EB-3 cutoff went from 4.0 years to 4.6 years.
Across all eleven fiscal-year starts, the gap stayed between about 2.7 and 4.7 years. For comparison, the India EB-2 gap was 12.5 years at the start of fiscal year 2026. The figure is a snapshot of how old the oldest served priority date was, not a wait-time estimate for a new filer.
The Big Swings: When China Dates Dropped Back
The clearest pattern in the China tables is not slow drift but sudden reversals. In several years a date advanced steadily for most of the fiscal year, then moved back near the end. The State Department describes RetrogressionWhen a Visa Bulletin cutoff date moves backward, usually because demand exceeded the numbers available for that category.See it in the glossary as an effort to hold issuances within the annual numerical limits.
| Fiscal year | Category | What the bulletins show |
|---|---|---|
| FY2015 | EB-2 | Reached Dec 15, 2013 in August 2015, then fell to Jan 1, 2006 in September 2015. |
| FY2016 | EB-2 | Started at Jan 1, 2012 in October 2015, reached Sep 1, 2012 by May 2016, then fell to Jan 1, 2010 in June 2016. |
| FY2017 | EB-3 | Started at Jan 22, 2013, reached Oct 1, 2014 in June 2017, then fell to Jan 1, 2012 in July 2017. |
| FY2018 | EB-2 | Reached Mar 1, 2015 in August 2018, then fell to Jan 1, 2013 in September 2018. |
| FY2021 | EB-2 and EB-3 | EB-2 rose from Mar 1, 2016 in October 2020 to Jul 1, 2018 by September 2021. EB-3 rose from Jul 1, 2017 to Jan 8, 2019. |
The two fiscal years around 2015 and 2016 show it most sharply. The chart follows the China EB-2 date month by month, from October 2014 to September 2016.
Retrogression means a cutoff date moves to an earlier priority date, so applicants who were within the line can fall outside it. Our guide on what happens if a priority date retrogresses explains the mechanics.
How to Read This Data
Cutoff dates describe past movement. They do not show how many people are waiting, how many visa numbers will be available next year, or when a specific priority date will become current. The State Department’s China table through fiscal year 2023 has the full monthly history and other categories. Our September 2026 bulletin analysis covers the latest month.
To check a priority date against the current chart, use the Visa Bulletin Tracker. For how the bulletin works, see what the Visa Bulletin does and does not say, and for why some green cards take years, the immigration queue explained.