The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has published the monthly Visa Bulletin for May 2026. Until May 1, the April 2026 Visa Bulletin remains in effect.   

The Visa Bulletin contains the DOS’s Final Action Dates chart, which lists the priority dates that are current in each respective category, the categories that are current during the applicable month (i.e., categories that do not have any backlogs), and the categories that are unavailable. The Visa Bulletin also contains the DOS’s Dates for Filing chart, which usually progresses ahead of the Final Action Dates chart, and which U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) sometimes uses to determine the date that Adjustment of Status filings are permitted in each category.   

 For May 2026, USCIS has confirmed that beneficiaries of employment-based immigrant petitions should use the Final Action Dates to determine eligibility to file Adjustment of Status applications.  Please note that this is a change from April 2026, which used the Dates for Filing chart. 

 Key Takeaways:  

Final Action Dates 

• There were no changes to the EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 categories. The EB-1 and EB-2 categories remain current for all other countries (except India and China).  
• The Other Workers category for Mexico and all other countries (except India, China, and Philippines) advanced 3 months.  
• The 5th Unreserved (including C5, T5, I5, R5, NU, RU) category for China advanced 3 weeks.  
• All other categories remained the same.  

Final Action Date Chart for Employment-Based Preference Cases for May 2026: 

For case-specific guidance or to confirm filing eligibility, please contact a Foster LLP attorney. Foster LLP will continue to track immigrant visa availability and provide updates about any developments via Immigration Updates©, articles, and globs on our website at www.fosterglobal.com.