Understanding the AOS Visa Bulletin Chart

If you are applying for a Green Card through Adjustment of Status (AOS) inside the United States, keeping track of the VISA Bulletin is essential. Month after month, your eligibility to file — or to finally receive permanent residency — depends on how the Visa Bulletin dates move.

To make this process clearer, we designed the AOS Visa Bulletin Chart, an interactive graph that helps you understand the movement of cutoff dates specifically for Adjustment of Status applicants. Whether you’re tracking your own case or analyzing long-term trends, this tool gives you a visual timeline of how your category has progressed over the years.

Let’s walk through what the tool shows and how to use it.

What the AOS Visa Bulletin Chart Shows

Each month, the Department of State publishes two key sets of dates:

Dates for Filing – when you may submit your AOS application.
Final Action Dates – when USCIS may approve your Green Card.

Depending on USCIS policy for the month, they may follow either Dates for Filing or Final Action Dates for AOS processing. Our AOS graph displays both, allowing you to see how each one has progressed historically for your specific preference category and country of birth.

Each point on the graph represents:
A specific Visa Bulletin month.
The corresponding cutoff date for your selected category.
Whether it was taken from Dates for Filing or Final Action Dates.

How the AOS Visa Bulletin Chart Works

The VISA Bulletin information for AOS is organized by:
Type (Employment-Based or Family-Based)
Category (EB-1 through EB-5, or F1 through F4)
Country of Birth (All Chargeability Areas, China, India, Mexico, Philippines, and others that appear individually)

Using this data, the graph plots a timeline showing how your category’s cutoff dates have moved over the years. This helps you visually compare periods of rapid advancement, stagnation, or retrogression.

How to Use the INLG AOS Visa Bulletin Chart

Using the graph is simple — just follow these steps:

1. Select Your Type
Choose between:
Employment-Based
Family-Based

The chart automatically loads the available categories for your selection.

2. Select Your Category
Pick your preference category (for example, EB-2, EB-3, F2A, etc.).

3. Select Your Country of Birth
Choose your specific country — or “All Other Chargeability Areas” for applicants born outside the major backlogged countries.

4. View Your Historical Timeline
The line chart will immediately update, showing:
VISA Bulletin month on the X-axis.
Cutoff date on the Y-axis.

Stay Informed with INLG
We update the AOS Visa Bulletin Chart monthly, right after each new Visa Bulletin is released. Use it to follow trends, study historical changes, or better understand your own immigration journey.

For personalized guidance on your Adjustment of Status case, contact us at Immigration and Nationality Law Group — we are here to help every step of the way.