The May 2026 Bulletin, Briefed
At a glance
- F2A all other chargeability areas, China, India, and the Philippines — advanced 6 months
- F1 Mexico — advanced 6 months to August 15, 2007
- F2A Mexico — advanced 6 months to August 1, 2023
- F4 the Philippines — advanced 5 months to July 15, 2007
- EB3 Other Workers all other chargeability areas and Mexico — advanced 3 months
- EB5 China — advanced 3 weeks to September 22, 2016
After April's broad surge, May narrowed its focus: 34 of 150 cutoff entries moved, none retrogressed, and nearly all of the action was family-sponsored. The month belonged to one category — F2A advanced advanced 6 months in every chargeability column at once, all-countries, China, India, the Philippines, and Mexico alike, bringing the main cutoff to August 1, 2024. No records were set; the significance was uniformity, not size.
What moved
- F2A all other chargeability areas, China, India, and the Philippines · Final action
- F1 Mexico · Final action
- F2A Mexico · Final action
- F4 the Philippines · Final action
- F3 the Philippines · Final action
- F1 all other chargeability areas, China, and India · Final action
- F4 all other chargeability areas and China · Final action
- F3 all other chargeability areas, China, and India · Final action
- F1 all other chargeability areas, China, and India · Dates for filing
- F1 Mexico · Dates for filing
- F2B all other chargeability areas, China, and India · Dates for filing
- F4 all other chargeability areas and China · Dates for filing
- F3 the Philippines · Dates for filing
- F3 all other chargeability areas, China, and India · Dates for filing
- F3 Mexico · Dates for filing
- EB3 Other Workers all other chargeability areas and Mexico · Final action
- EB5 China · Final action
- EB5 China · Dates for filing
Held on final action: F2B.
Held on final action: EB1, EB2, EB3, EB4, EB4 Religious Workers, EB5 Rural, EB5 High-Unemployment, EB5 Infrastructure.
The family picture
F2A's synchronized six-month step was the kind of across-the-board move the bulletin rarely prints — even Mexico, whose family lines had sat frozen through the spring, advanced advanced 6 months to August 1, 2023. And Mexico's movement didn't stop there: F1 Mexico advanced advanced 6 months to August 15, 2007 — its second consecutive monthly advance after years of near-stillness in that column.
The Philippines continued its spring catch-up: F4 advanced 5 months to July 15, 2007 and F3 advanced 5 months, each outpacing the all-countries columns for the second straight bulletin. Elsewhere the majors kept a steadier rhythm — F1 advanced 4 months to September 1, 2017, F4 advanced 3 months, F3 advanced 8 weeks — while F2B, coming off April's record advance, held in every column. F3 and F4 for Mexico, and F4 for India, stayed unchanged.
- F2A · All Chargeability Areas — advanced 6 months · August 1, 2024
- F1 · Mexico — advanced 6 months · August 15, 2007
- F2A · Mexico — advanced 6 months · August 1, 2023
Evidence: The family picture
- F2A · All Chargeability AreasAugust 1, 2024advanced 6 months
- F1 · MexicoAugust 15, 2007advanced 6 months
- F2A · MexicoAugust 1, 2023advanced 6 months
- F4 · PhilippinesJuly 15, 2007advanced 5 months
Employment-based, briefly
Nearly silent: EB3 Other Workers advanced advanced 3 months for all-areas and Mexico, EB5 China moved advanced 3 weeks, and everything else held. After April's Current-wave, May made the fiscal year's family-led character plain.
- EB3 Other Workers · All Chargeability Areas — advanced 3 months · February 1, 2022
- EB5 · China — advanced 3 weeks · September 22, 2016
Evidence: Employment-based, briefly
- EB3 Other Workers · All Chargeability AreasFebruary 1, 2022advanced 3 months
- EB5 · ChinaSeptember 22, 2016advanced 3 weeks
From the Department’s notes for May 2026
4 sections, reproduced verbatim from the U.S. Department of State’s May 2026 Visa Bulletin. The Department’s words, not ours.
C. THE DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT (DV) CATEGORY RANK CUT-OFFS WHICH WILL APPLY IN JUNE
For June , immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2026 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows. When an allocation cut-off number is shown, visas are available only for applicants with DV regional lottery rank numbers BELOW the specified allocation cut-off number:
Region
All DV Chargeability Areas Except
Those Listed Separately
AFRICA
55,000
Except: Algeria 37,000
Egypt 30,000
ASIA
35,000
Except: Nepal 11,000
EUROPE
20,000
NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS)
50
OCEANIA
1,500
SOUTH AMERICA,
and the CARIBBEAN
3,000
D. AVAILABILITY OF FAMILY-SPONSORED AND EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISAS
Immigrant visa issuance rates for aliens from certain countries have decreased in light of various actions the administration has taken to protect national security and public safety, and to otherwise advance the interests of the United States (e.g. Presidential Proclamation 10949 , Presidential Proclamation 10998 , Immigrant Visa Processing Updates ). Consequently, to make visas available in accordance with sections 201-203 of the INA to prospective immigrants from other countries to use immigrant visa numbers that are available in FY-2026, dates for filing and final action dates have been advanced across various immigrant visa categories. Note that as additional immigrant visa demand materializes, or administration actions are amended, retrogression may be necessary later in the fiscal year to keep issuances within annual limits. This situation is being continually monitored, and any necessary adjustments will be made accordingly.
E. VISA AVAILABILITY IN THE EMPLOYMENT-BASED FIFTH PREFERENCE (EB-5) UNRESERVED CATEGORIES FOR INDIA
Sufficient demand and increased number use by India in the EB-5 unreserved visa categories may make it necessary to retrogress the final action date or make the category unavailable to hold number use within the maximum allowed under the FY 2026 annual limit. This situation will be continually monitored, and any necessary adjustments will be made accordingly.
F. U.S. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISAS (SIVs)
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024, signed into law on December 22, 2023, may affect certain current and former employees of the U.S. Government abroad, as well as certain surviving spouses and children of deceased employees of the U.S. government abroad, applying for SIVs or adjustment of status, as described in section 101(a)(27)(D) of the INA. This does not affect certain Iraqis and Afghans applying for SQ and SI SIVs. Applicants should contact the consular section at which they filed their Form DS‑1884 for further information on the impact of that law on their case.
F. FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON VISA PROCESSING AT U.S. EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES, PLEASE VISIT THE BUREAU OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS WEBSITE AT TRAVEL.STATE.GOV
What happened next
May's F2A step turned out to be the opening stride of the category's defining run: from August 1, 2024 in May, the cutoff reached August 22, 2026 by September — roughly two years of movement in four bulletins, ending within weeks of the bulletin date itself. F1 Mexico's May advance also held up as the start of continued motion, reaching January 1, 2008 by year-end, and F4's all-countries column traveled from September 15, 2008 to October 22, 2011.
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Related categories
The full cutoff-date history behind this analysis.