September 2023 Visa Bulletin
Data verified August 24, 2026
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What changed in the September 2023 bulletin
- F2A All other countries · China · India · the PhilippinesLargest since 2015The same move for all other chargeability areas, China, India, and the Philippines.
- EB3 ChinaCutoff now September 1, 2019.
- EB2 All other countries · Mexico · the PhilippinesThe same move for all other chargeability areas, Mexico, and the Philippines.
In brief
- 14 of 150 cutoff entries moved; 0 retrogressed.
- Largest move: F2A for 4 chargeability areas, +3m (largest since 2015).
- Final action dates moved in 1 family-sponsored category and 2 employment-based categories.
- 1 category set a single-bulletin record in our archive (since Oct 2015): F2A.
The September 2023 bulletin’s biggest family move: F2A for all other chargeability areas, China, India, and the Philippines advance 3 months. 5 other family categories hold unchanged. On the employment side, EB3 for China advances 3 months.
Read the full breakdown of the September 2023 bulletin
For F2A (all other chargeability areas, China, India, and the Philippines), this is the largest single-bulletin F2A advance in our archive (since Oct 2015).
| Category | All Areas | China-mainland born | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens | Jan 1, 2015no change | Jan 1, 2015no change | Jan 1, 2015no change | Apr 22, 2001no change | Mar 1, 2012no change |
| F2ASpouses and Children of Permanent Residents | Jan 1, 2018advanced 3 monthsLargest since 2015 | Jan 1, 2018advanced 3 monthsLargest since 2015 | Jan 1, 2018advanced 3 monthsLargest since 2015 | Sep 1, 2016no change | Jan 1, 2018advanced 3 monthsLargest since 2015 |
| F2BUnmarried Sons and Daughters (21+) of Permanent Residents | Sep 22, 2015no change | Sep 22, 2015no change | Sep 22, 2015no change | Aug 1, 2001no change | Oct 22, 2011no change |
| F3Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens | Jan 8, 2009no change | Jan 8, 2009no change | Jan 8, 2009no change | Jan 15, 1998no change | Jun 8, 2002no change |
| F4Brothers and Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens | Apr 22, 2007no change | Apr 22, 2007no change | Sep 15, 2005no change | Aug 1, 2000no change | Aug 22, 2002no change |
| Category | All Areas | China-mainland born | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens | Sep 1, 2017no change | Sep 1, 2017no change | Sep 1, 2017no change | Apr 1, 2005no change | Apr 22, 2015no change |
| F2ASpouses and Children of Permanent Residents | Sep 1, 2023no longer Current; a cutoff date returned | Sep 1, 2023no longer Current; a cutoff date returned | Sep 1, 2023no longer Current; a cutoff date returned | Sep 1, 2023no longer Current; a cutoff date returned | Sep 1, 2023no longer Current; a cutoff date returned |
| F2BUnmarried Sons and Daughters (21+) of Permanent Residents | Jan 1, 2017no change | Jan 1, 2017no change | Jan 1, 2017no change | Aug 1, 2004no change | Oct 1, 2013no change |
| F3Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens | Mar 1, 2010no change | Mar 1, 2010no change | Mar 1, 2010no change | Jun 15, 2001no change | Nov 8, 2003no change |
| F4Brothers and Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens | Mar 1, 2008no change | Mar 1, 2008no change | Feb 22, 2006no change | Apr 15, 2001no change | Apr 22, 2004no change |
From the Department’s notes for September 2023
5 sections, reproduced verbatim from the U.S. Department of State’s September 2023 Visa Bulletin. The Department’s words, not ours.
A. STATUTORY NUMBERS FOR PREFERENCE IMMIGRANT VISAS
This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during September for: “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center.
Unless otherwise indicated on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website at www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo , individuals seeking to file applications for adjustment of status with USCIS must use the “Final Action Dates” charts below for determining when they can file such applications. When USCIS determines that there are more immigrant visas available for the fiscal year than there are known applicants for such visas, USCIS will state on its website that applicants may instead use the “Dates for Filing Visa Applications” charts in this Bulletin.
1. Procedures for determining dates. Consular officers are required to report to the Department of State documentarily qualified applicants for numerically limited visas; USCIS reports applicants for adjustment of status. Allocations in the charts below were made, to the extent possible, in chronological order of reported priority dates, for demand received by August 4th . If not all demand could be satisfied, the category or foreign state in which demand was excessive was deemed oversubscribed. The final action date for an oversubscribed category is the priority date of the first applicant who could not be reached within the numerical limits. If it becomes necessary during the monthly allocation process to retrogress a final action date, supplemental requests for numbers will be honored only if the priority date falls within the new final action date announced in this bulletin. If at any time an annual limit were reached, it would be necessary to immediately make the preference category “unavailable”, and no further requests for numbers would be honored.
2. The fiscal year 2023 limit for family-sponsored preference immigrants determined in accordance with Section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is 226,000. The fiscal year 2023 limit for employment-based preference immigrants calculated under INA 201 is 197,091. Section 202 prescribes that the per-country limit for preference immigrants is set at 7% of the total annual family-sponsored and employment-based preference limits, i.e., 29,616 for FY-2023. The dependent area limit is set at 2%, or 8,462.
3. INA Section 203(e) provides that family-sponsored and employment-based preference visas be issued to eligible immigrants in the order in which a petition in behalf of each has been filed. Section 203(d) provides that spouses and children of preference immigrants are entitled to the same status, and the same order of consideration, if accompanying or following to join the principal. The visa prorating provisions of Section 202(e) apply to allocations for a foreign state or dependent area when visa demand exceeds the per-country limit. These provisions apply at present to the following oversubscribed chargeability areas: CHINA-mainland born, INDIA, MEXICO, and PHILIPPINES.
4. Section 203(a) of the INA prescribes preference classes for allotment of Family-sponsored immigrant visas as follows:
FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES
First : ( F1 ) Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens: 23,400 plus any numbers not required for fourth preference.
Second : Spouses and Children, and Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Permanent Residents: 114,200, plus the number (if any) by which the worldwide family preference level exceeds 226,000, plus any unused first preference numbers:
A. ( F2A ) Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents: 77% of the overall second preference limitation, of which 75% are exempt from the per-country limit;
B. ( F2B ) Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older) of Permanent Residents: 23% of the overall second preference limitation.
Third : ( F3 ) Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens: 23,400, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences.
Fourth : ( F4 ) Brothers and Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens: 65,000, plus any numbers not required by first three preferences.
C. THE DIVERSITY (DV) IMMIGRANT CATEGORY RANK CUT-OFFS WHICH WILL APPLY IN OCTOBER
For October , immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2024 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
10,000
Except: Algeria 7,500
Egypt 5,500
Morocco 5,600
ASIA
2,000
Except: Iran 1,750
Nepal 1,300
EUROPE
4,500
Except: Russia 4,400
Uzbekistan 1,250
NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS)
2
OCEANIA
225
SOUTH AMERICA,
and the CARIBBEAN
375
D. DIVERSITY VISA LOTTERY 2024 (DV-2024) RESULTS
The Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky has registered and notified the selectees who are eligible to participate in the DV-2024 Diversity Visa (DV) program. Random selection of DV participants was conducted under the terms of section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which makes up to *55,000 permanent resident visas available annually to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. Approximately 143,000 prospective applicants (i.e., selectees and their spouses and children) have been registered, can confirm their selection, and may be eligible to make an application for an immigrant visa. Since selection is random and blind to the number of family members who might immigrate with the selectee, and it is likely that some of the selectees will not complete their cases or will be found ineligible for a visa, this larger figure should ensure that all DV-2024 numbers can be used during fiscal year 2024 (FY24: October 1, 2023, until September 30, 2024).
Entrants registered for the DV-2024 program were selected at random from 22,185,619 qualified entries received during the 35-day application period that ran from noon, Eastern Daylight Time on Wednesday, October 5, 2022, until noon, Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. The visas will be apportioned among the six geographic regions to ensure a maximum of seven percent are issued to persons chargeable to any single country. During the visa interview, principal applicants must provide proof of a high school education or its equivalent, or two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience within the past five years. Those selected will need to act on their immigrant visa applications quickly. Applicants should follow the instructions in their notification letter and must fully complete all required steps.
Selectees who are physically present with legal status in the United States may apply to adjust their status by first contacting the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for information on the requirements and procedures. Once the total *55,000 visa numbers have been used, the program for fiscal year 2024 will end. Selectees who do not receive visas or status by September 30, 2024, will derive no further benefit from their DV-2024 registration. Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-2024 principal applicants are only entitled to derivative DV status until September 30, 2024.
Dates for the DV-2025 program registration period will be widely publicized in the coming months. Those interested in entering the DV-2025 program should check the Department of State’s Diversity Visa web page in the coming months.
*The Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) passed by Congress in November 1997 stipulated that up to 5,000 of the 55,000 annually-allocated diversity visas be made available for use under the NACARA program. This will result in reduction of the DV-2024 annual limit to approximately 54,850.
The following is the statistical breakdown by foreign state of chargeability of those registered for the DV-2024 program:
AFRICA
ALGERIA 5,142
ERITREA 211
MOZAMBIQUE 7
ANGOLA 582
ESWATINI 2
NAMIBIA 10
BENIN 1,002
ETHIOPIA 3,034
NIGER 93
BOTSWANA 16
GABON 86
RWANDA 1,604
BURKINA FASO 191
GAMBIA, THE 156
SENEGAL 504
BURUNDI 876
GHANA 2,088
SIERRA LEONE 735
CABO VERDE 15
GUINEA 1,362
SOMALIA 2,383
CAMEROON 3,485
GUINEA-BISSAU 21
SOUTH AFRICA 199
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC 30
KENYA 3,760
SOUTH SUDAN 59
CHAD 490
LIBERIA 2,208
SUDAN 5,435
COMOROS 10
LIBYA 257
TANZANIA 348
CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE 2,580
MADAGASCAR 25
TOGO 2,105
CONGO, REPUBLIC OF THE 660
MALAWI 42
TUNISIA 221
COTE D’IVOIRE 672
MALI 119
UGANDA 1,515
DJIBOUTI 333
MAURITANIA 274
ZAMBIA 85
EGYPT 5,509
MAURITIUS 4
ZIMBABWE 216
EQUATORIAL GUINEA 19
MOROCCO 4,250
ASIA
AFGHANISTAN 4,536
JORDAN 1,188
SAUDI ARABIA 619
BAHRAIN 8
KUWAIT 162
SINGAPORE 6
BHUTAN 347
LAOS 27
SRI LANKA 2,622
BURMA 1,667
LEBANON 214
SYRIA 692
CAMBODIA 340
MALAYSIA 32
TAIWAN 279
INDONESIA 104
MALDIVES 1
THAILAND 467
IRAN 5,077
MONGOLIA 300
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 211
IRAQ 1,348
NEPAL 3,863
YEMEN 3,485
ISRAEL 71
OMAN 20
JAPAN 200
QATAR 74
EUROPE
ALBANIA 2,667
GREECE 66
NORWAY 9
ANDORRA 2
HUNGARY 102
POLAND 497
ARMENIA 3,869
ICELAND 5
PORTUGAL 39
AUSTRIA 34
IRELAND 18
Macau 4
AZERBAIJAN 2,046
ITALY 256
ROMANIA 267
BELARUS 2,418
KAZAKHSTAN 2,728
RUSSIA 5,514
BELGIUM 35
KOSOVO 463
SERBIA 186
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 31
KYRGYZSTAN 4,464
SLOVAKIA 33
BULGARIA 142
LATVIA 97
SLOVENIA 2
CROATIA 30
LITHUANIA 106
SPAIN 137
CYPRUS 25
MALTA 1
SWEDEN 31
CZECH REPUBLIC 46
MOLDOVA 950
SWITZERLAND 30
DENMARK 16
MONACO 1
TAJIKISTAN 3,580
ESTONIA 33
MONTENEGRO 21
TURKEY 3,684
FINLAND 29
NETHERLANDS 39
TURKMENISTAN 1,313
FRANCE 327
Aruba 1
UKRAINE 4,286
French Polynesia 1
Curacao 1
UZBEKISTAN 5,555
New Caledonia 4
Sint Maarten 1
GEORGIA 3,194
NORTH MACEDONIA 258
GERMANY 466
NORTHERN IRELAND 1
NORTH AMERICA
BAHAMAS, THE 15
OCEANIA
AUSTRALIA 795
NAURU 32
SOLOMON ISLANDS 22
Christmas Island 1
NEW ZEALAND 256
TONGA 246
Cocos Keeling Islands 3
Cook Islands 69
TUVALU 11
FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA 1
PAPUA NEW GUINEA 15
VANUATU 29
FIJI 2,936
REPUBLIC OF PALAU 4
KIRABATI 21
SAMOA 9
SOUTH AMERICA
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 1
CUBA 3,081
PARAGUAY 9
ARGENTINA 127
DOMINICA 6
PERU 742
BARBADOS 4
ECUADOR 814
SAINT LUCIA 3
BELIZE 5
GUATEMALA 146
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES 2
BOLIVIA 85
GUYANA 9
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO 37
CHILE 51
NICARAGUA 117
URUGUAY 7
COSTA RICA 68
PANAMA 17
Natives of the following countries were not eligible to participate in DV-2024: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
E. AVAILABILITY OF EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISAS DURING SEPTEMBER
Employment-based number use by both USCIS and Department of State has been steady during the fiscal year. As a result, most employment-based preference category limits and/or the overall employment-based preference limit for FY 2023 are expected to be reached during September. If at any time an annual limit were reached, it would be necessary to immediately make the preference category “unavailable”, and no further requests for numbers would be honored.
F. DETERMINATION OF THE NUMERICAL LIMITS ON IMMIGRANTS REQUIRED UNDER THE TERMS OF THE IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT (INA)
The State Department is required to make the determination of the worldwide numerical limitations, as outlined in Section 201(c) and (d) of the INA, on an annual basis. These calculations are based in part on data provided by U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) regarding the number of immediate relative adjustments in the preceding year and the number of aliens paroled into the United States under Section 212(d)(5) in the second preceding year. Without this information, it is impossible to make an official determination of the annual limits. To avoid delays in processing while waiting for the USCIS data, the Visa Office (VO) bases allocations on reasonable estimates of the anticipated amount of visa numbers to be available under the annual limits, in accordance with Section 203(g) of the INA. On August 2nd, USCIS provided the required data to the VO.
The Department of State has determined the Family and Employment preference numerical limits for FY-2023 in accordance with the terms of Section 201 of the INA. These numerical limitations for FY-2023 are as follows:
Worldwide Family-Sponsored preference limit: 226,000
Worldwide Employment-Based preference limit: 197,091
Under INA Section 202(a), the per-country limit is fixed at 7% of the family and employment annual limits. For FY-2023 the per-country limit is 29,616. The dependent area annual limit is 2%, or 8,462.
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Understanding the Two Charts
Final Action Dates
For issuance of Green Cards. If your priority date is earlier than the date shown for your category and country, a visa number is available and your case can be approved. “Current” means all priority dates are being processed; “Unavailable” means no visa numbers are authorized this month.
Dates for Filing
For submitting I-485 applications. This chart shows the earliest priority date at which you may assemble and submit documents — ahead of final action — when USCIS designates this chart as usable for the month. It lets applicants get in line earlier while waiting for a visa number.