China (mainland) Green Card Priority Dates
Visa Bulletin, April 2026
Employment-Based Categories
| Category | Final Action Date | Backlog | Last Movement |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 - Priority Workers | Apr 1, 2023 | 3 yrs | +31 days |
| EB-2 - Advanced Degree / Exceptional Ability | Sep 1, 2021 | 4.6 yrs | No movement |
| EB-3 - Skilled Workers / Professionals | Jun 15, 2021 | 4.8 yrs | +45 days |
| EB-3 Other Workers | Feb 1, 2019 | 7.2 yrs | +55 days |
| EB-4 - Special Immigrants | Jul 15, 2022 | 3.7 yrs | +1 yr |
| EB-5 - Unreserved | Sep 1, 2016 | 9.6 yrs | +17 days |
| EB-5 - Rural Set Aside | Current | Current | Current |
| EB-5 - High Unemployment Set Aside | Current | Current | Current |
| EB-5 - Infrastructure Set Aside | Current | Current | Current |
Family-Sponsored Categories
| Category | Final Action Date | Backlog | Last Movement |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 - Unmarried Sons/Daughters of US Citizens | May 1, 2017 | 8.9 yrs | +5.7 mo |
| F2A - Spouses/Children of Permanent Residents | Feb 1, 2024 | 2.2 yrs | No movement |
| F2B - Unmarried Sons/Daughters of Permanent Residents | May 22, 2017 | 8.9 yrs | +5.7 mo |
| F3 - Married Sons/Daughters of US Citizens | Dec 22, 2011 | 14.3 yrs | +3.4 mo |
| F4 - Brothers/Sisters of Adult US Citizens | Jun 8, 2008 | 17.8 yrs | +5 mo |
China (mainland) Green Card Priority Dates: 2026 Overview
China (mainland) has backlogs in several employment-based categories, especially EB-1, EB-2, and EB-5. Chinese applicants face multi-year waits due to per-country visa caps. EB-1, which is current for most countries, has a backlog for Chinese nationals.
Understanding priority dates for China (mainland)
The U.S. Department of State publishes a monthly visa bulletin that sets cutoff dates for each green card category and country. If your priority date (the date your petition was filed) is earlier than the cutoff date, you are eligible to proceed with your green card application. The tables above show the current final action dates, estimated backlog in years, and the most recent monthly movement for each category.
Per-country visa limits
U.S. immigration law caps green cards for any single country at 7% of the total annual allocation. For high-demand countries like China (mainland), this creates long backlogs because the number of applicants far exceeds available visa numbers each year. That is why China (mainland) applicants often wait much longer than applicants from countries without backlogs.