The latest green card waiting lists as of December 2023

The U.S. Department of State released its Visa Bulletin for December 2023. That’s a big deal if you’re waiting for your priority date to be current so that your green card application can move forward.

If you don’t know what a “visa bulletin” or a “priority date” is, we’ve got you covered. Start by checking out the Boundless guide on How to Read the Visa Bulletin.

If you’re already familiar with those terms, scroll down to our summary of key developments or to the filing category that’s most relevant to you:

Family-based categories

• F-1: Unmarried Children (Age 21 and Older) of U.S. Citizens
• F-2A: Spouses and Unmarried Children (Under Age 21) of U.S. Green Card Holders
• F-2B: Unmarried Children (Age 21 or Older) of U.S. Green Card Holders
• F-3: Married Children of U.S. Citizens
• F-4: Siblings of U.S. Citizens

Employment-based categories

• EB-1: Extraordinary People, Outstanding Researchers and Professors, and Multinational Executives and Managers
• EB-2: Exceptional People and Advanced Degree Holders
• EB-3: Bachelor’s Degree Holders, Skilled Workers, and Unskilled Workers
• EB-4: Special Immigrants
• EB-5: Investors

Every month the Department of State calculates the current backlog for various categories and uses this data to create a projected date. Those immigrants who have a priority date on or before that date can begin the next step in their process, by either filing for adjustment of statues or filing at a consulate abroad for an immigrant visa.

The dates below are the "dates of filing" which tell you when you can begin the next step. The visa bulletin also posts "final action dates" which determine when the application can actually be adjudicated. The difference between these two dates is usually roughly the time that USCIS expects to take to process the applications.

Family-Based Green Card Backlogs

F-1: UNMARRIED CHILDREN (AGE 21 AND OLDER) OF U.S. CITIZENS

Country	New Cut-Off Date	Old Cut-Off Date	Movement
All Other Areas	1-Sept-17	1-Sept-17	No Change
China	1-Sept-17	1-Sept-17	No Change
India	1-Sept-17	1-Sept-17	No Change
Mexico	1-Apr-05	1-Apr-05	No Change
Philippines	22-Apr-15	22-Apr-15	No Change

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F-2A: SPOUSES AND UNMARRIED CHILDREN (UNDER AGE 21) OF U.S. GREEN CARD HOLDERS

Country	New Cut-Off Date	Old Cut-Off Date	Movement
All Other Areas	1-Sept-23	1-Sept-23	No Change
China	1-Sept-23	1-Sept-23	No Change
India	1-Sept-23	1-Sept-23	No Change
Mexico	1-Sept-23	1-Sept-23	No Change
Philippines	1-Sept-23	1-Sept-23	No Change

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F-2B: UNMARRIED CHILDREN (AGE 21 OR OLDER) OF U.S. GREEN CARD HOLDERS

Country	New Cut-Off Date	Old Cut-Off Date	Movement
All Other Areas	1-Jan-17	1-Jan-17	No Change
China	1-Jan-17	1-Jan-17	No Change
India	1-Jan-17	1-Jan-17	No Change
Mexico	1-Aug-04	1-Aug-04	No Change
Philippines	1-Oct-13	1-Oct-13	No Change

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F-3: MARRIED CHILDREN OF U.S. CITIZENS

Country	New Cut-Off Date	Old Cut-Off Date	Movement
All Other Areas	1-Mar-10	1-Mar-10	No Change
China	1-Mar-10	1-Mar-10	No Change
India	1-Mar-10	1-Mar-10	No Change
Mexico	15-June-01	15-June-01	No Change
Philippines	8-Nov-03	8-Nov-03	No Change

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F-4: SIBLINGS OF U.S. CITIZENS

Country	New Cut-Off Date	Old Cut-Off Date	Movement
All Other Areas	1-Mar-08	1-Mar-08	No Change
China	1-Mar-08	1-Mar-08	No Change
India	22-Feb-06	22-Feb-06	No Change
Mexico	15-April-01	15-April-01	No Change
Philippines	22-Apr-04	22-Apr-04	No Change

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EB-1: EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE, OUTSTANDING RESEARCHERS AND PROFESSORS, AND MULTINATIONAL EXECUTIVES AND MANAGERS

Country	New Cut-Off Date	Old Cut-Off Date	Movement
All Other Areas	Current	Current	No Change
China	1-Aug-22	1-Aug-22	No Change
India	1-July-19	1-July-19	No Change
Mexico	Current	Current	No Change
Philippines	Current	Current	No Change

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EB-2: EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE AND ADVANCED DEGREE HOLDERS

Country	New Cut-Off Date	Old Cut-Off Date	Movement
All Other Areas	1-Jan-23	1-Jan-23	No Change
China	1-Jan-20	1-Jan-20	No Change
India	15-May-12	15-May-12	No Change
Mexico	1-Jan-23	1-Jan-23	No Change
Philippines	1-Jan-23	1-Jan-23	No Change

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EB-4: "SPECIAL IMMIGRANTS" CATEGORY

Country	New Cut-Off Date	Old Cut-Off Date	Movement
All Other Areas	1-Mar-19	1-Mar-19	No Change
China	1-Mar-19	1-Mar-19	No Change
India	1-Mar-19	1-Mar-19	No Change
Mexico	1-Mar-19	1-Mar-19	No Change
Philippines	1-Mar-19	1-Mar-19	No Change

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EB-5: "INVESTORS" CATEGORY

Country	New Cut-Off Date	Old Cut-Off Date	Movement
All Other Areas	No wait	No wait	No Change
China	1-Jan-17	1-Jan-17	No Change
India	1-April-22	1-April-22	No Change
Mexico	No wait	No wait	No Change
Philippines	No wait	No wait	No Change