Visa Bulletin — 2026-06

3 min read · August 18, 2026

Legally reviewed by Attorney Elias G. Mendoza — WSBA #43857 · Arizona Bar #036789

This guide summarizes the changes in the June 2026 Visa Bulletin. We analyze priority date advances and retrogression affecting families and workers seeking legal residency.

June 2026 Visa Bulletin Summary

The Visa Bulletin is a document that the Department of State publishes every month. This report is vital for anyone waiting for a residency card or Green Card. If you have a pending case, this bulletin indicates if a visa is already available for your case based on your priority date. The priority date is basically your place in the waiting line.

To many people, understanding these tables can be confusing. For this reason, we have prepared a guide on how to read the 2026 Visa Bulletin that explains the technical terms in a simple way. This month of June brings mixed news with some slow advances and certain regressions in specific categories.

Movements in family categories

Most people who emigrate to the United States do so through family ties. The law establishes annual limits for these visas, which generates waits of many years. In the F1 category, which corresponds to unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, we have seen an advance of just a few weeks for most countries. However, for Mexico, the wait time continues to be considerably longer due to high demand.

If you are in a family immigration process, it is essential to check both the final action dates and the dates for filing applications. In some cases, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) allows the adjustment of status package to be sent before the visa is formally available. This can be useful for obtaining temporary work permits while waiting for a final decision. Remember that if your case is based on marriage, you must be very careful with documentation to avoid evidence for marriage-based green cards that could delay your process.

Changes in employment categories

For those seeking residency through their work, the June bulletin shows stability in the EB-1 categories for individuals with extraordinary abilities. However, the EB-2 and EB-3 categories, which cover professionals with advanced degrees and skilled workers, have suffered small adjustments. Employment-based immigration depends heavily on the number of visas that were granted in the previous months of the fiscal year.

It is common that as we approach the end of the fiscal year in September, dates move slower or even stop. If your priority date becomes current this month, it is advisable to act quickly. The process requires collecting many documents and labor certificates that must be valid at the time of submission.

The phenomenon of date retrogression

A topic that concerns many applicants is retrogression. This occurs when the priority date in the bulletin moves backward in time. For example, if in May the date was January 2022 and in June it changes to August 2021. This happens because the government has received more applications than it can process with the visas available for that period.

If your date retrogressed, you do not lose your place in line, but you must wait for the bulletin to reach your original date again for your case to be approved. During these long waits, some people might qualify for certain reliefs if they have citizen or resident relatives, such as i-601a provisional unlawful presence waivers, depending on their specific situation.

Importance of the priority date

The priority date is found on your Form I-797, which is the receipt the government sent you when it received your initial petition. You must compare that date with the one that appears in the column for your country in the bulletin. Mexico usually has its own column due to the enormous volume of applications. Keeping your address updated with immigration agencies is crucial so that you do not miss important notices when your date is finally near.

Many immigrants see the bulletin as the final step before reaching their goal of naturalization and citizenship. Although the road may be long, being informed allows you to make better decisions about your life in this country. We recommend consulting the bulletin every month during the first week, which is when the new version is usually published.

When preparing for your interview or to submit your final documents, remember to check the current fee for the process you need to perform. Government costs change over time, so you should always check uscis.gov for the current fee before sending any payment by mail.

This page is general legal information for the U.S., not legal advice. Speak with a licensed attorney about your case.