February 2026 Visa Bulletin: What Changed (And What Didn’t) for Your Green Card

If you’ve been refreshing your inbox waiting for the February 2026 Visa Bulletin, I’ve got news for you—and honestly, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. For most people stuck in the green card backlog, this month brings more of the same waiting game. But if you’re in the EB-3 category and you’re not from India or China, there’s actually a small glimmer of movement.

Let me break down exactly what’s happening with this month’s bulletin and, more importantly, what it means for your immigration timeline.

The Bottom Line Up Front

The Department of State just dropped the February 2026 Visa Bulletin, and here’s what you need to know right away: most categories are standing still. EB-1 and EB-2 haven’t budged. Family-based categories are mostly frozen. The one bright spot? EB-3 Professional and Skilled Workers from countries other than India and China saw some forward movement.

USCIS also announced that for February, everyone filing adjustment of status applications should use the “Dates for Filing” chart, which is actually good news because it means more people can submit their applications even if they’re not quite ready for final approval.

Understanding the Two Charts (Because Yes, It’s Confusing)

Before we dive into the specific numbers, let’s clear up something that confuses pretty much everyone: why are there two different sets of dates?

The Final Action Dates (Chart A) tell you when your priority date needs to be current for your green card to actually be approved. Think of this as the finish line.

The Dates for Filing (Chart B) tell you when you can submit your adjustment of status application and start the paperwork process, even if you’re not quite at the finish line yet. This lets you get your application in the queue earlier, which means you can get your work permit and travel document sooner.

Each month, USCIS decides which chart applicants should use. For February 2026, they’re allowing everyone to use the Dates for Filing chart, which is a nice break for people who’ve been waiting to at least get their paperwork started.

Employment-Based Categories: The Details

EB-1 (Priority Workers)

This category includes extraordinary ability individuals, outstanding professors and researchers, and multinational executives. Here’s where things stand:

For India and China, the Final Action Date is stuck at February 1, 2023. Yeah, that’s a three-year wait just to get through the final processing stage. The Dates for Filing chart isn’t any better—same date.

For everyone else? You’re current. No waiting. If you’re from any country other than India or China and you qualify for EB-1, you can file and get approved relatively quickly (at least as far as immigration timelines go).

The fact that EB-1 hasn’t moved at all this month is frustrating for Indian and Chinese nationals who were hoping for even a slight advancement. We’re talking about people who are literally at the top of their fields—Olympic athletes, Nobel Prize nominees, Fortune 500 executives—and they’re still waiting years.

EB-2 (Advanced Degrees or Exceptional Ability)

This is probably the most backlogged category, and February doesn’t bring any relief.

India is stuck at July 15, 2013. Let me repeat that: if you’re from India with an EB-2 priority date, you need to have filed over twelve years ago to be current right now. That’s not a typo. People who submitted their applications when Obama was still in his first term are just now getting their green cards.

China sits at September 1, 2021, which is still about a five-year wait.

Rest of the world remains at April 1, 2024, meaning there’s roughly a two-year backlog even for countries without severe retrogression.

The Dates for Filing chart shows the exact same dates across the board. No movement whatsoever. If you’re in EB-2, you’re playing the long game whether you like it or not.

EB-3 (Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Other Workers)

Okay, here’s where we actually see some movement—but only if you’re not from India or China.

For India: Still stuck at November 15, 2013 for Final Action Dates. The Dates for Filing chart is at August 15, 2014. Basically, no change from January.

For China: Final Action Date remains at May 1, 2021. Dates for Filing stays at January 1, 2022.

For the rest of the world: This is the good news. Final Action Dates moved forward by five weeks from April 22, 2023 to June 1, 2023. The Dates for Filing chart jumped ahead by three months, from July 1, 2023 to October 1, 2023.

Is five weeks a massive leap? No. But when you’ve been watching these dates crawl forward at a snail’s pace month after month, any movement feels like progress. If your priority date is in that May-June 2023 window and you’re from a country other than India or China, congratulations—you just became current.

For the Other Workers subcategory (that’s unskilled workers), everything remained frozen across all countries. No movement in either chart.

EB-4 (Special Immigrants)

Here’s something important: the Certain Religious Workers (SR) program was scheduled to sunset on January 30, 2026. Unless Congress steps in to extend it (and they might—these things often get last-minute extensions), this category becomes “Unavailable” after midnight on January 29.

What does that mean? No new SR visas can be issued overseas, and USCIS can’t approve adjustment of status cases in this category. If you had a visa issued before that date, it’s only valid until January 29, and you must be physically admitted to the United States by that deadline.

For other EB-4 categories, the Final Action Date stays at January 1, 2021, and the Dates for Filing chart remains at March 15, 2021.

EB-5 (Immigrant Investors)

The unreserved EB-5 category shows no movement for any country. If you’re from India or China, you’re facing significant backlogs. For everyone else in the unreserved category, dates haven’t budged from where they were in January.

The good news is that the EB-5 set-aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure) remain current for all countries. If you invested through one of these targeted programs, you’re in much better shape than those in the regular EB-5 queue.

Family-Based Categories: Slow and Steady (Emphasis on Slow)

Family-based immigration isn’t faring much better than employment-based, unfortunately. USCIS announced that family-sponsored applicants should also use the Dates for Filing chart for February, which at least lets people get their applications submitted.

F-1 (Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens)

Mexico saw the Dates for Filing advance by two months to December 1, 2007, and the Final Action Dates moved forward by over three months to December 22, 2006. Yes, you read that right—we’re talking about applications from 2006 and 2007 finally becoming current in 2026.

All other countries remain stuck with no movement in either chart.

F-2A (Spouses and Children Under 21 of Green Card Holders)

The Dates for Filing chart advanced by one month to January 22, 2026 for all countries, which means this category is almost current. The Final Action Dates stayed the same as last month.

This is actually one of the better family-based categories to be in right now—at least you’re not waiting decades.

F-2B (Unmarried Children 21+ of Green Card Holders)

Mexico saw movement of three months in both charts. The Dates for Filing jumped to February 15, 2010, and Final Action Dates moved to February 15, 2009.

Other countries saw no movement at all.

F-3 (Married Children of U.S. Citizens)

Completely frozen. No movement in either chart for any country. If you’re in this category, you’re probably well aware that wait times can stretch beyond two decades for some countries.

F-4 (Brothers and Sisters of U.S. Citizens)

Also frozen solid. This category has notoriously long wait times—we’re talking 15-20+ years for many countries. February brings zero advancement.

What This Month’s Bulletin Really Tells Us

Here’s my honest take after following these bulletins month after month: February 2026 is a holding pattern. We’re in the second month of the second quarter of fiscal year 2026, and the State Department has historically been conservative about moving dates in the early parts of each quarter.

Think of it like this: they’re managing a finite number of visa numbers (140,000 for employment-based, 226,000 for family-sponsored each fiscal year), and they need to make sure they don’t run out before September 30. So they move cautiously, especially early in each quarter, to avoid advancing dates too far and then having to retrogress them later.

The modest movement in EB-3 worldwide suggests they’re testing the waters. If visa usage remains steady, we might see more substantial movement in March or April. But if there’s a surge of applications, dates could freeze again or even retrogress.

For India and China EB-2 filers, the situation is honestly heartbreaking. The per-country limit (7% of total annual preference numbers, which works out to about 25,620 per country) creates a massive bottleneck when you have millions of highly skilled workers from just two countries competing for those limited spots. Until Congress reforms the per-country cap system, these waits will continue to be measured in decades, not years.

What You Should Do Right Now

If your priority date just became current: Don’t celebrate by waiting. Get your paperwork together immediately. Immigration is a “first come, first served” system within each priority date, and you don’t want to be caught off guard if dates retrogress next month.

If you can file using the Dates for Filing chart: Seriously consider doing it. Even if your Final Action Date isn’t current yet, filing now gets you into the queue and lets you apply for employment authorization and advance parole. That’s valuable.

If you’re nowhere near current: I know it’s frustrating, but use this time wisely. Make sure all your documents are up to date. Keep your passport current. Stay in valid status. Monitor job changes carefully if you’re on an employment-based petition. The worst thing would be to finally become current only to discover you can’t proceed because of a technicality.

If you’re in the SR religious worker category: Talk to your immigration attorney immediately about the January 29 deadline. If Congress doesn’t extend the program, you have very little time to act.

The Bigger Picture: Why Are Wait Times So Long?

This is the question I get constantly, and the answer is pretty straightforward: demand far exceeds supply.

The current visa number limits were set in 1990—when the internet barely existed, when India’s tech industry was in its infancy, when the global economy looked completely different. Those same limits apply today when we have millions more qualified applicants.

The 7% per-country limit, while designed to promote diversity, creates absurd situations where someone from Luxembourg faces no wait while someone from India waits 13 years despite having identical qualifications. It’s a system that desperately needs reform, but immigration reform is politically difficult, and comprehensive changes keep stalling in Congress.

Meanwhile, people’s lives are in limbo. Families are separated. Careers are constrained. Children age out of derivative status. The human cost of these wait times is enormous.

Looking Ahead to March

I’ll be watching the March Visa Bulletin closely to see if the State Department continues the conservative approach or if we see more substantial movement as we get deeper into the fiscal year’s second quarter.

Historically, we sometimes see bigger jumps in March or April as USCIS gets a better handle on actual visa usage versus projections. But with the recent pause on immigrant visa processing for 75 countries (which doesn’t affect adjustment of status applications for people already in the U.S., but does impact consular processing), the calculation gets more complicated.

The State Department will also be watching how many people take advantage of the Dates for Filing chart being open. If there’s a surge of filings, they might tighten things up. If usage is moderate, they might advance dates more aggressively.

Final Thoughts

Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat it: for most people, February 2026 isn’t the breakthrough month they were hoping for. If you’re in EB-2 India or China, if you’re in most family-based categories, you’re playing the same waiting game you’ve been playing for months or years.

But here’s what I want you to remember: every single month that passes is one month closer to your priority date becoming current. The line does move, even when it feels glacially slow. People do eventually get their green cards. I’ve seen it happen countless times.

In the meantime, stay informed, stay patient (I know that’s easier said than done), and stay ready. Your turn will come. Just make sure when it does, you’re prepared to move quickly.

And if you’re one of the lucky few whose priority date just became current in the EB-3 worldwide category—congratulations. You’ve earned it. Now go get that paperwork filed.

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Disclaimer: This article provides general information about the February 2026 Visa Bulletin and should not be considered legal advice. Immigration law is complex and highly individual. Always consult with a qualified immigration attorney about your specific situation before making decisions about your case.