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For those preparing for U.S. employment-based immigration, the Visa Bulletin's green card visa chart, published monthly by the U.S. Department of State, is the key indicator that shapes your entire immigration timeline and strategy.

In this column, we'll organize the January 2026 employment-based green card visa bulletin announcement by category, and finally walk you through how to interpret the visa bulletin chart — something many people find confusing.

EB-1 Employment-Based First Preference: Still the Most Stable Option

The EB-1 category remains Current this month for both the Final Action Date and the Dates for Filing.
This means that, regardless of nationality, applicants can proceed immediately without any priority date restriction, making it the most stable category among employment-based immigration.

For highly educated professionals, multinational executives, and individuals with extraordinary ability, EB-1 remains the most predictable option.

EB-2 Employment-Based Second Preference: Meaningful Progress Continues

EB-2 showed positive progress overall this month.
The Final Action Date advanced two months, from February 1, 2024 to April 1, 2024,
and the Dates for Filing also moved up three months, from July 15, 2024 to October 15, 2024.

Over the past few months, EB-2 has been moving at a relatively steady pace, which can be read as an important signal for EB-2 applicants, including those filing NIW.

EB-3 Employment-Based Third Preference: Gradual Progress and Continued Waiting

For EB-3 professional and skilled workers, the Final Action Date advanced about a week, from April 15, 2023 to April 22, 2023.
However, the Dates for Filing remains frozen at July 1, 2023 this month as well.

For EB-3 unskilled workers, the Final Action Date advanced one month, from August 1, 2021 to September 1, 2021, but the Dates for Filing remains unchanged at December 1, 2021.

Overall, EB-3 continues to see very gradual movement rather than dramatic change, and it's a category that requires a long-term perspective.

EB-4 Religious Workers: Slow but Clear Progress

The EB-4 religious worker category shows the same trend for both general religious workers and special religious workers.
The Final Action Date advanced four months, from September 1, 2020 to January 1, 2021,
and the Dates for Filing moved up one month, from February 15, 2021 to March 15, 2021.

The pace isn't fast, but the fact that it keeps moving steadily without stalling can be viewed positively.

EB-5 Investment Immigration: Current Status Continues

EB-5 investment immigration remains Current this month as well.
In other words, applicants can currently begin processing right away without waiting, making it a category where scheduling is relatively easy to predict.

Overall Review of the January 2026 Visa Bulletin

The January 2026 employment-based visa bulletin maintains an overall positive direction.
In particular, the fact that EB-1 and EB-5 continue to remain Current is worth noting, and EB-2 is also continuing a steady recovery trend.

Rather than simply looking at whether "the door is open or closed," it's important for those preparing to immigrate to check what strategy is needed right now based on their own category and priority date.

Here's How You Should Read the Green Card Visa Bulletin Chart

Every month, the U.S. Department of State publishes two dates for each employment-based category.
One is the Final Action Date, and the other is the Dates for Filing.

The Final Action Date is the benchmark date on which a green card can actually be approved, and the Dates for Filing is the benchmark date on which you can file Form I-485 (adjustment of status) or DS-260 (consular processing).

The important point is that if you're doing adjustment of status within the U.S., you must check which chart USCIS applies for that month. On the other hand, for consular processing (CP) done abroad, such as in Korea, the visa bulletin is generally judged based on the Final Action Date.

So when reading the visa bulletin chart, an accurate judgment requires considering not just the dates alone, but also your processing method, current status, and priority date together.

A green card is a battle of timing and strategy. Reading the visa bulletin trend accurately and preparing accordingly is more important than anything else.