The US Visa Bulletin determines how long you wait after your I-140 is approved. This guide explains how it works, which African and Filipino nationals are affected, and what it means for your EB-1A or EB-2 NIW timeline.
You filed your I-140 petition, it was approved, and you expected to be close to the finish line. Then someone mentioned the Visa Bulletin, and suddenly the timeline looks very different.
For many African professionals, particularly Nigerians, the Visa Bulletin is the single most consequential factor in how long the green card process actually takes. It is also one of the least understood. Most immigration guides explain how to file a petition. Very few explain how a monthly government document published by the US Department of State can add years to your wait after your petition has already been approved.
This guide explains what the Visa Bulletin is, how it affects EB-1A and EB-2 NIW applicants from Africa and the Philippines, why some nationalities face long waits while others do not, and what strategic options exist for those who are affected.
What is the US Visa Bulletin?
The US Congress sets an annual limit on the number of employment-based green cards that can be issued each fiscal year. That limit is approximately 140,000 across all employment-based preference categories combined. Within that total, each preference category has its own allocation, and within each category, no single country can receive more than seven percent of the annual total.
When demand from applicants of a particular nationality in a particular category exceeds that country’s annual allocation, a backlog forms. The US Department of State manages this through the Visa Bulletin, a monthly publication that sets cut-off dates, called final action dates, for each country and each preference category. If your priority date, which is the date USCIS received your I-140 petition, is earlier than the final action date listed for your country and category, you can proceed to the next step in the green card process. If your priority date is later than the final action date, you wait.
The Visa Bulletin is published on the first Tuesday of each month for the following month. Final action dates can advance, stay the same, or retrogress, meaning move backward, from month to month depending on demand and available visa numbers.
How the Visa Bulletin applies to EB-1A and EB-2 NIW specifically
The EB-1A extraordinary ability green card sits in the first employment-based preference category, known as EB-1. The EB-2 NIW sits in the second employment-based preference category, known as EB-2. Each has its own annual allocation and its own final action dates in the Visa Bulletin.
The EB-1 category and the EB-1A
Historically, the EB-1 category has remained current for all countries, meaning no backlog and no meaningful wait for a visa number after I-140 approval. This has been a significant structural advantage of the EB-1A for Nigerian professionals in particular, who face severe backlogs in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories. As of mid-2025 and into 2026, the EB-1 category remains current for all countries including Nigeria, meaning approved EB-1A petitioners can proceed directly to consular processing or adjustment of status without waiting for a visa number.
However, this can change. If annual EB-1 demand from all countries increases significantly, a backlog could form. Monitoring the monthly Visa Bulletin is important even for EB-1A applicants, particularly those from high-demand countries.
The EB-2 category and the EB-2 NIW
The EB-2 category currently has a significant backlog for Nigerian nationals. As of 2025, the EB-2 final action date for Nigeria sits several years behind the current date, meaning a Nigerian professional whose I-140 petition was approved recently could wait years before their priority date becomes current and they can complete the green card process.
For professionals from most other African countries, including Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia, Senegal, and the Philippines, the EB-2 category is currently current, meaning there is no meaningful wait after I-140 approval. The backlog is a nationality-specific issue, not a category-wide one, and it applies most severely to applicants born in India and China, with Nigeria also affected due to annual demand exceeding the country’s allocation.
Why Nigerian EB-2 applicants face a backlog when other Africans do not
The per-country cap of seven percent does not discriminate by merit or qualification. It is purely a function of demand relative to allocation. Nigeria’s large and growing professional diaspora has generated enough annual EB-2 applications to exceed the seven percent allocation, creating a growing queue. Other African countries have not yet reached that threshold, so their applicants move through the EB-2 process without a meaningful wait.
This means two Nigerian professionals with identical qualifications and identical petition approval dates can face dramatically different total timelines depending on which category they petition under. A Nigerian EB-1A approval moves directly to consular processing. A Nigerian EB-2 NIW approval goes into a queue that currently measures in years. That difference is entirely determined by the Visa Bulletin.
How to read the Visa Bulletin for your situation
The Visa Bulletin is published at travel.state.gov. It contains two tables for employment-based categories: the Final Action Dates table and the Dates for Filing table. Understanding which table applies to you depends on whether USCIS has announced that it will accept the Dates for Filing table for a given month, which it does not always do.
For practical purposes, most applicants outside the United States focus on the Final Action Dates table, which determines when they can proceed to consular processing. To use it:
- Find the employment-based table in the current month’s bulletin
- Locate your preference category row (EB-1 for EB-1A, EB-2 for EB-2 NIW)
- Find the column for your country of birth, not citizenship. Nigeria has its own column under the All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed header if it is not separately listed, or its own dedicated column when a specific date applies
- The date shown is the final action date. If your priority date (the date USCIS received your I-140) is earlier than that date, you can proceed. If it is later, you wait
- A capital C in the table means the category is current for that nationality, no backlog applies
Your country of birth, not your passport nationality or current residence, determines which column applies to you. A Nigerian-born professional who holds British citizenship is still charged to Nigeria for Visa Bulletin purposes.
Strategic implications for African and Filipino professionals
For Nigerian professionals: EB-1A is almost always the better route
Given the current EB-2 backlog for Nigeria and the absence of an EB-1 backlog, Nigerian professionals who can qualify for the EB-1A will almost always reach green card status faster through that route, even though the evidence standard is higher. Investing the time to build a stronger EB-1A case is often a better use of energy than filing a quicker EB-2 NIW petition and then waiting years for a visa number.
Filing an EB-2 NIW now to lock in a priority date
For Nigerian professionals who pursue the EB-2 NIW route, filing as early as possible matters because your priority date is locked in at the time USCIS receives your I-140. Even if the backlog extends, your place in the queue is secured from your original filing date. Some professionals file an EB-2 NIW petition to lock in their priority date while simultaneously building toward an EB-1A petition, which would allow them to port their approved I-140 priority date to the EB-1 category once approved.
For professionals from other African countries and the Philippines
Kenyan, Ghanaian, South African, Filipino, and most other African and Southeast Asian nationals currently face no meaningful EB-2 backlog. For these professionals, the Visa Bulletin is largely a non-issue at present, and the total green card timeline is determined by USCIS processing efficiency rather than a queue. Monitoring the bulletin is still advisable, however, as demand patterns can shift over time.
What can happen to your priority date over time
- Your priority date advances: Final action dates generally move forward over time as visa numbers become available. Some months see significant forward movement; others see little or no change.
- Your priority date retrogresses: The final action date can move backward, meaning a date that was current last month is no longer current this month. This can happen when USCIS processes a surge of adjustment of status applications within the US, consuming more visa numbers than expected. Retrogression is particularly stressful for applicants already in the US on temporary status who were planning to file I-485 based on a current priority date.
- Your priority date is locked permanently: Once set, your priority date does not change regardless of what happens to the Visa Bulletin. If you change employers, change visa categories, or refile a new petition, you may be able to retain your original priority date from a prior approved I-140 under certain conditions. Confirm the rules for priority date retention with a qualified adviser.
- Your approved I-140 preserves your priority date even if the petition is withdrawn: An approved I-140 can be withdrawn by a petitioning employer, but the beneficiary typically retains the priority date for use with a new I-140. This is an important protection for professionals who change jobs while waiting for their priority date to become current.
How the Visa Bulletin shaped two applicants’ decisions
Consider two professionals at the same career stage with comparable credentials: Funmilayo, a Nigerian biomedical engineer, and Wanjiku, a Kenyan biomedical engineer. Both qualify for either the EB-1A or the EB-2 NIW. Both have similar evidence profiles.
For Wanjiku, the choice between EB-1A and EB-2 NIW is purely about which pathway fits her evidence better. Kenya has no meaningful backlog in either category. Her timeline will be driven by petition preparation quality and USCIS processing speed, not by a queue. She can comfortably pursue the EB-2 NIW if her evidence is stronger there.
For Funmilayo, the Visa Bulletin makes the decision substantially different. If she pursues the EB-2 NIW, her I-140 may be approved in under a year but she will then wait an indeterminate number of additional years for her priority date to become current. If she invests the additional time to build an EB-1A petition, an approval puts her in a category with no current backlog. The EB-1A may take longer to prepare and file, but the total time to green card could be years shorter than the EB-2 NIW route for a Nigerian national.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find the current Visa Bulletin?
The Visa Bulletin is published monthly by the US Department of State at travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin.html. It is released on the first Tuesday of each month for the following month. USCIS also publishes a monthly announcement confirming which table applies for adjustment of status filings that month, available at uscis.gov.
Does the Visa Bulletin affect my O-1 visa application?
No. The O-1 is a nonimmigrant work visa, not a green card. The Visa Bulletin applies only to immigrant visa preference categories, which are the employment-based green card categories. O-1 petitions are not subject to annual numerical limits or priority date waiting. The Visa Bulletin becomes relevant only if you later pursue an employment-based green card such as the EB-1A or EB-2 NIW.
Can I do anything to speed up my priority date becoming current?
No. Your priority date and its position relative to the final action date are determined by the government and the pace of visa number consumption. What you can control is filing your I-140 as early as possible to secure the earliest possible priority date, and monitoring the bulletin monthly so you are ready to act as soon as your date becomes current.
What is the difference between the Final Action Dates table and the Dates for Filing table?
The Final Action Dates table sets the date by which your priority date must be earlier in order to complete the green card process, either through adjustment of status or consular processing. The Dates for Filing table, when USCIS elects to use it, allows applicants to file their I-485 adjustment of status application earlier, before their final action date is current, which locks in their place in the queue and allows them to obtain interim benefits like work authorisation and advance parole. Not every month allows the Dates for Filing table to be used. Check the USCIS monthly bulletin announcement to confirm.
If I was born in Nigeria but hold a different country’s citizenship, which column applies to me?
The Visa Bulletin is based on country of birth, not citizenship or current residence. If you were born in Nigeria, you are charged to Nigeria regardless of what passport you hold. The only exception is cross-chargeability, which allows a spouse to use the other spouse’s country of birth if that country has a more favourable final action date, provided both are applying together.
Understand which pathway is fastest for your nationality
The Visa Bulletin is one of several factors that should shape your pathway decision, and it affects Nigerian professionals very differently from Kenyan, Ghanaian, or Filipino applicants. A case assessment with AgoraVisa will factor your nationality, your evidence profile, and the current Visa Bulletin into a clear recommendation on which route gets you to a green card fastest.
Start your assessment at agoravisa.com
AgoraVisa is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. This article is for informational purposes only. Visa Bulletin dates change monthly; verify current dates at travel.state.gov before making any decisions.
Explore Our Immigration Services
EB-1A Green Card →
A permanent residency path for those with extraordinary ability — no employer sponsor needed.
O-1 Extraordinary Ability Visa →
For individuals with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics.
