May 2026 Visa Bulletin: USCIS Switches to Chart A and Closes the I-485 Filing Window

If you were planning to file your I-485 in May 2026, you need to read the fine print of the visa bulletin before you mail anything. USCIS quietly switched the rules on May 1.

For the first six months of fiscal year 2026, October 2025 through April 2026, USCIS told you to file your adjustment of status using Chart B, the Dates for Filing chart. That's the more generous chart. Tens of thousands of employment-based applicants used that window to lock in their EAD, Advance Parole, and a pending I-485.

In May 2026, USCIS is honoring Chart A, the Final Action Dates chart. The more restrictive one. If your priority date isn't earlier than the Chart A cutoff for your category and country, you cannot file I-485 this month. The window has closed.

Here's what changed, who's affected, and what your options are.

The Two-Chart System in 90 Seconds

The Department of State publishes the visa bulletin every month with two separate charts for employment-based green cards.

Chart A (Final Action Dates): The date your priority date must be before for USCIS to actually approve your green card.

Chart B (Dates for Filing): A more advanced date that, if USCIS allows it, lets you file your I-485 application even though you can't be approved yet.

The catch: USCIS gets to decide each month which chart governs I-485 filings. When USCIS uses Chart B, more people can file. When USCIS uses Chart A, fewer people can file. The State Department publishes both charts every month. USCIS posts the determination separately at uscis.gov/visabulletininfo.

Filing under Chart B is valuable. Once your I-485 is pending, you get an EAD that lets you work for any employer (no H-1B sponsorship needed), Advance Parole that lets you travel, and AC21 portability rights that let you change jobs after 180 days. You also stop the H-1B clock. None of that requires your green card to actually be approved. It just requires a pending I-485.

That's why Chart B is the better chart. And that's why losing it in May 2026 hurts.

What USCIS Did From October 2025 to April 2026

For the first six months of fiscal year 2026, USCIS honored Chart B for both employment-based and family-sponsored adjustment of status filings. That's an unusually long stretch of generosity.

For India-born EB-2 applicants, Chart B in April 2026 was January 15, 2015. Anyone with a priority date before that date could file I-485 in April. The Chart A date for the same category was July 15, 2014, six months earlier.

For India-born EB-3, Chart B was January 15, 2015. Chart A was November 15, 2013. That's a 14-month gap. Applicants in that window had a real opportunity that did not exist when comparing Chart A alone.

For F2A (spouses of green card holders), Chart B was current for every country. Anyone in F2A could file. Chart A had cutoffs around February 2024.

People used the window. Law firms ran filing campaigns. Forums lit up with checklists. Premium processing for I-140s spiked because applicants wanted I-140 approval in hand before the Chart B window closed.

What Changed in May 2026

In May 2026, USCIS is honoring Chart A. The chart selection alone closes the filing window, even though the underlying dates barely moved.

Look at what this does to the practical filing cutoffs:

India EB-2: Chart A is July 15, 2014. Chart B was January 15, 2015. The 6-month band of priority dates between those two cutoffs lost their filing window in May 2026.

India EB-3: Chart A is November 15, 2013. Chart B was January 15, 2015. That's a 14-month band of priority dates that could file in April but cannot file in May.

China EB-2: Chart A is September 1, 2021. Chart B was January 1, 2022. A 4-month gap.

China EB-3: Chart A is June 15, 2021. Chart B was January 1, 2022. A 6.5-month gap.

EB-3 All Other countries (including most of the world): Chart A is June 1, 2024. Chart B was Current. Anyone with a 2024 or 2025 priority date who held off filing in April just lost their window.

F2A (all countries): Chart B was Current for everyone. Chart A is August 1, 2024 for All Other / China / India / Philippines, and August 1, 2023 for Mexico. A wide population of family-based applicants is suddenly out of the filing window.

Who Is Actually Affected

The most painful cases are people who waited.

You qualified under Chart B but did not file by April 30, 2026: Your filing window is closed for May. You wait for USCIS to announce the June 2026 chart selection. If June goes back to Chart B, you file then. If June stays on Chart A, you wait further.

You filed under Chart B between October 2025 and April 2026: You're fine. Your I-485 is already pending. The chart switch does not retroactively unfile applications. Your EAD and Advance Parole continue to process. Your AC21 clock keeps running. The chart selection only affects when new filings are accepted.

Your I-485 is pending and your priority date is current under Chart A: You're in the best spot. Your application can be approved this month if USCIS reaches it and your priority date is before the Final Action Date.

You have a priority date in the 14-month India EB-3 band or the 6-month India EB-2 band: This is the group that lost the most. Many of you filed I-140s on premium processing precisely so you could file I-485 in this fiscal year window.

Why USCIS Does This

USCIS makes the chart determination based on visa availability projections. There is a fixed annual cap on green cards in each category. When USCIS thinks the cap will be hit before the fiscal year ends, the agency uses Chart A to slow new I-485 filings. When projections show plenty of remaining numbers, USCIS opens up Chart B.

The fact that USCIS used Chart B for six straight months suggests the agency saw room in the FY 2026 numbers. The switch to Chart A in May likely signals one of three things:

1. The agency burned through a lot of visa numbers faster than projected.
2. The agency is being cautious as the third quarter of the fiscal year begins.
3. The State Department's projections shifted, and USCIS adjusted accordingly.

We won't know which until the agency publishes its quarterly visa allocation update or until June's chart selection lands.

What To Do This Month

If you were ready to file but missed the April window: Do not panic-file under Chart A if your priority date isn't current under that chart. USCIS will reject the filing. The fee is substantial and the rejection slows your overall timeline. Wait for June.

If you're close to your priority date being current under Chart A: Get your medical exam (Form I-693) ready, gather your documents, and be prepared to file the moment your date hits. Chart A movement has been steady but slow. Watch the visa bulletin tracker and your priority date relative to the Final Action Dates.

If you have an approved I-140 and a Chart B-eligible priority date: Talk to your attorney about whether to file before the next chart selection or wait. There's no penalty for waiting. There's no benefit to filing under Chart A if you don't qualify.

If you're considering EB-1A or EB-2 NIW: This is a moment to look hard at faster pathways. EB-1 priority dates are far more current than EB-2 or EB-3 for most countries. EB-1A is self-petition, so you don't need an employer. Run a comparison to see if you qualify.

What June 2026 Could Look Like

The State Department typically publishes the next month's bulletin around the second week. USCIS announces its chart selection separately, usually a few days later.

There are three plausible scenarios for June 2026:

Chart B returns: USCIS reverses course because Q3 visa allocations look healthier than expected. The filing window reopens.

Chart A continues: USCIS holds the line. People in the gap bands keep waiting. This becomes the new normal for the back half of FY 2026.

Hybrid selection: USCIS uses Chart B for some employment categories and Chart A for others. The agency has done this before, particularly for F2A vs employment categories.

Bookmark uscis.gov/visabulletininfo. The announcement lands there first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bottom Line

The visa bulletin's headline numbers (the Final Action Dates) barely moved between April 2026 and May 2026. EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 priority date cutoffs in Chart A are essentially identical month over month. F2A advanced six months, but Chart A is still far more restrictive than the Current dates Chart B offered for the prior six months.

The real story is the chart switch itself. Six months of Chart B gave a lot of people the chance to file. The May 2026 reversion to Chart A closed that door. Whether June 2026 reopens it is the question of the month for anyone in the priority-date gap bands.

If you're trying to figure out where your case actually stands, run the numbers against your specific situation. The comparison tool walks you through every pathway, the priority date math for your country, and what your realistic timeline looks like under both charts.