Numerical Limitations for Limited Family-based Preference Categories

Approximately 226,000 visa numbers are allocated each fiscal year for family-based immigrant categories. For family-based immigration, visa numbers are issued in the chronological order in which the petitions were filed based on their priority date. Currently, the number of qualified applicants exceeds the available immigrant visas for each category causing a delay in the issuance of immigrant visas. Due to per-country limitations, the countries China, India, Mexico and the Philippines, with significantly high demand for family-based immigrant visas, experience several years of waiting time.

For the latest updates on visa availability for family-based immigrant visas, see Visa Bulletin.