VisaBacklog

EB-3 China Green Card Wait Time

Skilled Workers and Professionals, chargeability China (mainland born). Every Visa Bulletin from January 2005 to September 2026.

Final action date
Jan 1, 2022
September 2026 bulletin
Date for filing
Jan 8, 2022
September 2026
Current backlog
4.7 yr
bulletin month minus cutoff date
Pace, last 12 bulletins
+33 d
average movement per bulletin
Projected wait
7.0 yr
at the last 24 bulletins’ pace

How the EB-3 China cutoff date has moved

2000200520102015202020252005-012026-09
EB-3 China final action dates, January 2005 to September 2026. The solid line is the published cutoff date. The dashed line is the bulletin's own month, so the vertical distance between them is the size of the backlog at that moment. Months shown as Current or Unavailable have no cutoff date and are skipped.

The last twelve bulletins

BulletinFinal action dateMovedDate for filing
September 2026 Jan 1, 2022 +10 days Jan 8, 2022
July 2026 Dec 22, 2021 +143 days Jan 1, 2022
June 2026 Aug 1, 2021 +47 days Jan 1, 2022
May 2026 Jun 15, 2021 no movement Jan 1, 2022
April 2026 Jun 15, 2021 +45 days Jan 1, 2022
March 2026 May 1, 2021 no movement Jan 1, 2022
February 2026 May 1, 2021 no movement Jan 1, 2022
January 2026 May 1, 2021 +30 days Jan 1, 2022
December 2025 Apr 1, 2021 +31 days Jan 1, 2022
November 2025 Mar 1, 2021 no movement Jan 1, 2022
October 2025 Mar 1, 2021 +90 days Jan 1, 2022
September 2025 Dec 1, 2020 no movement Dec 22, 2020

When this category went backwards

The cutoff date for EB-3 China has retrogressed 12 times in the published record. A retrogression means the State Department pulled the date back, so people who were about to become eligible went back into the queue.

BulletinFromToDays lost
October 2024Sep 1, 2020Apr 1, 2020 -153
November 2021Jan 8, 2019Mar 22, 2018 -292
September 2019Jul 1, 2016Jan 1, 2014 -912
July 2018Jun 1, 2015Jan 1, 2013 -881
July 2017Oct 1, 2014Jan 1, 2012 -1004
June 2016Aug 15, 2013Jan 1, 2010 -1322
August 2015Sep 1, 2011Jun 1, 2004 -2648
April 2015Oct 22, 2011Jan 1, 2011 -294
June 2014Oct 1, 2012Oct 1, 2006 -2192
May 2009Mar 1, 2003Unavailable became unavailable
July 2008Mar 22, 2003Unavailable became unavailable
July 2005Jun 1, 2002Unavailable became unavailable

Where these numbers come from

Final action dates and dates for filing are taken from the monthly Visa Bulletin published by the U.S. Department of State. Each bulletin is parsed into a machine-readable record and checked against the published page before it is committed, so the series here is the bulletin's own wording, not a restatement of it. The movement and backlog columns are arithmetic on those dates and are described on the methodology page.

Source

Every date on this page comes from the September 2026 Visa Bulletin published by the U.S. Department of State. Nothing here is estimated, interpolated or filled in, and the designations Current and Unavailable are reproduced exactly as printed.

This bulletin as published.

Backlog years, pace and projections are arithmetic on those dates and are described on the methodology page. Corrections: [email protected].

VisaBacklog is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of State or USCIS, and nothing on this site is legal advice.