Visa bulletin for March 2023: what changed

2 final action dates moved forward and 2 moved back compared with February 2023.

Source: Visa Bulletin for March 2023 (U.S. Department of State) · Checked October 14, 2026. Always confirm with the official bulletin and USCIS. Independent site. Not affiliated with the U.S. Department of State, USCIS or any government agency.

Dates are written as in the bulletin (22AUG25 = August 22, 2025). C = current, U = unavailable. ▲ moved forward and ▼ moved back since the previous bulletin; no symbol = no change.

Family-sponsored

For adjustment of status inside the U.S. in March 2023, USCIS says to use the dates for filing chart for family-based cases.

Family-sponsored: final action date · March 2023
CategoryAll countriesChina (mainland-born)IndiaMexicoPhilippines
F101DEC1401DEC1401DEC1401APR0101MAR12
F2ACCCCC
F2B22SEP1522SEP1522SEP1501JUN0122OCT11
F322NOV0822NOV0822NOV0801NOV9708JUN02
F422MAR0722MAR0715SEP0501AUG0022AUG02

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Family-sponsored: date for filing · March 2023
CategoryAll countriesChina (mainland-born)IndiaMexicoPhilippines
F108AUG1608AUG1608AUG1601DEC0222APR15
F2ACCCCC
F2B01JAN1701JAN1701JAN1701JAN0201OCT13
F308NOV0908NOV0908NOV0915JUN0108NOV03
F415DEC0715DEC0722FEB0601APR0122APR04

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Employment-based

For adjustment of status inside the U.S. in March 2023, USCIS says to use the dates for filing chart for employment-based cases.

Employment-based: final action date · March 2023
CategoryAll countriesChina (mainland-born)El Salvador, Guatemala, HondurasIndiaMexicoPhilippines
EB-1C01FEB22C01FEB22CC
EB-201NOV2208JUN1901NOV2208OCT1101NOV2201NOV22
EB-3C01AUG18C15JUN12CC
EB-3 Other Workers01JAN2001JUL1401JAN2015JUN1201JAN2001JAN20
EB-401FEB2201FEB2215MAR1801MAR2101AUG2001FEB22
EB-4 Certain Religious Workers01FEB2201FEB2215MAR1801MAR2101AUG2001FEB22
EB-5C08JUL15C01JUN18CC
EB-5 set-aside: rural (20%)CCCCCC
EB-5 set-aside: high unemployment (10%)CCCCCC
EB-5 set-aside: infrastructure (2%)CCCCCC

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Employment-based: date for filing · March 2023
CategoryAll countriesChina (mainland-born)El Salvador, Guatemala, HondurasIndiaMexicoPhilippines
EB-1C01JUN22C01JUN22CC
EB-201DEC2208JUL1901DEC2201MAY1201DEC2201DEC22
EB-3C01SEP18C01AUG12CC
EB-3 Other Workers01FEB2001NOV1501FEB2001AUG1201FEB2001FEB20
EB-401MAR2201MAR2215APR1801APR2101SEP2001MAR22
EB-4 Certain Religious Workers01MAR2201MAR2215APR1801APR2101SEP2001MAR22
EB-5C01JAN16C08DEC19CC
EB-5 set-aside: rural (20%)CCCCCC
EB-5 set-aside: high unemployment (10%)CCCCCC
EB-5 set-aside: infrastructure (2%)CCCCCC

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What the State Department says

Official notes published with the bulletin, quoted as written. They describe what the State Department expects, not a guarantee.

Visa availability in the employment-based second preference category for all countries (including China and India)

Since December 2022, there has been higher than expected number use and demand, mostly due to continued new filings by applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than the established final action dates. This will necessitate corrective action in the coming months to hold number use within the maximum allowed under the Fiscal Year 2023 annual limit. This situation will be continually monitored, and any necessary adjustments will be made accordingly.

Visa availability in the employment-based third (EB-3) preference category

Increased demand in the Employment Third category may necessitate the establishment of a worldwide final action date (including Mexico and Philippines) in the coming months to hold number use within the maximum allowed under the Fiscal Year 2023 annual limit. This situation will be continually monitored, and any necessary adjustments will be made accordingly.

Further retrogression in employment-based fourth (EB-4) category

In the December 2022 Visa Bulletin , EB-4 final action and application filing dates were established for Rest of World countries, China, India, and Philippines in response to high demand. Number use and demand in this category have continued to increase, which necessitates further retrogression of the final action dates and application filing dates for Rest of World countries as well as China, India, Mexico, and Philippines, to hold number use within the maximum allowed under the Fiscal Year 2023 annual limit. This situation will be continually monitored, and any necessary adjustments will be made accordingly.

Retrogression of the employment-based fifth (EB-5) preference category final action date for India

In the October 2022 Visa Bulletin , a final action date and application filing date were established in the Employment Fifth Preference Unreserved (including C5, T5, I5, and R5) category for India to keep number use within the maximum allowed under the FY-2023 annual limit. Number use and demand has been higher than anticipated at the start of this fiscal year, so further retrogression has become necessary. For March, the final action date for the EB-5 Unreserved category for India is set at 01JUN18. The situation will be continually monitored, and any necessary adjustments made accordingly.

H. ANNUAL WAITING LIST REPORT OF IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICANTS IN THE FAMILY-SPONSORED AND EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES REGISTERED AT THE NATIONAL VISA CENTER AS OF NOVEMBER 1, 2022

The National Visa Center has provided the totals of applicants who are registered in the various numerically-limited immigrant categories for processing at overseas posts. This information is available on the Consular Affairs www.travel.state.gov website. The direct link to the item is:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-statistics/immigrant-visa-statistics.html

I. FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON VISA PROCESSING AT U.S. EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, PLEASE VISIT THE BUREAU OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS WEBSITE AT TRAVEL.STATE.GOV

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