Green Card Processing Update April 2026: Who Can File AOS with the New Visa Bulletin

The U.S. Department of State releases a monthly Visa Bulletin that serves as the official roadmap for green card applicants, indicating which priority dates are current and eligible to move forward in the immigration process. The April 2026 edition is now available and determines who may file an Adjustment of Status (AOS) application right now. Your priority date is the key factor in determining your place in the green card queue. For employment-based applicants going through the PERM labor certification process, the priority date is assigned when the labor certification is filed. For those filing directly, it is established when Form I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers) or Form I-130 is submitted to USCIS. EB-3 applicants — covering skilled workers, professionals, and unskilled workers — should cross-reference their priority date against the Visa Bulletin's Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates charts. USCIS typically announces each month which chart governs AOS filings, making it critical to check both. Applicants with priority dates earlier than the published cutoffs for their country of birth and preference category may be eligible to file Form I-485 concurrently, locking in their place in line and gaining access to interim benefits like work authorization and travel permits while the principal application is pending. EB-3 applicants from high-demand countries such as India, China, Mexico, and the Philippines face significantly longer wait times due to per-country annual caps. Monitoring each month's Visa Bulletin closely — especially amid potential retrogression signals heading into May 2026 — remains essential for planning next steps in the green card process.