Green Card Backlog Tracker
Priority Dates for China
Updated for September 2026 · 15 categories in the September 2026 bulletin · history to October 2015
Every green card category has its own line, and applicants chargeable to China wait a different length in each one. The longest right now is F-4 at 14.8 years. This page shows where each line stands for September 2026, how long the wait currently is, and how fast it moved over the last year.
Employment-based categories
| Category | Cutoff now | Backlog | 12-month pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 Priority Workers | July 1, 2023 | 3.2 years | +20 days/mo |
| EB-2 Advanced Degree / Exceptional Ability | September 1, 2021 | 5.0 years | +41 days/mo |
| EB-3 Skilled Workers & Professionals | January 1, 2022 | 4.7 years | +46 days/mo |
| EB-3 Other Workers Unskilled Labor | May 1, 2019 | 7.3 years | +71 days/mo |
| EB-4 Special Immigrants | December 15, 2022 | 3.7 years | +64 days/mo |
| EB-4 Religious Workers Certain Religious Workers | December 15, 2022 | 3.7 years | +92 days/mo |
| EB-5 Unreserved Investor – Unreserved | December 1, 2016 | 9.7 years | +12 days/mo |
| EB-5 Rural Investor, rural set-aside, 20 percent | Current (no backlog) | — | — |
| EB-5 High Unemployment Investor, high-unemployment set-aside, 10 percent | Current (no backlog) | — | — |
| EB-5 Infrastructure Investor, infrastructure set-aside, 2 percent | Current (no backlog) | — | — |
EB-5 Regional Center and EB-5 Non-Regional Center are not in the September 2026 bulletin. The State Department listed them separately through April 2022, then folded them into EB-5 Unreserved. Regional center history and direct-investment history on this site stop at March 2022.
Family-sponsored categories
| Category | Cutoff now | Backlog | 12-month pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| F-1 Unmarried Adult Children of US Citizens | February 1, 2020 | 6.6 years | +74 days/mo |
| F-2A Spouses & Minor Children of Green Card Holders | Current (no backlog) | — | +49 days/mo |
| F-2B Unmarried Adult Children of Green Card Holders | September 1, 2019 | 7.0 years | +81 days/mo |
| F-3 Married Children of US Citizens | November 1, 2014 | 11.8 years | +69 days/mo |
| F-4 Siblings of Adult US Citizens | November 1, 2011 | 14.8 years | +86 days/mo |
Why country of birth decides your wait
US law caps how many green cards can go to people born in any single country each year. When more people from one country apply than that cap allows, a queue forms — and it is keyed to country of birth, not citizenship and not where you live now.
That is why two people hired into the same role on the same day can be a decade apart in the same category. It is also why the numbers above look nothing like the worldwide line.
This page is information, not legal advice. It reports published government data. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed immigration attorney.
Sources
Compiled from USCIS Adjustment of Status Filing Charts, which republish the U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin. See How We Research.