11,183members
12:25Tree Species Catalog: Leaves, Flowers, Fruits, and Seeds11:55The Ultimate Berry Guide: Forest, Bog, and Garden Berries09:46Cat Breeds: 50 Popular Breeds With Pictures, Size & Temperament09:27Dog Breeds: 50 Popular Breeds With Pictures, Size & Temperament09:26Night Sky Guide: Northern Lights, Meteor Showers, Moon Phases & Eclipses09:24Winter Weather Guide 2026–27: Warnings, Ice, Polar Vortex, Wind Chill, Outlook and Storm Prep07:32Tesla Roadster: Everything We Know About the 2026 Roadster, From the 2008 Original to Starman06:50Are Crosswords Good for Your Brain? What the Research Really Shows
October 2026 Visa Bulletin · every bulletin since 2003

F1 China priority date: Jan 22, 2020 in October 2026

The F1 China final action date is Jan 22, 2020, the date for filing Feb 1, 2020. No movement this month. Below: the real wait of every filing year, the months in which this line moves, and every bulletin since 2003.

Share
FacebookXLinkedInTelegramWhatsAppE-mailCopy link
Final action dateJan 22, 2020no change this month
Date for filingFeb 1, 2020reaches final action in ~15 mo
Wait at the front6.7 yrbulletin month minus cut-off
Speed, 5 years12.3months of dates per year
Since 2003

F1 China: final action date and date for filing

20002010202020062008201020122014201620182020202220242026
Final action dateDate for filing

Cut-off date (y) in each month's bulletin (x). The gap between the lines is how early you can file before approval is possible.

Real waits

How long people with each priority date waited

Priority dateBecame currentWait
January 2006October 20104.7 years
January 2007March 20147.2 years
January 2008October 20157.7 years
January 2009June 20167.4 years
January 2010January 20177.0 years
January 2011November 20176.8 years
January 2012May 20197.3 years
January 2013October 20196.7 years
January 2014May 20206.3 years
January 2015March 20249.2 years
January 2016April 20259.2 years
January 2017April 20269.2 years
January 2018July 20268.5 years
January 2019September 20267.7 years
January 2020September 20266.7 years
January 2021still waiting5.7 years so far
January 2022still waiting4.7 years so far
January 2023still waiting3.7 years so far
January 2024still waiting2.7 years so far
January 2025still waiting1.7 years so far

The first bulletin in which the final action date passed 1 January of that year. Counted from the filing date: a line that was current when the petition was filed shows “no wait”.

By month of the year

When F1 China moves, and when it falls back

Bulletin monthMoved forwardRetrogressedTypical advanceYears counted
October73 %0 %38 d22
November65 %0 %30 d20
December57 %0 %39 d21
January62 %5 %31 d21
February59 %0 %31 d22
March68 %0 %31 d22
April73 %5 %24 d22
May77 %0 %30 d22
June67 %0 %38 d21
July68 %5 %37 d22
August64 %5 %38 d22
September68 %9 %54 d22

Share of bulletins for that month, since 2003, in which the final action date advanced or went back; typical advance = the median of the months it moved. In fiscal-year order (October first).

36 months

F1 China month by month

BulletinFinal action dateDate for filingWait
October 2026Jan 22, 2020Feb 1, 20206.7 yr
September 2026Jan 22, 2020+13.2 moFeb 1, 20206.6 yr
August 2026Dec 15, 2018+10.4 moJun 15, 20197.6 yr
July 2026Feb 1, 2018+5.0 moJan 1, 20198.4 yr
June 2026Sep 1, 2017Oct 1, 20188.7 yr
May 2026Sep 1, 2017+4.0 moOct 1, 20188.7 yr
April 2026May 1, 2017+5.7 moMar 1, 20188.9 yr
March 2026Nov 8, 2016Sep 1, 20179.3 yr
February 2026Nov 8, 2016Sep 1, 20179.2 yr
January 2026Nov 8, 2016Sep 1, 20179.1 yr
December 2025Nov 8, 2016Sep 1, 20179.1 yr
November 2025Nov 8, 2016Sep 1, 20179.0 yr
October 2025Nov 8, 2016+3.8 moSep 1, 20178.9 yr
September 2025Jul 15, 2016Sep 1, 20179.1 yr
August 2025Jul 15, 2016Sep 1, 20179.0 yr
July 2025Jul 15, 2016+37 dSep 1, 20179.0 yr
June 2025Jun 8, 2016+2.8 moSep 1, 20179.0 yr
May 2025Mar 15, 2016Sep 1, 20179.1 yr
April 2025Mar 15, 2016+3.7 moSep 1, 20179.0 yr
March 2025Nov 22, 2015Sep 1, 20179.3 yr
February 2025Nov 22, 2015Sep 1, 20179.2 yr
January 2025Nov 22, 2015+31 dSep 1, 20179.1 yr
December 2024Oct 22, 2015Sep 1, 20179.1 yr
November 2024Oct 22, 2015Sep 1, 20179.0 yr
October 2024Oct 22, 2015Sep 1, 20178.9 yr
September 2024Oct 22, 2015Sep 1, 20178.9 yr
August 2024Oct 22, 2015Sep 1, 20178.8 yr
July 2024Oct 22, 2015+3.5 moSep 1, 20178.7 yr
June 2024Jul 8, 2015Sep 1, 20178.9 yr
May 2024Jul 8, 2015+4.9 moSep 1, 20178.8 yr
April 2024Feb 8, 2015Sep 1, 20179.1 yr
March 2024Feb 8, 2015+38 dSep 1, 20179.1 yr
February 2024Jan 1, 2015Sep 1, 20179.1 yr
January 2024Jan 1, 2015Sep 1, 20179.0 yr
December 2023Jan 1, 2015Sep 1, 20178.9 yr
November 2023Jan 1, 2015Sep 1, 20178.8 yr

What this means if you are in the F1 China line

F1 is the family-sponsored category for unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) of U.S. citizens. People charged to China – normally those born there – have their own column because demand from China is above the 7 % per-country limit. Your green card can be approved in the month the final action date passes your priority date.

At the speed of the last five years (12.3 mo/yr), each year of priority dates takes about 1.0 years to clear; the last twelve months were faster than that. The table of real waits above shows what that has meant for earlier filers. The line has gone backwards 6 times since 2003 – most often near the end of the fiscal year – so a date that is close is not safe until it is passed.

When the date for filing passes your priority date and USCIS accepts chart B that month, you can file the I-485 and get a work permit and travel document while you wait; for this line the final action date has then arrived a median of 15 months later.

Every F1 China retrogression since 2003

FAQ

F1 China questions

What is the F1 China priority date now?

In the October 2026 Visa Bulletin the F1 China final action date is Jan 22, 2020 and the date for filing is Feb 1, 2020. It did not move from the previous bulletin.

How long is the F1 China wait?

The cut-off is 6.7 years behind the bulletin month, which is what people reaching the front now have waited. Looking back, a priority date of January 2020 became current in September 2026, after 6.7 years. Priority dates from 2021 on are still waiting.

How fast does F1 China move?

38.5 mo/yr over the last year, 20.8 mo/yr over three years, 12.3 mo/yr over five and 12.4 mo/yr over ten (months of priority dates cleared per year; 12 keeps pace with time).

In which months does F1 China usually move?

Since 2003 it has moved forward most often in May bulletins (77 % of years) and gone backwards most often in September (9 %). October is the start of the fiscal year, when new visa numbers arrive.

How long after the date for filing does the final action date catch up?

For F1 China, a date for filing has taken a median of 15 months to become the final action date (between 1 and 47 months in 131 bulletins since October 2015; 2 filing dates have not been reached yet).

Has F1 China ever retrogressed?

6 times since 2003, most recently in September 2018 (30 d back). The largest was 36.0 mo in August 2006.

More

Other F1 lines and categories

Source: U.S. Department of State, Visa Bulletin (travel.state.gov), every monthly bulletin since 2003, parsed by 77.today. A bulletin can be revised after release; the State Department's page is the binding text. Not legal advice.

Cookies

We measure traffic so we know which stories you care about. You can change your choice at any time.