How much did EB-2 move this month?

The history table on this page shows month-to-month changes in the Final Action Date for each country, from the official bulletins.

Is NIW faster than PERM EB-2?

The wait for a visa number is the same; NIW can be faster only before that, because it skips PERM.

Can I keep my EB-2 date if I file EB-3?

An approved I-140's priority date can generally carry to a later I-140. Rules and exceptions apply; see USCIS guidance and an attorney.

How does EB-2 move in the Visa Bulletin?

Updated November 12, 2026 · Not legal advice

EB-2 (advanced degree professionals and people of exceptional ability, including National Interest Waiver cases) gets up to 28.6% of the employment-based limit plus any numbers EB-1 does not use. NIW and PERM-based EB-2 cases share the same line and the same cutoff; India and mainland China are capped per country and carry their own, usually much earlier, dates.

EB-2: current cutoff dates

See the current bulletin for this month's EB-2 dates: official Visa Bulletin on travel.state.gov. We do not copy dates by hand, so this page shows them only after our automated fetch has read the official bulletin.

USCIS says employment-based adjustment applicants must use the Dates for Filing chart in the November 2026 Visa Bulletin (USCIS filing charts).

EB-2 at a glance (INA 203(b)(2))
Item	Rule
Share	Up to 28.6% of the employment-based limit, plus unused EB-1 numbers
Who	Advanced degree (or bachelor's + 5 years progressive experience), exceptional ability, NIW
Priority date	PERM filing date with DOL, or I-140 filing date for NIW
Unused EB-2 numbers	Fall down to EB-3
Printed as	"2nd" in the employment charts

NIW does not have a separate line

A National Interest Waiver skips the labor certification, not the queue. An approved NIW I-140 gets an EB-2 priority date and waits on the same EB-2 cutoff as a PERM-based EB-2 case from the same country.

What moves EB-2

New annual numbers each October.
Unused EB-1 numbers falling down, and family numbers left unused the year before (see spillover).
Demand: when more applicants become documentarily qualified or file I-485s than numbers allow, the date stops or retrogresses.

Movement history

This table is built month by month from the official bulletins as we read them, so it only shows months we have fetched. Until then, past bulletins are in the official archive.

Quick answers

How much did EB-2 move this month?: The history table on this page shows month-to-month changes in the Final Action Date for each country, from the official bulletins.
Is NIW faster than PERM EB-2?: The wait for a visa number is the same; NIW can be faster only before that, because it skips PERM.
Can I keep my EB-2 date if I file EB-3?: An approved I-140's priority date can generally carry to a later I-140. Rules and exceptions apply; see USCIS guidance and an attorney.

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Sources

Checked: November 12, 2026