If you are waiting for next month's visa bulletin, the two questions are: which day does it come out, and is it out today?
The short answer: the State Department never announces the day in advance. Across the 94 bulletins since January 2019, about half came out between the 11th and the 17th of the month, and the median is the 13th–14th. The last year has been later: the median of the latest 12 is the 16th–17th, and 3 of them came out after the 20th. Bulletins come out on weekdays: in our data only 1 of 94 fell on a Saturday and none on a Sunday.
On what day of the month is the visa bulletin published?
These are numbers from our own bulletin database: January 2019 through the October 2026 bulletin, 94 issues, each by US Eastern date. Each date is the day it came out; for example the October bulletin comes out in September.
- Median publication day: the 13th–14th.
- About half came out between the 11th and the 17th.
- 34 bulletins came out after the 15th, 10 after the 20th, and 2 after the 25th.
- The previous 12 months (the November 2024 to October 2025 bulletins) had a median of the 11th–12th and a latest day of the 14th; the latest 12 have a median of the 16th–17th.
These are past frequencies, not a forecast. The State Department has not said which day it will publish, and has not explained why the last year or two ran later.
What day was each of the last 12 bulletins published?
| Bulletin month | Published (US Eastern) | Day of month | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10 | 2026-09-29 (Tue) | 29 | 06:51 |
| 2026-09 | 2026-08-21 (Fri) | 21 | 22:17 |
| 2026-08 | 2026-07-20 (Mon) | 20 | 22:39 |
| 2026-07 | 2026-06-16 (Tue) | 16 | 11:14 |
| 2026-06 | 2026-05-13 (Wed) | 13 | 16:10 |
| 2026-05 | 2026-04-14 (Tue) | 14 | 12:18 |
| 2026-04 | 2026-03-17 (Tue) | 17 | 09:36 |
| 2026-03 | 2026-02-19 (Thu) | 19 | 16:57 |
| 2026-02 | 2026-01-12 (Mon) | 12 | 15:27 |
| 2026-01 | 2025-12-17 (Wed) | 17 | 14:03 |
| 2025-12 | 2025-11-14 (Fri) | 14 | 13:02 |
| 2025-11 | 2025-10-15 (Wed) | 15 | 08:47 |
Times are when our system captured each bulletin, which can differ from the State Department's posting by a few hours. Across the latest 12, the earliest was 06:51 ET and the latest 22:39 ET, and 2 came out after 10 pm, so "not out today" is only true once the US Eastern day is over.
The October 2026 bulletin came out on September 29, the latest in our records; the story is in the October 2026 bulletin article and is not repeated here.
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On which weekday does it come out?
Of 94 bulletins: Thursday 21, Friday 21, Tuesday 18, Wednesday 18, Monday 15, Saturday 1 (the June 2022 bulletin, on May 21) and Sunday 0. Refreshing the State Department page on a weekend will almost never help.
How can I tell whether the bulletin is out today?
Three ways, fastest first:
- The State Department's visa bulletin page. It has a "Current Visa Bulletin" block and an "Upcoming Visa Bulletin" block. While the next one is not out, "Upcoming" says "Coming Soon"; once it is out the block shows the new month.
- Our home page and the bulletin table. We fetch each bulletin automatically, usually within minutes.
- The daily feed. Its next-bulletin strip and calendar reminder are a range estimated from the last 12 publication days, not an official notice.
After the bulletin is out, USCIS also decides whether I-485 applicants use Chart A or Chart B for the month. USCIS says on its filing charts page that it anticipates designating one chart each month and linking to it within one week of the State Department's publication. For how to read the two, see Chart A vs Chart B.
Do I have to wait if the bulletin is not out yet?
You do not need to stop because it is late. Each bulletin covers its own month and stays in effect to the end of that month, so a late bulletin only delays when you find out. What changes whether you can file is your category and priority date in the new one. When it is out, check your date; if your category did not move, see Why hasn't my priority date moved?.
Sources
- Career Engine's own bulletin database: publication times for 94 bulletins, January 2019 through October 2026 (system capture time, US Eastern date).
- US State Department visa bulletin page (Current / Upcoming blocks; Upcoming read "Coming Soon" when written).
- USCIS filing charts page.