No. The sources reviewed for this guide show no way to calculate exact future Visa Bulletin dates, and they contain no official forecast. Cut-off dates depend on annual limits, a per-country limit, possible retrogression, and a chart choice that USCIS announces month by month, so a predictor can only guess.
Quick answer
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Does an official forecast exist in the pages reviewed? | No official forecast appeared in the pages reviewed |
| Can a cut-off date move backward? | Yes, this is called retrogression |
| Does the per-country limit affect dates? | It is part of the law, and it is one reason countries differ |
| What can a person check? | The current bulletin, the current chart choice, and the gap between the priority date and the cut-off |
The gap between a priority date and a cut-off can be worked out with the priority date checker. That is a comparison of two known dates, not a forecast. Other tools are listed on the green card calculator page.
What predictors and prediction calculators claim
Search results for terms such as green card predictor or Visa Bulletin predictor show tools and articles that promise a date, or a range of months, for when a priority date will become current. Some use past bulletins to draw a trend line. Some ask for a category and country and return a single estimate. The claim is that the past movement of a cut-off date can be extended into the future.
The official pages reviewed for this guide make no such claim. The USCIS page on visa availability and priority dates describes how to compare a priority date with the current cut-off. It does not describe a method for projecting later bulletins. This guide gives no forecast of its own.
Why exact prediction is not possible
Annual limits
Preference categories have numerical limits each fiscal year. USCIS says a cut-off can move backward when the annual limit is nearly or fully used. The pages reviewed do not publish how many visas remain at a given point in the year, and they do not state per-category annual limits for every category, so an outside observer lacks the inputs for a calculation.
The per-country limit
Under 8 U.S.C. 1152(a)(2), visas for natives of one country in the family and employment categories may not exceed 7 percent of the total of such visas in a fiscal year. Section 1152(a)(5) adds an employment exception: if employment visas available in a calendar quarter exceed qualified applicants, the surplus may be issued that quarter without regard to the 7 percent cap. The text of the statute sets the limit, but the pages reviewed do not explain how it turns into a specific cut-off date for a specific country in a specific month.
Retrogression
A cut-off date can move backward, and a current category can stop being current. A trend line built from forward movement does not account for that. USCIS says a new fiscal year beginning October 1 typically, but not always, restores dates, so even the usual pattern has stated exceptions.
The monthly chart choice
For applicants inside the United States, USCIS names the chart each month, planned within about a week of the bulletin’s publication. The stated approach compares available visas with known applicants. If visas exceed known applicants, Dates for Filing may be used. Otherwise Final Action Dates apply. The known-applicant count is not public in the pages reviewed, and the chart for a future month is not announced in advance. A predictor therefore cannot know which chart will apply later. The announcement appears on the USCIS filing charts page.
What a person can do instead
- Find the priority date on the Form I-797 notice. USCIS identifies the notice as the place where it appears.
- Open the current Visa Bulletin and find the row for the category and the column for the country of chargeability.
- Check the USCIS filing charts page to see which chart USCIS names for the month.
- Compute the gap between the priority date and the cut-off. A priority date earlier than the cut-off means a visa is available. A later date means the case still waits.
- Repeat the check when each new bulletin appears. A result today says nothing binding about next month.
This approach reports only what is published. It does not claim to know when a cut-off will reach a priority date. The guide on priority dates and the Visa Bulletin explains how to read the rows.
Warning signs of paid prediction offers
- A promise of an exact month or year for a green card.
- A fee for access to a secret or insider forecast. The pages reviewed show no official forecast to sell or to access.
- A claim to be connected to USCIS or the State Department when no such connection exists.
- A request for personal identifiers, passwords, or payment before any explanation of the method.
- No description of the method, or no mention of retrogression and the per-country limit.
- Pressure to act at once or to skip a check of the official bulletin.
A free comparison of a priority date and a published cut-off needs no payment. Nothing in the pages reviewed suggests that a fee improves a place in the queue.
What a predictor can still do
A tool that displays past bulletins can show how a cut-off moved in earlier months. That is history. It says nothing binding about later months, and it should be read as such. A tool that compares a priority date with the current published cut-off reports a fact for that month.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official Visa Bulletin forecast?
No official forecast appeared in the USCIS and statute pages reviewed for this guide. The Department of State publishes the bulletin each month, and the current bulletin is the place to check for any notes.
Why do different countries have different dates?
The law limits visas to natives of one country in the family and employment categories to 7 percent of the total in a fiscal year, as stated in 8 U.S.C. 1152. The pages reviewed do not explain how this produces each country’s date.
Can a cut-off date go backward after a person was current?
Yes. USCIS calls this retrogression and says it usually happens when the annual limit is nearly or fully used.
Is a paid predictor more accurate than a free comparison?
The pages reviewed give no basis to say so. A comparison of a priority date and the current cut-off uses only published facts, and no tool can know future cut-offs.
Related reading
- Priority dates and the Visa Bulletin
- Green card wait time: what can be estimated
- EB-2 and EB-3 and the per-country limit
- Green card FAQ
About this guide
This website is for information only. It is not affiliated with the U.S. government, does not give legal advice or consultations, and does not offer application services. A personal case belongs with USCIS or a licensed immigration attorney, and the current official pages control.
Last verified: October 2026. Sources: USCIS, Visa Availability and Priority Dates; USCIS, Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin; 8 U.S.C. 1152.