What Is Visa Retrogression? EB-3 Guide for Nurses (2026)

What does retrogression mean?

Congress limits how many immigrant visas can be issued each year, and each category and country has its own cap. Every month the Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin with a cut-off date for each category. If your priority date is earlier than the cut-off, a visa number is available to you. Sometimes a date that qualified one month does not qualify the next, and that backward move is retrogression.

USCIS says retrogression typically happens toward the end of the fiscal year, when issuance gets close to the annual or per-country limit. When the new fiscal year starts on October 1, a new supply of visas becomes available and usually, but not always, returns the dates to where they were.

What retrogression does and does not change for nurses

• It does not change your NCLEX path. Eligibility, your ATT and your state license depend on your board and Pearson VUE. Keep applying. See NCLEX requirements for international nurses.
• It does not cancel your case. If your priority date stops meeting the cut-off while USCIS is deciding an adjustment case, USCIS holds the case until a visa is available.
• It can outlast your VisaScreen. CGFNS says a VisaScreen certificate lasts five years from issue, so a long wait can mean renewing it.
• Your employer files the petition. The I-140 petition is filed by your US sponsor. For Schedule A nurses, your priority date is the day USCIS receives the complete, signed I-140.

How to read the Visa Bulletin

The US Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin every month. It shows whether an immigrant visa number is available for your category and country, based on your priority date.

Your priority date

Your priority date is your place in line. Professional nurses fall under Schedule A, Group I, so the Department of Labor does not have to approve a labor certification. In that case your priority date is the day USCIS receives your employer's complete, signed Form I-140. If your category needs an individual labor certification, your priority date is the day the Department of Labor accepts that application.

Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing

Each employment-based category has two charts.

• Final Action Dates show when a visa number can be issued. A number is available only if your priority date is earlier than the date listed for your category and country, or the chart shows C for current.
• Dates for Filing show the earliest point at which you can take the next step: preparing documents for the National Visa Center, or applying to adjust status if you are in the US.

Which chart applies to you

If you apply from abroad, the Visa Bulletin says the Dates for Filing chart marks when applicants should be notified to assemble and submit documents to the National Visa Center. If you are in the US and applying to adjust status, USCIS announces each month whether you use Dates for Filing or Final Action Dates. Check the USCIS Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page before you file. Read the Final Action Dates for EB-3 in Section A of the current Visa Bulletin on travel.state.gov.

Month-by-month Visa Bulletin posts

• October Visa Bulletin: what it means for Filipino nurses
• September Visa Bulletin: what it means for Filipino nurses
• August Visa Bulletin: what it means for Filipino nurses

Frequently asked questions

What is visa retrogression?

Retrogression is when the cut-off date for a visa category moves backward, so a priority date that qualified last month may not qualify this month. It is the Department of State that sets the dates, and USCIS says it typically happens toward the end of the fiscal year as visa issuance nears the annual or per-country limit.

Does retrogression stop me from taking the NCLEX?

No. Retrogression only affects when an immigrant visa number is available. Your NCLEX eligibility, your Authorization to Test and your US nursing license come from your state board and Pearson, not from the visa queue.

What happens to my case if the date moves backward?

If your priority date no longer meets the cut-off at the time USCIS decides an adjustment case, USCIS holds the case until a visa is available again. It does not cancel it. For a petition processed abroad, you wait until your date is current again.

When does retrogression usually end?

The fiscal year starts on October 1, and USCIS says the new supply of visas usually, but not always, returns the dates to where they were. Watch the monthly Visa Bulletin instead of assuming.

How long does a VisaScreen certificate last?

CGFNS says a VisaScreen certificate is valid for five years from the date it is issued. If your priority date takes longer than that to come up, you may need to renew it.

Not sure where your NCLEX application stands while you wait for your priority date? NEAC handles the application for you. See the NCLEX application service.

Sources: USCIS: Visa Retrogression, USCIS: When to File, November 2026, USCIS: Adjustment of Status Filing Charts, Department of State: Visa Bulletin, CGFNS: VisaScreen validity. Last checked November 5, 2026; we refresh the November snapshot each month.