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What is the 7% per-country limit in the Visa Bulletin?
Updated · Not legal advice
Under INA 202(a)(2), natives of any single country can receive no more than 7% of the total family and employment preference visas in a fiscal year (2% for a dependent area). Countries whose demand exceeds that share get their own column with earlier cutoffs, which is why China, India, Mexico and the Philippines are listed separately.
| Exception | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| F2A | 75% of F2A numbers are issued without regard to the per-country limit | INA 202(a)(4) |
| Unused numbers in a quarter | If numbers would otherwise go unused, the limit can be set aside for the rest of that quarter | INA 202(a)(3), (a)(5) |
| Immediate relatives | Not subject to preference or per-country limits | INA 201(b) |
It is a cap on a country, not on a category
The 7% is measured against all family plus employment preference numbers combined, and then applied within categories. That is why a country can be backlogged in some categories and match the rest of the world in others.
Chargeability is by birth
You are counted against your country of birth, with limited exceptions such as cross-chargeability to a spouse's country. See derivatives and chargeability.
Quick answers
- Why does India have its own column?
- Because India-born demand exceeds the 7% per-country share in some categories.
- Does the 7% apply to each category separately?
- It is computed on the combined family + employment preference total and then prorated across categories.
- Can the limit be lifted?
- Only by Congress, except for the built-in exceptions in the table above.
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Sources
- INA 202, 8 U.S.C. 1152: per-country limits (Cornell LII)
- INA 201, 8 U.S.C. 1151: worldwide levels (Cornell LII)
- U.S. Department of State: Visa Bulletin (current, upcoming and archive)
Checked: November 12, 2026
Related guides
- Where does India stand in this month's Visa Bulletin, across every category?
- Where does China stand in this month's Visa Bulletin, across every category?
- Which Visa Bulletin column do I use if I was not born in China, India, Mexico or the Philippines?
- Why does F2A move so differently from the other family categories?