Will Priority Date Movement Be Delayed During a Government Shutdown?

(UNITED STATES) With the federal government now shut down as of October 1, 2025, families and employers across the United States 🇺🇸 are asking one urgent question: will the monthly visa bulletin continue to move priority dates, or will it stall? Based on current rules and how agencies fund their work, the monthly publication of visa availability by the U.S. Department of State is expected to continue. The Department of State sets priority date movement according to visa supply and demand, and that process typically carries on even during a government shutdown.

The Department of State updates the visa bulletin near the start of each month. That schedule is driven by annual visa limits, country caps, and how many immigrant visas have been issued so far. A shutdown does not directly change those math-based factors. While the pace of interviews and visa issuances may vary by post or consulate, the planning that informs the bulletin’s “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing” is a separate process.

In plain terms: the government may be closed, but the chart that shows when a green card case can move ahead is unlikely to disappear.

How the Department of State Bulletin Is Set

• The bulletin is updated monthly and reflects visa usage and forecasted demand.
• Dates are set based on:
  • Annual visa limits
  • Per-country caps
  • How many immigrant visas have already been issued by category and country
• These factors are mathematical and ongoing, so a funding lapse does not automatically halt the bulletin’s core calculations.

USCIS, Fee Funding, and What Continues

USCIS, which handles most immigration benefits inside the U.S., is largely fee-funded. Because of that:

• Main operations generally continue even when Congress has not passed a spending bill.
• Petitions, applications, and many case types still move forward.
• Some programs tied to annual appropriations can pause.

A notable example: E‑Verify often goes offline in a shutdown. When E‑Verify pauses:

• Employers cannot check new hires in the system.
• HR teams and workers face stress over onboarding.

Department of Labor and Employment-Based Bottlenecks

The biggest operational hit usually falls on agencies that rely heavily on appropriated funds—especially the Department of Labor.

• Systems for Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) and the PERM labor certification process can slow or stop during a shutdown.
• Many employment-based green card cases begin with a labor certification. If that front-end process stalls, fewer cases will be ready to advance months later.
• These indirect delays do not change the visa bulletin immediately, but they can affect the long-term demand patterns that shape future bulletin movement.

What Happens to the Visa Bulletin During a Shutdown

The visa bulletin is a monthly planning tool showing whether your priority date is current—that is, whether the government can approve your green card or schedule your immigrant visa interview abroad.

• The Department of State posts it based on ongoing visa control work. That core logic does not stop during a funding lapse.
• Experts expect the bulletin to continue being published and for priority date movement to continue, though movement may be modest.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, past shutdowns have not led the Department of State to cancel a month’s bulletin or freeze all cut-off dates. Changes—small advances, plateaus, or retrogression—come from normal visa control work, not the shutdown itself.

Important caveat: local consular operations may be limited during a shutdown if staffing is reduced. That can slow interviews and visa issuances, which in turn can ease short-term demand pressure, but it does not rewrite the bulletin.

For the official source, monitor the U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin. The page is usually updated near the end of the prior month or early in the new month. If posting is delayed during a shutdown, that is typically a timing issue—not a policy decision to freeze dates.

Practical Effects for Applicants and Employers

While the bulletin likely stays on track, a government shutdown can still reshape real timelines. Practical impacts include:

• Employment-based cases dependent on the Department of Labor may face delays with LCAs and PERM, pushing back future filings.
• Some USCIS services tied to appropriations, including E‑Verify, may be unavailable until funding resumes.
• Consular operations may scale back, delaying interviews overseas—even if bulletin dates advance.

Examples:
– A software engineer from India with a long‑pending EB‑2 case still needs priority date movement. If the date becomes current, the case could be eligible for final approval. But limited consular staffing can push the interview later.
– A nurse in the Philippines sponsored for EB‑3 may see the date advance on paper, yet visa issuance could take longer due to local processing constraints.

Inside the United States, a researcher with an approved immigrant petition may still be able to file for permanent residence when the date is current because USCIS is fee-funded and filings generally continue. However, colleagues still waiting for PERM clearance could be delayed by the Department of Labor’s slowdown, which keeps them from reaching stages where the bulletin matters.

Recommended Steps for Families and Employers

1. Keep checking the official visa bulletin and your case status regularly.
2. Prepare and assemble documents early—missing records cause avoidable delays.
3. Stay in touch with counsel or your company’s immigration team about:
   • E‑Verify downtime and how it affects onboarding
   • PERM bottlenecks and potential impacts on filing timelines
4. For overseas hires, build extra time into start dates in case consulate operations are scaled back.
5. For companies, keep detailed records to comply with guidance and enable timely rechecks when systems return.

Important: If E‑Verify is offline, follow posted guidance for timely rechecks when the system returns and maintain careful documentation of hiring actions during the downtime.

The Human and Long-Term Perspective

People make major life decisions—weddings, home purchases, job changes—based on whether a priority date will become current. A spouse abroad may be waiting to join family in the U.S., or a child close to turning 21 may risk aging out. These human consequences don’t pause for political disputes.

• A shutdown adds operational noise to an already stressful process, but it does not cancel the calendar many families rely on.
• When the Department of Labor pipeline backs up, the impact often appears months or years later, as fewer cases reach stages that claim a visa number.

The Department of State’s decision-making continues to track visa issuances by category and country against the annual legal limits. If a category is issuing visas quickly, the bulletin may slow or retrogress; if issuances are slow, it may advance. This supply-and-demand balancing is an ongoing control function and persists through a shutdown.

Bottom Line

• Based on past practice and current guidance, the monthly visa bulletin is expected to continue, and priority date movement remains possible during a government shutdown.
• Expect smaller advances, plateaus, or occasional retrogression—this is the normal rhythm of the system rather than a shutdown-specific rule.
• Families and employers should:
  • Watch the official bulletin,
  • Save copies monthly,
  • Prepare documents in advance,
  • Build extra time into plans where PERM or consular interviews are required,
  • Keep open communication with legal counsel or immigration teams.

VisaVerge.com reports that while agencies adjust operations during funding lapses, the Department of State’s monthly visa control work has historically persisted, allowing the bulletin to publish on schedule. Applicants should keep expectations grounded: advances may be small, pauses can happen, and sometimes dates retreat. That variability is part of the system’s normal behavior—not a direct consequence of the shutdown itself.