If your family or employment petition is not for an immediate relative, your residence depends on a table the Department of State publishes every month: the Visa Bulletin. Reading it right tells you whether you can already file for adjustment of status or whether you have to wait, and for how long. This guide explains it column by column.
What it is and why it exists
The law caps how many immigrant visas are issued per year in each preference category (family and employment) and how many each country can receive. When demand exceeds the cap, a queue forms, ordered by priority date. The Visa Bulletin publishes every month which priority dates are being served in each category and country.
Immediate relatives of citizens (spouse, unmarried children under 21 and parents) do not appear in the Bulletin: for them a visa is always available.
Your priority date
It is your place in the queue:
- On a family petition, the date USCIS received Form I-130. It is on the receipt notice and on the approval notice.
- On an employment petition, the date the Department of Labor received the labor certification (PERM), or the I-140 receipt date when no certification is required.
Guide to family petitions: Family petition (I-130).
The categories
Family
| Category | Who |
|---|---|
| F1 | Unmarried sons and daughters (21 or over) of citizens |
| F2A | Spouses and unmarried children under 21 of permanent residents |
| F2B | Unmarried sons and daughters (21 or over) of permanent residents |
| F3 | Married sons and daughters of citizens |
| F4 | Brothers and sisters of adult citizens |
Employment: EB-1 (extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, executives), EB-2 (advanced degree or exceptional ability, including the national interest waiver), EB-3 (professionals, skilled workers and other workers), EB-4 (special immigrants, including special immigrant juveniles and religious workers) and EB-5 (investors).
The two charts
Every category has two charts, and mixing them up is the most common mistake:
- Final Action Dates. The date up to which the government can approve residence or issue the visa. If your priority date is earlier than the date in the chart, a visa is available for you and USCIS or the consulate can decide your case.
- Dates for Filing. A usually later date, up to which you can start the process: send documents to the National Visa Center or, if USCIS allows it that month, file Form I-485. Filing does not mean approval: the case waits until your date is current in the final action chart.
Every month USCIS announces on its Visa Bulletin charts page which of the two charts people adjusting status inside the United States may use. Check that notice before filing an I-485.
How to read the chart
- Find the row for your category (F2A, for example).
- Find the column for your country of birth. There is a column for "all chargeability areas" and separate columns for the countries with the highest demand: China, India, Mexico and the Philippines. What counts is the country where you were born, not your current nationality; in some cases you can use your spouse's country of birth.
- Compare the date in the cell with your priority date:
- If your date is earlier than the chart's, your date is current.
- C (current): every priority date in that category and country is current.
- U (unavailable): no visas that month in that category.
Example: if the final action chart's F2A cell for Mexico reads March 15, 2023 and your priority date is February 1, 2023, your date is current that month. If it is April 1, 2023, not yet.
When dates move forward, stall or move back
Dates do not advance one month per month. They can jump, stay put for months or move back (retrogression) when the Department of State sees more visas were issued than expected, especially toward the end of the fiscal year (September 30). If your date was current and stops being current:
- An I-485 already filed is not denied: it waits until the date is current again. Meanwhile, the work permit and the travel permit can be renewed.
- A consular case waits at the National Visa Center or the consulate until a visa is available.
The Bulletin comes out around the middle of each month for the following month. It pays to check it monthly and, if your category is close, every time it is released.
What you can track on MigraConnect
The Bulletin belongs to the Department of State, but the cases that depend on it live at USCIS: the I-130 or I-140 petition and, later, the I-485. Check them for free with the receipt number in the case lookup, and with MigraConnect+ get an alert when the status changes. Your office's processing times appear next to the status.
Common questions
Can I file the I-485 using the Dates for Filing chart?
Only in the months USCIS authorizes it in its notice. If USCIS says the final action chart applies that month, your date has to be current in that chart.
My date is current but USCIS has not decided
A current date opens the door; USCIS still needs its processing time. Check that the I-485 is within the posted time before filing an inquiry.
Is the priority date lost if the petitioner naturalizes?
No. The petition changes category (from F2A to immediate relative, for example) and keeps the date. Tell USCIS or the National Visa Center.
Can I have two priority dates?
Yes, if you have two approved petitions (an I-130 from a sibling and an I-140 from an employer, for example). Each has its own, and in the employment categories the older date can sometimes be kept.
This guide is informational and does not replace advice from a lawyer or an accredited representative.