A priority date is the date that places a green card case in the immigrant visa queue, and the monthly Visa Bulletin, published by the State Department, lists cut-off dates by category and country. When the priority date is earlier than the cut-off date for the matching row, a visa is available and the next step can move forward.
Quick answer
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Priority date | The date that sets a place in the visa queue |
| Visa Bulletin | A monthly State Department publication with cut-off dates by category and country |
| Cut-off date | A priority date earlier than this date means a visa is available |
| Final Action Dates | The chart showing when a visa is actually available for final approval |
| Dates for Filing | The chart showing when applicants may begin preparing documents and, if USCIS allows, file Form I-485 |
| C | Current: available regardless of priority date |
| U | Unavailable |
These definitions come from the USCIS page on visa availability and priority dates. To compare a date against a row, the priority date checker can be used, and the wider set of tools is on the green card calculator page.
What a priority date is
Some green card categories have a limited number of visas each fiscal year. Because demand can be higher than supply, applicants are placed in a line, and the priority date marks the place in that line. A case in a category without a visa queue, such as an immediate relative case, does not wait for a priority date to become current. The research behind this guide lists spouses of U.S. citizens, unmarried children under 21, and parents of adult citizens as immediate relatives with no visa queue.
USCIS describes the priority date differently depending on the case type. For a family case, it is the date Form I-130 is properly filed, and in some cases Form I-360. For an employment case, the rule depends on the category. Where a labor certification is required, the priority date is the date the Department of Labor accepts the labor certification application, and the Form I-140 must be filed within 180 days of the labor certification approval. Where no labor certification is needed, it is the date USCIS accepts the Form I-140. Special immigrants in the fourth preference use Form I-360, and investors in the fifth preference use Form I-526.
Who publishes the Visa Bulletin
The Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin every month. It lists cut-off dates by preference category and by country of chargeability. A reader finds the row for the category, then the column for the country, and compares the priority date on the case notice with the date shown. The State Department site could not be reviewed for this guide, so the bulletin itself is not quoted here. The description of the bulletin comes from the USCIS page cited above, and the current bulletin on the State Department site controls.
How to read a row
Each row is a category, such as a family preference group or an employment preference group. Each column is a country or group of countries. The cell holds one of three things: a date, the letter C, or the letter U.
- A date means the cut-off. A priority date earlier than that date is within reach of a visa.
- C means visas are available regardless of the priority date.
- U means visas are unavailable.
The country column matters because of the per-country limit in the law. Under 8 U.S.C. 1152, 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. That is one reason different countries can have different cut-off dates in the same category.
Two charts: Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing
The bulletin carries two charts for family and employment cases. The Final Action Dates chart shows when a visa is actually available for final approval. The Dates for Filing chart shows when applicants may begin preparing documents and National Visa Center steps and, if USCIS allows it, file Form I-485 for adjustment of status.
USCIS decides which chart applicants inside the United States use, and it announces the choice each month, planned within about a week of the bulletin’s publication, on its filing charts page. The stated approach is that if visas exceed known applicants, Dates for Filing may be used, and otherwise Final Action Dates apply. There is also an exception: if a category is current on the Final Action chart, or its Final Action cut-off is later than its Dates for Filing cut-off, Final Action may be used. Because the choice can change from month to month, this guide does not say which chart applies now. The USCIS filing charts page shows the current announcement.
Retrogression
A cut-off date is not guaranteed to move forward. Retrogression happens when a cut-off moves back to an earlier date, or when a current category stops being current. USCIS says this usually occurs when the annual limit for a category is nearly or fully used. A new fiscal year begins October 1, and the start of the year typically, but not always, restores dates. A person whose priority date was within the cut-off one month may find it outside the cut-off later.
Worked example
The following is an illustrative example. The dates are invented and do not match any real bulletin.
| Item | Illustrative example |
|---|---|
| Priority date on the notice | March 10, 2019 |
| Cut-off in the matching row, Final Action Dates chart | January 1, 2018 |
| Cut-off in the matching row, Dates for Filing chart | June 1, 2019 |
On the Final Action chart in this example, the priority date of March 10, 2019 is later than the cut-off of January 1, 2018, so a visa is not yet available for final approval. On the Dates for Filing chart, the same date is earlier than the cut-off of June 1, 2019, so preparation steps could begin, and Form I-485 could be filed only if USCIS announced that chart for that month. If the row showed C, the priority date would not matter. If it showed U, no visa would be available to anyone in that row.
Common mistakes when reading the bulletin
- Using the wrong row. Family and employment categories have separate rows, and the country column must be the country of chargeability.
- Using the wrong chart. The two charts can show different dates for the same row.
- Assuming a date that was met once stays met. Retrogression can reverse it.
- Treating a cut-off as a prediction. The bulletin states a current cut-off, not a future date.
Frequently asked questions
What is a priority date?
It is the date that sets a place in the immigrant visa queue. For a family case it is usually the date Form I-130 is properly filed. For an employment case it is usually the labor certification acceptance date, or the date USCIS accepts Form I-140 when no labor certification is needed.
Where is the priority date found?
USCIS says it appears on the receipt or approval notice, Form I-797. The notice for the petition is the place to check.
What do C and U mean in the Visa Bulletin?
C means current, so a visa is available regardless of priority date. U means unavailable.
Which chart does USCIS accept this month?
USCIS announces the chart each month on its filing charts page. The answer can change, so the current announcement on that page controls.
Related reading
- Can green card dates be predicted?
- Green card wait time: what can be estimated
- Family preference categories
- EB-2 and EB-3 and the per-country limit
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.