Your priority date is the date your employer or family member officially filed your immigrant visa petition with USCIS, or (for employment-based applicants requiring labor certification) the date the Department of Labor accepted the certification application, according to the Department of State. The Visa Bulletin, published monthly by the Department of State, shows whether your priority date qualifies you to apply for a green card right now—by listing the earliest priority dates currently eligible for each visa category and country of birth. If your priority date is older than the date shown on the chart for your category and country, or if the chart shows "C" (meaning current), you may file your adjustment of status application if you meet other eligibility requirements. Reading the Visa Bulletin correctly is essential because visa availability changes monthly, and a priority date that qualifies one month may not qualify the next.
Table of Contents
- How to Find Your Priority Date on the Chart
- Two Charts, Two Purposes—Which One to Use
- When Your Priority Date Makes You Eligible to File
- Why Dates Move Backward (Retrogression) and What It Means
- When the Visa Bulletin Is Published and How to Stay Current
- Frequently Asked Questions
How to Find Your Priority Date on the Chart
Start by locating your visa preference category in the left column of the Visa Bulletin chart and your country of birth across the top row. Employment-based applicants will find EB-1 (Priority Workers), EB-2 (Advanced Degree holders), EB-3 (Skilled Workers and Professionals), EB-4 (Special Immigrants), or EB-5 (Investors); family-sponsored applicants will find categories like immediate relative, F2A, F2B, and so on.
Where your row and column intersect, you will find the cutoff date for your combination of category and country. Visa Bulletin dates are published in day-month-year format—for example, 15-JAN-23. Write down the exact date shown in your cell, because even a one-day difference matters if your priority date falls on the cutoff line. If no date is listed and the cell shows only "C," that means current visas are available for everyone with a priority date in that category and country, regardless of when the petition was filed.
Two Charts, Two Purposes—Which One to Use
The Visa Bulletin contains two separate charts for each visa category: "Application Final Action Dates" and "Dates for Filing Applications." They serve different purposes and apply at different stages of your case. Employment-based applicants typically use the Final Action Dates chart, which shows when the USCIS can actually issue your green card. Family-sponsored applicants may use either chart depending on your consular processing location and the timing of your case, but the Final Action Dates chart is generally the authoritative one.
The Dates for Filing Applications chart shows the earliest date you can submit your application if you want to get ahead—but you cannot adjust your status before your priority date reaches the Final Action Dates cutoff. Always check which chart your attorney or local USCIS office recommends for your specific situation, because using the wrong chart can delay your application unnecessarily.
When Your Priority Date Makes You Eligible to File
If your priority date is earlier than (or the same as) the cutoff date shown on the Final Action Dates chart, you are eligible to file your adjustment of status application. You must meet all other requirements: valid visa petition approval, medical examination, police clearance, and financial sponsorship. The Department of State issues visas (or USCIS approves adjustments) in strict chronological order of priority dates, so once your date is current, your application will be processed in turn.
Do not wait for additional approval or permission—visa availability opens the door, but you must act. If you miss a month when your priority date is current, the next month's chart may show retrogression (the cutoff moving backward), and you will have to wait until visas become available again.
Why Dates Move Backward (Retrogression) and What It Means
A priority date that is current one month may not be current the next month when demand for visas in your category and country exceeds the number of visas available. When more applicants apply than Congress has allocated visas, the State Department moves the cutoff date backward. It becomes the priority date of the first applicant who cannot be processed within the annual visa limit.
This reversal, called retrogression, can leave your priority date "oversubscribed." Retrogression is temporary—allocations are processed in chronological order, so as current applicants are processed and visas become available again, the cutoff will eventually move forward past your priority date. However, retrogression can last weeks, months, or longer depending on how badly the category is oversubscribed. The best defense is filing your application the month your priority date becomes current, not waiting to see if conditions improve, because a filed application preserves your place in line.
When the Visa Bulletin Is Published and How to Stay Current
The Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin monthly, issued approximately mid-month for the following month's visa availability. This schedule gives applicants time to prepare and file before the new cutoff dates take effect. Set a calendar reminder to check the bulletin mid-month every month if your priority date is close to the current cutoff, because even a single week's delay could mean missing your window if retrogression suddenly appears.
Your priority date never changes—only visa availability changes each month. Checking the bulletin is free and takes five minutes; missing a month when your date becomes current can cost you weeks or months of delay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my priority date ever go backward?
No. Your priority date is locked in when your employer or family member filed the petition (or when the Department of Labor accepted your labor certification). The Visa Bulletin's cutoff date can move backward, which means your date may no longer be current, but your priority date itself does not change.
How is my country of birth determined for the Visa Bulletin?
Your country of birth is where you were physically born, not your citizenship or current residence. If you were born outside your parents' country of citizenship, use your actual birth country. Check your birth certificate; if you were born in a country that no longer exists (like the former Soviet Union), USCIS has specific guidance on how to match it to current countries.
What if the chart shows "U" for my category and country?
"U" means unavailable—no visas are currently allocated for that combination at any priority date. You will need to wait and check next month's Visa Bulletin to see if availability changes. This is common in oversubscribed categories and countries.
Does my employer have to tell me my priority date?
Yes. Your employer should provide the priority date when the labor certification is accepted by the Department of Labor or when the USCIS approves the immigrant visa petition. If you do not have it, contact your immigration attorney or your company's HR department.