US IMMIGRATION · PRIORITY DATES · GREEN CARDS
The Visa Bulletin can determine when you may file Form I-485, when a green card can be approved, and how long your family or employment immigration case may wait. The Messersmith Law Firm helps clients interpret the charts and assess their options.
US immigration representation since 2002 (305) 515-0613
Priority dates · Practical answers
Short answer: For a numerically limited immigrant category, find your priority date, preference category and country of chargeability. Read the current Department of State Visa Bulletin, then check which filing chart USCIS permits for that month. If the applicable chart shows C, the category is current; if it lists a cutoff date, your priority date generally must be earlier than that date. You must also independently qualify to file Form I-485.
Suppose the applicable filing chart lists a cutoff of June 1, 2023. A priority date of May 1, 2023 is earlier. A priority date of June 1, 2023 is not earlier. These are illustrative dates, not current Visa Bulletin cutoffs.
USCIS may authorize the Dates for Filing chart for an I-485 filing month. That can permit an eligible applicant to file before a visa is available for final approval. USCIS generally needs visa availability under the Final Action Dates chart before approving a preference-based adjustment.
Verify the month directly: Department of State Visa Bulletin and USCIS filing chart selection . For an individual case assessment, request a consultation .
Understanding your filing window
A category that looks current under one chart may not be ready for filing or approval under another. The correct answer requires the actual petition, chargeability and governing month.
Identify the relevant family or employment preference category. Your priority date often comes from the petition filing date or, in labor certification cases, the qualifying PERM filing date.
Use the Department of State Visa Bulletin for the month and your country of chargeability, generally based on birthplace, subject to applicable exceptions.
For Form I-485, USCIS announces which chart family sponsored and employment based applicants may use. Visa availability for final approval is a separate question.
Not certain which chart applies? An incorrect filing assumption can affect timing, fees and immigration planning.
Discuss Your Green Card Strategy ↗Two charts · Different purposes
The Visa Bulletin publishes separate charts for family sponsored and employment based preference categories. Checking a cutoff date without identifying its purpose can lead to the wrong conclusion.
These indicate when immigrant visa numbers are available for final action in a category. Approval also depends on the case being otherwise eligible and ready for adjudication.
For a listed cutoff date, the priority date generally must be earlier than that date.
These may allow the next application or document submission step earlier. For adjustment of status, USCIS must authorize this chart for the relevant month and preference group.
Filing an I-485 under this chart does not mean the green card can already be approved.
Authoritative monthly resources
The official sites publish monthly data. We link to the current resources rather than displaying cutoff dates that can become outdated after a new bulletin is issued.
Individual case assessment
Filing eligibility, visa availability, status history and timing can change what action makes sense.
Family and employment immigration
Immediate relatives of US citizens generally are not subject to these preference category numerical waiting lines.
Explore family immigration representation ↗For many employment cases, the applicable priority date and visa category should be checked against the petition or labor certification record.
Explore employment immigration services ↗Strategic questions
A properly filed adjustment application may remain pending when a Final Action Date moves backward. USCIS generally cannot approve until a visa is available again; work and travel planning may require separate attention. If a pending adjustment is also experiencing unusual agency delay, read our USCIS processing delays guide.
Applicants abroad follow Department of State and National Visa Center procedures. USCIS's monthly I-485 chart selection applies to adjustment applicants, not the same way to consular document processing.
Chargeability generally follows place of birth, with statutory exceptions, including certain spouse-based cross chargeability rules. Citizenship alone does not necessarily determine the correct column.
The Child Status Protection Act may affect age calculations and timing. USCIS updated its CSPA visa availability guidance in 2025; the filing chart and CSPA analysis should not be assumed to be interchangeable. USCIS policy guidance ↗
The Messersmith Law Firm, P.A.
We can review the preference category, priority date, country of chargeability, monthly USCIS chart selection and filing history to identify the next appropriate step.
Common questions answered
The Visa Bulletin is the monthly system used to show when immigrant visa numbers are available in family-based and employment-based preference categories.
A priority date is the date that usually controls a person’s place in line in many family-based and employment-based green card categories.
A priority date is current when it reaches the relevant date shown in the applicable Visa Bulletin chart for the correct category and country of chargeability.
Final Action Dates usually relate to when a green card or immigrant visa may actually be approved. Dates for Filing usually relate to when the next filing step may be allowed earlier, depending on the month and the type of case.
In many cases, maybe, but the answer also depends on the monthly USCIS filing guidance and which chart USCIS allows applicants to use for that month.
Yes. The Visa Bulletin affects many family-sponsored preference cases where visa numbers are limited.
Yes. The Visa Bulletin affects many employment-based preference cases where visa numbers are limited.
Retrogression means the Visa Bulletin moves backward instead of forward, which can delay filing, final approval, or both.
No. A current priority date is important, but the case may still depend on the correct chart, the filing stage, visa availability rules, and whether the case is ready for the next step.
People check the Visa Bulletin every month because movement in the bulletin can affect when a family-based or employment-based case may move forward.
Next step
From family petitions to employment based green cards, a well timed strategy begins with the correct dates and a careful understanding of your case.