How do I check if my priority date is current?

Find your priority date on your I-797 receipt (it is the date USCIS received your I-130 or I-140). Then look up your preference category and country of birth in the Department of State Visa Bulletin. If your priority date is earlier than the cutoff date listed — or the cutoff shows "C" for current — a visa number is available. The Visacub Priority Date Checker does this comparison for you against the July 2026 bulletin.

What is the difference between Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing?

The Dates for Filing chart tells you when you can SUBMIT your application (file the I-485, or send documents to the National Visa Center). The Final Action Dates chart tells you when your case can actually be APPROVED and a green card issued. Dates for Filing are usually a few months to a few years ahead of Final Action Dates. Each month USCIS announces which of the two charts applicants may use to file for adjustment of status.

Can I file Form I-485 before my priority date is current?

Only if the month's Dates for Filing chart shows your priority date is eligible AND USCIS has announced that adjustment-of-status applicants may use the Dates for Filing chart that month. If USCIS designates the Final Action Dates chart, your priority date must be current on that chart instead. You cannot file simply because you expect your date to become current soon. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are exempt — a visa is always available to them.

My priority date is current — now what?

If you are inside the U.S. and eligible, you can file Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status), often concurrently with the underlying petition if a visa number is available. If you are abroad, the National Visa Center will process your immigrant visa through consular processing. Gather your supporting forms (I-864 affidavit of support, I-693 medical exam) and file promptly — priority dates can retrogress (move backward) in a later month.

What does it mean when my category is 'U' (unavailable)?

'U' means no immigrant visa numbers are available in that category for that country this month, usually because the annual or per-country limit has been used up for the fiscal year. No case in that category and country can be approved until numbers become available again, regardless of how early your priority date is. The category typically reopens at the start of a new fiscal year (October).

Why did my priority date move backwards (retrogression)?

Retrogression happens when demand in a category exceeds the visas available, so the State Department moves the cutoff date backward to stay within annual limits. It is common late in the fiscal year (summer) for heavily oversubscribed categories like EB-2/EB-3 India and China. A retrogressed date can become current again in a future bulletin; file as soon as you are eligible to lock in your place.

Do I use the Dates for Filing or Final Action Dates chart to file?

Whichever one USCIS designates for your category group that month — and it can change month to month. USCIS publishes a "When to File" page each month stating, separately for family-sponsored and employment-based cases, which chart adjustment-of-status applicants must use. Being eligible under the Dates for Filing chart does not let you file if USCIS has designated Final Action Dates for that month. Always check the current month's USCIS designation before filing.

Can I get a work permit and travel document while waiting for my priority date?

Often yes — if you can file Form I-485 now. When your priority date lets you file (under whichever chart USCIS designates that month), filing the I-485 also lets you apply for an EAD (employment authorization / work permit) and Advance Parole (travel document), usually at no extra fee when filed together. That means you can work and travel while you wait, even though the green card itself cannot be approved until the Final Action date reaches your priority date. This is one of the biggest benefits self-filers overlook.

What is cross-chargeability and can it speed up my priority date?

Cross-chargeability lets you be "charged" to a country other than your own country of birth in limited situations — most commonly using your spouse's country of birth when it has a more favorable (less backlogged) priority date. It can cut years off the wait for applicants born in heavily backlogged countries like India or China. It is not automatic: you generally must claim it explicitly in your application with documentation establishing the family relationship and birth countries.

Can my child age out while we wait for a visa number? (CSPA)

Possibly. A derivative child who turns 21 can "age out" and lose eligibility, but the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) can freeze their immigration age in some cases. As of an August 2025 USCIS policy change, CSPA age is calculated using the Final Action Dates chart (not Dates for Filing), which tightened protection for many applicants. If you have children on your case, the timing of when your priority date becomes current directly affects whether they remain eligible — it is worth checking early.

My priority date is current — how long until I actually get the green card?

"Current" means a visa number is available, not that the green card is issued. After you file (or after your already-filed case becomes current), USCIS adjudication typically takes another 6 to 24 months depending on the field office and case type. Because dates can retrogress, the safe move is to file as soon as you are current and avoid irreversible decisions — quitting a job, selling a home, or booking one-way travel — until you have the actual approval notice in hand.

Visa Bulletin Tool

Priority Date Checker — Is Your Date Current?

Enter your priority date, category, and country of birth to see whether you can file Form I-485 (or apply at the consulate) this month under the July 2026 Visa Bulletin — and, if not, roughly how far behind the line you are.

Preference categoryCountry of birth (chargeability)Your priority date (from your I-797 receipt)

This month (July 2026): USCIS requires family-based adjustment-of-status applicants to file using the Dates for Filing chart. USCIS confirms monthly — it can change next month.

Pick a category and enter your priority date to see your result.

Note: Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (spouse, parent, or unmarried child under 21) are NOT in a preference category and have a visa available every month — the Visa Bulletin does not gate them. The categories above are the numerically-limited preference categories only.

Source: U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin, July 2026 · Issued Jun 2, 2026

Full July 2026 Visa Bulletin charts

On Final Action Dates, ▲/▼ marks how each cutoff moved versus last month's bulletin.

Family-sponsored — Final Action Dates

Category	All other countries	China (mainland-born)	India	Mexico	Philippines
F1	▲Feb 1, 2018	▲Feb 1, 2018	▲Feb 1, 2018	Nov 8, 2007	May 1, 2013
F2A	Jan 1, 2025	Jan 1, 2025	Jan 1, 2025	Jan 1, 2024	Jan 1, 2025
F2B	▲Nov 22, 2017	▲Nov 22, 2017	▲Nov 22, 2017	Feb 15, 2009	▲May 15, 2013
F3	▲Apr 15, 2012	▲Apr 15, 2012	▲Apr 15, 2012	▲Jun 1, 2001	▲Feb 22, 2006
F4	▲Jan 1, 2009	▲Jan 1, 2009	Nov 1, 2006	Apr 8, 2001	▲Aug 1, 2007

Family-sponsored — Dates for Filing

Category	All other countries	China (mainland-born)	India	Mexico	Philippines
F1	Jan 1, 2019	Jan 1, 2019	Jan 1, 2019	Oct 1, 2008	Apr 22, 2015
F2A	Current	Current	Current	Current	Current
F2B	Jun 8, 2018	Jun 8, 2018	Jun 8, 2018	May 15, 2010	Oct 1, 2013
F3	Dec 8, 2012	Dec 8, 2012	Dec 8, 2012	Jul 15, 2001	Aug 8, 2006
F4	Mar 1, 2010	Mar 1, 2010	Dec 15, 2006	Apr 30, 2001	Mar 22, 2008

Employment-based — Final Action Dates

Category	All other countries	China (mainland-born)	India	Mexico	Philippines
EB-1	Current	▲Jun 1, 2023	▼Oct 15, 2022	Current	Current
EB-2	Current	Sep 1, 2021	▼Unavailable	Current	Current
EB-3	▲Aug 1, 2024	▲Dec 22, 2021	▲Jan 1, 2014	▲Aug 1, 2024	Aug 1, 2023
EB-3-OW	▲Mar 1, 2022	Apr 1, 2019	▲Jan 1, 2014	▲Mar 1, 2022	▲Dec 1, 2021
EB-4	▲Sep 15, 2022	▲Sep 15, 2022	▲Sep 15, 2022	▲Sep 15, 2022	▲Sep 15, 2022
EB-4-RW	▲Sep 15, 2022	▲Sep 15, 2022	▲Sep 15, 2022	▲Sep 15, 2022	▲Sep 15, 2022
EB-5	Current	▲Dec 1, 2016	▼Unavailable	Current	Current
EB-5-SA	Current	Current	Current	Current	Current

Employment-based — Dates for Filing

Category	All other countries	China (mainland-born)	India	Mexico	Philippines
EB-1	Current	Dec 1, 2023	Dec 1, 2023	Current	Current
EB-2	Current	Jan 1, 2022	Jan 15, 2015	Current	Current
EB-3	Current	Jan 1, 2022	Jan 15, 2015	Current	Jan 1, 2024
EB-3-OW	Aug 1, 2022	Oct 1, 2019	Jan 15, 2015	Aug 1, 2022	Aug 1, 2022
EB-4	Jan 1, 2023	Jan 1, 2023	Jan 1, 2023	Jan 1, 2023	Jan 1, 2023
EB-4-RW	Jan 1, 2023	Jan 1, 2023	Jan 1, 2023	Jan 1, 2023	Jan 1, 2023
EB-5	Current	Mar 1, 2017	May 1, 2024	Current	Current
EB-5-SA	Current	Current	Current	Current	Current

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