Your priority date marks your place in line
In most family- and employment-preference categories, immigrant visa numbers are limited. A priority date generally comes from the date USCIS properly received the qualifying immigrant petition. When labor certification is required, the priority date is generally the date the Department of Labor accepted that application for processing.
Find the priority date on the petition approval or receipt notice, then identify the exact preference category and the country column based on chargeability rules. Do not compare a date from one category or country column with another.
- Confirm the petition type and preference category.
- Copy the priority date exactly as shown on the official notice.
- Use the country-of-chargeability column that legally applies—not simply current residence or citizenship.
- Check for petition transfers, revocations, or other case events that may require legal review.
The two charts answer different questions
The Department of State publishes a Dates for Filing chart and a Final Action Dates chart. Dates for Filing may identify when an applicant can begin a qualifying filing or document process. Final Action Dates control when an immigrant visa may finally be issued or an adjustment application approved, subject to eligibility and visa availability.
A chart entry of 'C' means the category is current for that chart. 'U' means numbers are unauthorized for issuance. When a cutoff date appears, the priority date generally must be earlier than that cutoff date. The dates can advance, stop, or move backward from month to month.
- Dates for Filing does not promise approval.
- Final Action Date availability can change before adjudication finishes.
- A current date does not cure inadmissibility, status, petition, or documentary problems.
- Save the bulletin used and recheck the next month's bulletin while the case remains pending.
USCIS selects the adjustment chart each month
People applying for adjustment of status in the United States must not choose whichever chart is more favorable. USCIS announces which chart applies for family-sponsored and employment-based filings each month.
For September 2026, USCIS directs family-sponsored preference applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart and employment-based preference applicants to use the Final Action Dates chart. A person must still be otherwise eligible to file Form I-485.
- Open the USCIS filing-chart page for the intended filing month.
- Then open the same month's Department of State Visa Bulletin.
- Match category, chargeability column, and priority date carefully.
- Recheck the selected chart immediately before filing because instructions can be updated.
Consular cases follow their own agency instructions
Applicants processing through the National Visa Center and a U.S. embassy or consulate should follow Department of State instructions, CEAC notices, and the Visa Bulletin. A request to submit documents is not the same as an interview appointment, and an interview appointment is not a guarantee that a visa number will remain available through issuance.
If a child may age out, a category may convert, a petitioner naturalizes, or a date has retrogressed, obtain qualified legal advice promptly. Those issues involve legal analysis beyond document organization.