About Priority Dates
Your priority date determines your place in the green card queue — the earlier your date, the closer you are to the front of the line.
For employment-based (EB) categories, it is the date USCIS received your I-140 petition (or your labor certification filing date for EB-2/EB-3 PERM cases).
For family-based (FB) categories, it is the date USCIS received your I-130 petition.
For employment-based (EB) categories, it is the date USCIS received your I-140 petition (or your labor certification filing date for EB-2/EB-3 PERM cases).
For family-based (FB) categories, it is the date USCIS received your I-130 petition.
Your priority date is "current" when it falls before the cutoff date published in the visa bulletin for your category and country — the cutoff date itself is not current. Once current on the Final Action chart, USCIS can approve your green card. Once current on the Filing chart, you can submit your I-485 application.
The Final Action (FA) date is when USCIS can approve and issue your green card. The Filing date (Chart B) is typically a few months ahead of FA and is when you can submit your I-485 application — even though the green card itself cannot be issued yet. USCIS announces each month whether Chart B is available for use.
For employment-based (EB) categories, U.S. immigration law caps green cards at 7% of the total annual allotment per country. India and China generate far more applicants than this cap allows, creating backlogs that can span decades. Other countries like Mexico and the Philippines also have backlogs, though generally shorter.
For family-based (FB) categories, Congress sets fixed annual limits per category and per country. Categories like F1, F2B, F3, and F4 have significant backlogs because demand far exceeds the available visas. F2A (spouses and minor children of LPRs) generally moves faster than other family-based categories.
For family-based (FB) categories, Congress sets fixed annual limits per category and per country. Categories like F1, F2B, F3, and F4 have significant backlogs because demand far exceeds the available visas. F2A (spouses and minor children of LPRs) generally moves faster than other family-based categories.
The U.S. Department of State publishes the visa bulletin around the 15th of each month for the following month. For example, the May bulletin is typically released in mid-April. You can find all bulletins at travel.state.gov.
About the I-485
Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, is the form you file to obtain a green card while already in the United States. Once your priority date is current (or your Filing date is current), you can submit this form to USCIS to begin the final stage of the green card process.
These are employment-based (EB) green card preference categories:
EB-1 — Priority workers: persons of extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and multinational executives/managers.
EB-2 — Advanced degree professionals or persons of exceptional ability. Also includes the National Interest Waiver (NIW) subcategory, which does not require employer sponsorship.
EB-3 — Skilled workers (jobs requiring at least 2 years of training), professionals (jobs requiring a bachelor's degree), and other workers.
EB-1 — Priority workers: persons of extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and multinational executives/managers.
EB-2 — Advanced degree professionals or persons of exceptional ability. Also includes the National Interest Waiver (NIW) subcategory, which does not require employer sponsorship.
EB-3 — Skilled workers (jobs requiring at least 2 years of training), professionals (jobs requiring a bachelor's degree), and other workers.
Family-based green card categories are for relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs):
F1 — Unmarried sons and daughters (age 21+) of U.S. citizens.
F2A — Spouses and children (under 21) of LPRs. This category generally moves the fastest of the family-based categories.
F2B — Unmarried sons and daughters (age 21+) of LPRs.
F3 — Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.
F4 — Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens.
F1 — Unmarried sons and daughters (age 21+) of U.S. citizens.
F2A — Spouses and children (under 21) of LPRs. This category generally moves the fastest of the family-based categories.
F2B — Unmarried sons and daughters (age 21+) of LPRs.
F3 — Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.
F4 — Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens.
Consult a qualified immigration attorney immediately. They can review your case, confirm your eligibility, ensure your supporting documents are complete, and guide you through the I-485 filing process. Acting quickly matters — visa numbers can retrogress, and being prepared in advance is important.
About This Tool
We do our best to update the data as soon as USCIS and the U.S. Department of State publish new reports each month — including the latest visa bulletin and I-485 inventory data. The current data date is shown at the bottom of the results page.
Projections are estimates based on recent historical trends in visa bulletin advancement and USCIS approval rates. Visa bulletin movement is unpredictable — the Department of State can advance, hold, or retrogress dates at any time based on visa demand and available numbers. Always treat projections as rough estimates, not guarantees.
The "Ahead of You" figure is based on the USCIS I-485 Pending Inventory, which only counts people who have already filed their I-485. To file, your priority date must have been reachable at some point in the past.
Applicants whose date has never been current — the "shadow queue" — cannot file an I-485 and are invisible in the USCIS data. The tool flags this with a confidence badge:
HIGH confidence — your priority date has been reachable before (on the Final Action or Filing chart), so you are likely counted in the USCIS inventory. The "Ahead of You" number is a reasonable estimate.
LOW confidence — your date has never been current. The USCIS inventory undercounts the true queue, and the actual number of applicants ahead of you is likely much larger than shown.
Applicants whose date has never been current — the "shadow queue" — cannot file an I-485 and are invisible in the USCIS data. The tool flags this with a confidence badge:
HIGH confidence — your priority date has been reachable before (on the Final Action or Filing chart), so you are likely counted in the USCIS inventory. The "Ahead of You" number is a reasonable estimate.
LOW confidence — your date has never been current. The USCIS inventory undercounts the true queue, and the actual number of applicants ahead of you is likely much larger than shown.
Your priority date and inputs are never sent to any server and are not stored. All analysis runs locally in your browser. We do collect anonymized usage analytics via Google Analytics — see our Privacy Policy for full details.
Yes — the tool supports both employment-based (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3) and family-based (F1, F2A, F2B, F3, F4) green card categories. It covers all countries of chargeability: India, China, Mexico, Philippines, and Rest of World (which covers all other countries). Select your category type, country, and specific category to see the correct visa bulletin dates for your situation.
Disclaimer: This tool is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney for advice specific to your situation.