VISA BULLETIN GUIDE

How to Check Your Priority Date in the Visa Bulletin

To check your U.S. immigration priority date, find the date on your petition notice, identify your preference category and country of chargeability, then compare the date with the right Visa Bulletin chart for the month.

For adjustment of status, USCIS decides each month which chart applicants use. Your priority date generally must be earlier than the published cutoff, unless the cell says “C” (Current). A date comparison does not, by itself, establish filing eligibility.

Checked against official USCIS and U.S. Department of State pages on Oct 25, 2026. Visa Current is independent of all government agencies. The cutoff tables are on our Visa Bulletin page.

How to check your priority date in 5 steps

Find your priority date. USCIS says it is on Form I-797, Notice of Action, for the petition filed for you. The rules for which date counts are in the table below.
Identify your preference category, such as F2A, EB-2 or EB-3. It is based on the petition filed for you.
Identify your country of chargeability. This is usually your country of birth, not your citizenship or where you live.
Use the right chart for this month. For adjustment of status, that is the chart USCIS names on its filing charts page. For consular cases, follow Department of State and National Visa Center instructions.
Compare. Find your category’s row and your country’s column on the Visa Bulletin. Your date must be earlier than the cutoff shown, or the cell must say “C”.

Quick example: in the November 2026 Dates for Filing chart, EB-2 for All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed shows March 15, 2026 (15MAR26). A priority date of March 1, 2026 is earlier, so it falls within that chart. The full example is further down this page.

Where do you find your priority date?

Your priority date is on Form I-797, Notice of Action, for the petition filed on your behalf. USCIS explains this on its visa availability and priority dates page.

Which date counts depends on the type of case. This table follows the USCIS wording.

Where the priority date comes from, by type of case
Type of case	Your priority date is the date…
Family-sponsored preference	Form I-130 (or, in certain cases, Form I-360) is properly filed with USCIS
Employment-based, labor certification required	The Department of Labor accepts the labor certification application for processing
Employment-based, no labor certification required	USCIS accepts Form I-140 for processing
EB-4 special immigrants, including religious workers	USCIS accepts Form I-360 for processing
EB-5 investors	USCIS accepts the applicable Form I-526 or Form I-526E immigrant investor petition for filing.

For labor certification cases, USCIS adds a deadline: the employer must file Form I-140 within 180 days of the labor certification approval, or the certification is no longer valid.

Which visa category and country should you select?

The Visa Bulletin has separate charts for family-sponsored and employment-based categories. Each row is a preference category, and each column is a country or area.

Family-sponsored: F1, F2A, F2B, F3 and F4.
Employment-based: EB-1 to EB-5, including separate rows such as EB-3 Other Workers and the EB-5 set-asides.
Country of chargeability: USCIS says this is usually your country of birth. The listed columns are China (mainland born), India, Mexico and the Philippines. Everyone else uses “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed”.

Some people can be charged to a spouse’s or parent’s country instead. These alternate chargeability rules are set by the Department of State. Confirm them with official guidance or a qualified immigration attorney before relying on them.

Which Visa Bulletin chart should you use?

Each bulletin has two charts. Final Action Dates show when visas may finally be issued. Dates for Filing show when applicants may be able to apply.

USCIS uses Final Action Dates for adjustment of status unless its filing charts page says Dates for Filing apply that month. Our guide to Final Action Dates vs Dates for Filing explains the difference in depth.

October and November 2026: as of Oct 25, 2026, USCIS names Dates for Filing for all family-sponsored and all employment-based preference categories in both months. The choice can change, so check the USCIS page again each month.

How do you know if your priority date is current?

Your priority date is within the cutoff when it is earlier than the date shown for your category and country on the applicable chart. USCIS gives its own example: if China F1 shows 15DEC07, visas are available for priority dates earlier than December 15, 2007.

Earlier than the cutoff: within the cutoff for that chart.
Same as the cutoff: not earlier, so outside it. The Department of State defines the cutoff as the priority date of the first applicant who could not be reached.
Later than the cutoff: not yet reached.
“C” (Current): no cutoff on that chart, so any priority date is within it.
“U” (Unavailable): visa numbers are temporarily unavailable in that category or country.

Example: EB-2 in the November 2026 bulletin

This cell comes from the official November 2026 Visa Bulletin, Dates for Filing chart. It shows how to read a chart, not whether anyone can file.

Category and country: EB-2, All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed.
November 2026 Dates for Filing cutoff: March 15, 2026 (15MAR26).
Hypothetical priority date of March 1, 2026: earlier than the cutoff, so it falls within that chart.
Hypothetical priority date of March 15, 2026: the same as the cutoff, so it is not earlier and falls outside it.

Falling within the chart satisfies the date comparison only. It does not establish whether a particular applicant may file Form I-485.

What if your priority date retrogresses?

Retrogression means a cutoff moves backward to an earlier date, or a category that was current gets a cutoff again. USCIS says it happens when more people apply than there are visas available for that month.

Last month’s result may not apply: a date that was within the cutoff one month can fall outside it the next.
New fiscal year: a new supply of visa numbers becomes available on October 1. USCIS says that usually, but not always, returns cutoffs to where they were before retrogression.
Not a forecast: cutoff movement is not a prediction of your own processing time.

Who does not need a Visa Bulletin priority-date comparison?

Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens do not wait for a Visa Bulletin cutoff. USCIS says immigrant visas for them are unlimited, so they are always available.

USCIS lists these immediate relatives:

Spouses of U.S. citizens.
Unmarried children under 21 of U.S. citizens.
Parents of U.S. citizens who are at least 21.
Certain widows and widowers of U.S. citizens.

Family preference categories are different. For example, F2A covers spouses and children of permanent residents, and F1 covers unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens. Both are numerically limited and appear in the bulletin.

Can you file Form I-485 when your priority date is within the cutoff?

Not automatically. A priority date within the chart USCIS names only means a visa number may be available for that step.

Chart condition: your date must be within the chart USCIS names for that month, or the category must be “C”.
Other requirements: eligibility rules, the forms, fees and evidence on the USCIS Form I-485 page still apply.

For a decision about your own case, use the official instructions or a qualified immigration attorney. Visa Current does not decide eligibility.

Check your priority date in Visa Current

Create a free Visa Current account to compare your priority date with the published Visa Bulletin chart available in your workspace. Choose your preference category and country of chargeability, enter your date and see whether it is before the cutoff, not yet reached, current or unavailable.

The workspace checker currently uses the October 2026 Visa Bulletin while its data is being updated. The November 2026 example above comes from the official bulletin, not from the checker.

Free includes five bulletin checks per month. Essential costs $20/month and includes unlimited checks and a saved Bulletin Watch. Visa Current does not file anything for you or look up your case with USCIS.

Check your priority date free View membership plans

Official sources and last verification

All facts on this page were checked against these official pages on Oct 25, 2026. The worked example uses the November 2026 bulletin. If anything here differs from the official sources, the official source is correct.

Visa Current is an independent service, not a government agency or law firm. This page is information, not legal advice. A published cutoff date does not guarantee approval, a decision date or eligibility.