Check your priority date in four steps
- Find your priority date. It is printed on the Form I-797 receipt or approval notice for your immigrant petition (usually Form I-130 or Form I-140). For most employment cases that needed a labor certification, it is the date the labor certification was filed.
- Find your category. The same notice shows your classification, such as F2B or EB-2. The category guides under each chart below explain what each code means.
- Find your column. Use the column for your country of birth — not your citizenship. Everyone not born in China (mainland), India, Mexico, or the Philippines uses “All other areas.”
- Compare against the right chart. USCIS says each month whether adjustment of status applicants use Dates for Filing or Final Action Dates. If your priority date is earlier than the date shown, or the category shows C, you can move forward.
Spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of U.S. citizens are immediate relatives. A visa is always available to them, so they do not need to check the Visa Bulletin at all.
Understanding the Visa Bulletin
The law limits how many family-sponsored and employment-based Green Cards can be issued each year, in total and per country. When more people qualify than there are visas, a line forms. Your place in that line is your priority date — usually the date your immigrant petition was filed.
Each month the Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin, which lists a cut-off date for every category and country. In general, you can move forward when your priority date is earlier than the date shown for your category and country of birth.
Two charts: Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing
- Final Action Dates show when a visa can actually be issued or a Green Card approved.
- Dates for Filing show when you may submit your application, which is usually some time before final action is possible.
Each month USCIS announces which chart adjustment of status applicants must use. By default it is Final Action Dates; when USCIS determines that more visas are available than there are known applicants, it allows Dates for Filing instead.
For October 2026, USCIS directs both family-sponsored and employment-based adjustment of status applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart. USCIS posts this decision every month on its “Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin” page.
How to read the charts
- A date such as 01SEP19 means September 1, 2019. Your priority date must be earlier than it.
- C means current: visas are available to all qualified applicants in that category, whatever their priority date.
- U means unavailable: no visas can be issued in that category for now.
- Your column is set by your country of birth, not your citizenship. China (mainland-born), India, Mexico, and the Philippines have their own columns because demand from those countries exceeds the per-country limit.
Dates can move backward
Dates usually move forward, but when demand exceeds the supply for the year the Department of State can move a date backward (called retrogression) or make a category unavailable. October is the first month of fiscal year 2027, when a new annual supply of visas becomes available: at least 226,000 family-sponsored and at least 140,000 employment-based, with a per-country limit of 7 percent (25,620).
October 2026 Visa Bulletin dates
These charts are taken from the Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for October 2026 (Number 19, Volume XI). They are a snapshot: a new bulletin replaces them every month, so check the current Visa Bulletin before you act on any date.
Family-sponsored categories
F1: unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. F2A: spouses and children of permanent residents. F2B: unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) of permanent residents. F3: married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. F4: brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens.
| Category | All other areas | China (mainland-born) | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | 01FEB20 | 01FEB20 | 01FEB20 | 01DEC08 | 22APR15 |
| F2A | C | C | C | C | C |
| F2B | 01SEP19 | 01SEP19 | 01SEP19 | 22MAR11 | 01OCT14 |
| F3 | 01NOV14 | 01NOV14 | 01NOV14 | 01DEC02 | 22OCT06 |
| F4 | 01NOV11 | 01NOV11 | 01FEB07 | 30APR01 | 22MAR09 |
| Category | All other areas | China (mainland-born) | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | 22JAN20 | 22JAN20 | 22JAN20 | 08SEP08 | 01NOV13 |
| F2A | 22SEP26 | 22SEP26 | 22SEP26 | 22MAR26 | 22SEP26 |
| F2B | 22AUG19 | 22AUG19 | 22AUG19 | 15MAY10 | 01OCT13 |
| F3 | 22OCT14 | 22OCT14 | 22OCT14 | 01JUL01 | 22JUL06 |
| F4 | 22OCT11 | 22OCT11 | 15DEC06 | 22APR01 | 15MAY08 |
Employment-based categories
1st: priority workers. 2nd: professionals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability. 3rd: skilled workers and professionals; Other Workers covers unskilled positions. 4th: certain special immigrants, including religious workers. 5th: immigrant investors, with set-asides for rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure projects.
| Category | All other areas | China (mainland-born) | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | C | 01JUL24 | 01JUL24 | C | C |
| 2nd | 15MAR26 | 01JAN23 | 15JAN15 | 15MAR26 | 15MAR26 |
| 3rd | 01AUG24 | 01APR24 | 15JAN15 | 01AUG24 | 01JAN24 |
| Other Workers | 01JUN22 | 01OCT20 | 15JAN15 | 01JUN22 | 01JUN22 |
| 4th | 01JAN25 | 01JAN25 | 01JAN25 | 01JAN25 | 01JAN25 |
| Certain Religious Workers | 01JAN25 | 01JAN25 | 01JAN25 | 01JAN25 | 01JAN25 |
| 5th Unreserved | C | 01MAR21 | 01MAY24 | C | C |
| 5th Set-Aside: Rural (20%) | C | C | C | C | C |
| 5th Set-Aside: High Unemployment (10%) | C | C | C | C | C |
| 5th Set-Aside: Infrastructure (2%) | C | C | C | C | C |
| Category | All other areas | China (mainland-born) | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | C | 01JUL23 | 01FEB23 | C | C |
| 2nd | 01JAN25 | 01OCT21 | 01NOV13 | 01JAN25 | 01JAN25 |
| 3rd | 15MAY24 | 08JAN22 | 01JAN14 | 15MAY24 | 15AUG23 |
| Other Workers | 01JAN22 | 01OCT19 | 01JAN14 | 01JAN22 | 01JAN22 |
| 4th | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 |
| Certain Religious Workers | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 |
| 5th Unreserved | C | 01DEC16 | 01DEC23 | C | C |
| 5th Set-Aside: Rural (20%) | C | C | C | C | C |
| 5th Set-Aside: High Unemployment (10%) | C | C | C | C | C |
| 5th Set-Aside: Infrastructure (2%) | C | C | C | C | C |
Diversity Visa
The Diversity Visa program makes immigrant visas available each fiscal year to people from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States, divided among six regions, with no single country receiving more than 7 percent. Selection lasts only for the fiscal year you were selected for: DV-2026 ended on September 30, 2026, and DV-2027 visas must be issued by September 30, 2027. The Visa Bulletin lists the regional rank cut-offs each month.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find my priority date?
On the Form I-797 receipt or approval notice for your immigrant petition, in the field marked “Priority Date.” For most employment-based cases that required a labor certification, it is the date the labor certification was filed with the Department of Labor.
When is the next Visa Bulletin published?
The Department of State usually publishes each Visa Bulletin around the middle of the month before it takes effect. USCIS then announces which chart adjustment of status applicants must use. Check both before you file.
What is the Visa Bulletin and why does it matter?
It is published monthly by the Department of State and shows which priority dates can file or be approved in each family-sponsored and employment-based category. Unless you are an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, your priority date generally must be earlier than the date listed for your category and country.
What is the difference between “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing”?
Final Action Dates show when a Green Card can actually be approved. Dates for Filing show an earlier point when you may submit your application. USCIS announces each month which chart adjustment of status applicants must use; for October 2026 it is Dates for Filing.
Can dates in the Visa Bulletin move backward?
Yes. If demand in a category exceeds the visas available for the fiscal year, the Department of State may move a date backward (retrogression) or make the category temporarily unavailable.
Official sources
- U.S. Department of State — Visa Bulletin for October 2026
- USCIS — Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin
Last reviewed October 21, 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice. The Visa Bulletin is replaced every month; confirm the latest dates on travel.state.gov and uscis.gov before relying on them.