Which Visa Bulletin Chart to Use

Choosing the right Visa Bulletin chart comes down to three questions:

1. Are you filing Form I-485 from inside the United States?
2. Which chart does USCIS allow for this month?
3. Is your priority date early enough for your category and country on that chart?

That order matters. Many applicants look at the Visa Bulletin first, find a date that seems favorable, and start preparing Form I-485. But the Department of State Visa Bulletin and USCIS filing instructions do different jobs.

The Visa Bulletin shows movement in immigrant visa categories. USCIS decides which chart certain adjustment-of-status applicants may use for a particular month. Check both before filing. A past month's rule may not apply now.

The two Visa Bulletin charts: Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates

The Visa Bulletin has two main charts for family-sponsored preference cases:

• Dates for Filing
• Final Action Dates

Employment-based cases also use these two chart types. The category names and rows differ, but the basic idea is the same.

Dates for Filing

The Dates for Filing chart helps show when an applicant may be allowed to submit an immigrant visa or adjustment-of-status application, subject to the instructions for that case and month.

For someone filing Form I-485, this chart can offer an earlier filing opportunity than the Final Action Dates chart. Filing earlier may allow the case to enter the adjustment process sooner, but filing under this chart does not mean an immigrant visa is ready to be issued.

Think of it as a filing gate. If your priority date is earlier than the listed date for your category and country, you may meet the date requirement for filing when USCIS says this chart may be used.

Final Action Dates

The Final Action Dates chart deals with the later step: when an immigrant visa is actually available for use.

A visa category can have room for applicants to file under the Dates for Filing chart even though a visa is not yet available for final approval. The case may remain pending until the priority date reaches the Final Action Dates cutoff, or until the category is otherwise available under the rules that apply to the case.

So the two charts answer different questions:

The chart with the earlier date is not automatically the chart you may use. USCIS's monthly adjustment-of-status instructions control the filing choice for new I-485 applications.

Which chart USCIS says to use for adjustment of status

For an adjustment-of-status application, start with USCIS—not with an old Visa Bulletin example.

USCIS publishes a page called Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin. That page identifies which chart applicants may use for the current month. USCIS may direct applicants to use:

• the Dates for Filing chart, or
• the Final Action Dates chart.

The instruction can differ by case type. Family-sponsored and employment-based applicants may not receive the same monthly direction.

For example, the October filing guidance says that applicants in family-sponsored preference categories must use the Dates for Filing chart. That is a useful example of how USCIS gives month-specific instructions. It should not be treated as a permanent rule for every month.

Before sending Form I-485, check the current USCIS page and confirm:

• the month covered by the instruction;
• whether your case is family-sponsored or employment-based;
• which chart USCIS names for that group; and
• whether the instruction applies to a new adjustment-of-status filing.

This is separate from the Department of State's Visa Bulletin. The Department of State publishes the dates and category tables. USCIS tells adjustment-of-status applicants which chart they may use for filing in the United States.

If you are applying through an immigrant visa interview at a U.S. consulate, the adjustment-of-status chart instructions may not be the instructions that govern your case.

How to check the USCIS adjustment-of-status filing chart page

Use this quick process each month you are considering filing:

1. Confirm that adjustment of status is your filing path

The chart-selection question matters when you are filing Form I-485 from inside the United States. If your case will be handled through consular processing, you need to follow the instructions that apply to that process instead.

2. Open the current USCIS chart page

Look for the USCIS page titled Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin. Check that you are viewing the current month, not a saved page, old email, or past article.

3. Identify your case group

Find the direction for your type of case:

• family-sponsored preference;
• employment-based preference; or
• another category covered by the page.

Do not assume that one group’s chart instruction applies to every applicant.

4. Write down the chart USCIS allows

Your answer will usually be either Dates for Filing or Final Action Dates. Use that chart for the date comparison.

5. Then check the Department of State Visa Bulletin

After you know the correct chart, find your category, country, and priority date in the matching table.

This simple order prevents a common mistake: picking a chart because its date looks better, then checking USCIS's instructions afterward.

How to match your visa category, country, and priority date to the chart

A Visa Bulletin date only makes sense when all three parts match your case:

• category;
• country or area of chargeability; and
• priority date.

Find the right category

Family-sponsored cases use preference categories shown in the family-sponsored section. Employment-based cases use employment categories shown in the employment-based section.

Your category comes from the basis of the immigration case. A family petition and an employer-sponsored case do not use the same row simply because both applicants want green cards.

If you are unsure which category applies, check the underlying petition and case records rather than guessing from the title of the job or the family relationship.

Find the right country column

The Visa Bulletin may separate countries or areas when demand affects the available numbers. Your case must be checked against the country or area listed for your case—not whichever column has the most favorable date.

The country question can be confusing, especially when a person was born in one place, holds citizenship in another, or may qualify for a different chargeability rule. If that issue affects your case, get case-specific help before relying on a date.

Compare your priority date

Your priority date is the date used to place your case in line within its immigrant category. The relevant date often comes from the filing of a qualifying petition or labor certification, depending on the case.

Find your priority date in your immigration records. Then compare it with the cutoff date in the chart USCIS permits you to use.

A date generally qualifies for a listed cutoff when the priority date is earlier than the cutoff date. If the table shows “C,” that means the category is current in that row. If the table shows a date, use the exact date comparison. Do not treat a date that is close as good enough.

A practical lookup looks like this:

What the Final Action Dates chart tells you about visa availability

The Final Action Dates chart tells you when a visa is actually available to use for a category and country.

That makes it different from permission to file. An applicant might be allowed to submit Form I-485 using the Dates for Filing chart while the priority date is not yet current under Final Action Dates.

In that situation, filing and final approval are separate events:

• The applicant may be able to file the adjustment application.
• The case may be processed while waiting for visa availability.
• Final approval cannot happen simply because the application was accepted for filing if an immigrant visa is not available.

This distinction matters for both family-sponsored and employment-based applicants. It also matters to employers tracking an employee’s expected green card timing. A filed application does not, by itself, show that the employment-based visa number is ready for final action.

Do not use the Dates for Filing chart as a promise that a visa will be available soon. The chart gives a filing date, not a forecast.

If your date qualifies, check these next

Finding that your priority date fits the applicable chart is an important step. It is not the only filing check.

First confirm that USCIS permits that chart for the current month and your case group. Then review the current Form I-485 filing requirements and the documents needed for your case. Make sure the category and supporting petition match the application you plan to submit.

If you already have a pending adjustment case, the question may be different from whether you can file a new I-485. The USCIS monthly chart instruction is mainly used to decide when certain applicants may submit an adjustment application. It does not replace the rules for processing or approving a case already filed.

Also remember the difference between these two statements:

• “My priority date is current for filing.” Your date fits the chart USCIS allows for filing.
• “My priority date is current for final action.” Your date fits the Final Action Dates chart, meaning a visa is available for final action under that chart.

Use the exact wording carefully. It can prevent confusion between filing progress and visa availability.

Why the correct chart can change from month to month

The Visa Bulletin changes as visa demand and available numbers change. USCIS may also change which chart it permits for adjustment-of-status filings in a particular month.

That means a result from one month cannot safely be carried into the next month. An applicant may have been told to use Dates for Filing previously, while a later instruction may require Final Action Dates. The reverse can also happen.

Do not build a filing plan around a prediction that the bulletin will move faster next year or in a particular month. The available information does not support a reliable forecast about future movement, including movement in 2026.

Instead, repeat the check when you are ready to file:

1. View the current USCIS adjustment-of-status chart instruction.
2. Read the latest Department of State Visa Bulletin.
3. Use the chart USCIS names.
4. Compare your category, country, and priority date.
5. Confirm the rest of the Form I-485 requirements.

Common mistakes when reading the Visa Bulletin

Using the more favorable chart without checking USCIS

The Dates for Filing chart may show an earlier date. That does not mean you may always use it. USCIS decides the permitted chart for adjustment-of-status filings each month.

Treating a filing date as an approval date

A case filed under Dates for Filing may still wait for visa availability. The Final Action Dates chart is the one that shows when a visa is actually available for use.

Looking at the wrong category

A family-sponsored preference case and an employment-based case use different sections. Even within one section, each preference category has its own row.

Checking the wrong country column

A date in one country column does not automatically apply to every applicant. Use the country or area column that matches your case.

Relying on an old monthly example

An October instruction—or any other past month's example—may not control the month in which you file. Always verify the current USCIS direction and the latest Visa Bulletin.

Calling a date “current” without saying which chart

Ask: current for filing, or current for final action? Those are different questions.

If you are preparing to file, check the current USCIS adjustment-of-status chart page and the latest Department of State Visa Bulletin immediately before taking action. For a case-specific question, consider getting advice from a qualified immigration professional rather than relying on a past month's chart.