Immigration & Visas · Tracker
Visa Bulletin: which chart applies now
The State Department publishes two charts every month and USCIS decides which one adjustment-of-status filings may use. The current decision, what each chart means, and where the dates are.
Last verified · refreshed monthly
Two documents govern when a green-card applicant inside the United States may file. The State Department publishes the monthly Visa Bulletin with two charts for each preference category: Final Action Dates, the point at which a visa can actually be issued, and Dates for Filing, an earlier point at which paperwork may be assembled and lodged. USCIS then decides, each month and separately for family and employment cases, which of the two charts it will accept for adjustment-of-status filings, and posts that decision on its filing charts page.
The rule USCIS applies is public: when it determines there are more immigrant visas available for the fiscal year than there are known applicants, applicants may use the Dates for Filing chart; otherwise they must use the Final Action Dates chart. The table below records the current decision. How to read the Visa Bulletin walks through the charts themselves, and green card priority dates explained covers what a priority date is and how it moves.
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| Category group | Chart USCIS accepts | Month | What that means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family-sponsored (F1 to F4) | Dates for Filing | September 2026 | You may file adjustment of status if your priority date is earlier than the Dates for Filing entry for your category and country | uscis.gov |
| Employment-based (EB-1 to EB-5) | Final Action Dates | September 2026 | You may file only if your priority date is earlier than the Final Action Dates entry, the stricter of the two charts | uscis.gov |
| Both groups | Set monthly by USCIS | Every month | USCIS posts next month’s decision on the same page, usually within days of the bulletin appearing | uscis.gov |
What to do
- Find your priority date on the receipt notice for the petition, then compare it with the chart USCIS accepts this month for your category and country of chargeability. Official link
- Check the USCIS page again each month before filing; the accepted chart changes. Official link
- If your date was current and has moved backwards, that is retrogression; a pending application is not canceled by it.
Questions readers ask
- Which Visa Bulletin chart should I use this month?
- For September 2026, USCIS accepts the Dates for Filing chart for family-sponsored cases and the Final Action Dates chart for employment-based cases. The decision is made monthly and separately for the two groups, so check the USCIS page before filing.
- What is the difference between Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing?
- Final Action Dates show when a visa can actually be issued for a category and country. Dates for Filing show an earlier point at which paperwork can be assembled and lodged. USCIS allows the earlier chart only when it judges there are more visas available in the fiscal year than known applicants.
- What does “current” mean in the bulletin?
- That a visa is available this month for everyone in that category and country, shown as “C”. Where a date appears instead, only people whose priority date is earlier than that date are inside the cut-off.
Dates ahead
- October Visa Bulletin takes effect; USCIS posts which chart applies
Mentioned:U.S. Citizenship and Immigration ServicesU.S. Department of State
How we reported this
Built from the documents in the Source Card. Opened on September 4, 2026 with the September 2026 chart decision from USCIS.
Written by Mirza Seraj Baig · Checked against the documents in the source card (editorial standards).
Updates
- Opened on September 4, 2026 with the September 2026 chart decision from USCIS.