The rule USCIS uses
Each month, after the State Department publishes the Visa Bulletin, USCIS states which of its two charts adjustment of status applicants must use. USCIS says it designates the Dates for Filing chart when it determines that more immigrant visas are available for the fiscal year than there are known applicants; otherwise applicants must use the Final Action Dates chart.[1] If a category is current on the Final Action chart, or its Final Action date is later than its Dates for Filing date, applicants may file using the Final Action chart that month.[1]
- Dates for Filing lets you file Form I-485, and usually apply for a work permit and travel document, before a visa number is actually available.
- Final Action Dates are when USCIS can approve the green card. A case filed under Dates for Filing waits until the Final Action Date passes the priority date.[5][4]
Final action date vs. dates for filing
The two charts answer different questions, and the same priority date can be current on one and not the other.[5][4]
| Final action date | Dates for filing | |
|---|---|---|
| What it decides | When the green card can be approved or the immigrant visa issued | When you may submit the I-485 (if USCIS accepts this chart) or documents to the National Visa Center |
| Position | Earlier dates (further behind) | Later dates (closer to today) |
| Used by USCIS for filing | 84 of 134 months (employment) | 48 of 134 months (employment) |
| Used for the CSPA age calculation | Yes, for applications filed since Aug 15, 2025[6] | No |
The whole history behind these counts is downloadable as visa-bulletin-history.csv.
USCIS chart choice for family cases, by month
For family-sponsored preferences USCIS has accepted Dates for Filing in 101 of 134 months since October 2015.[3][2]
| FY | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2016 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| FY2017 | D | D | D | D | D | D | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| FY2018 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| FY2019 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| FY2020 | D | D | D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D |
| FY2021 | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D |
| FY2022 | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | F+D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| FY2023 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| FY2024 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| FY2025 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| FY2026 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| FY2027 | D | D |
USCIS chart choice for employment cases, by month
Employment-based cases switch more often. USCIS typically starts a fiscal year on Dates for Filing and moves to Final Action Dates in spring or summer as the year's numbers run low, as it did in fiscal years 2025 and 2026.
| FY | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2016 | D | D | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| FY2017 | D | D | D | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| FY2018 | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| FY2019 | D | D | D | D | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| FY2020 | D | D | D | F+D | F+D | D | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| FY2021 | D | D | D | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| FY2022 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | F | F | F | F |
| FY2023 | D | D | D | D | D | D | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| FY2024 | D | D | D | D | D | F | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| FY2025 | D | D | D | D | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| FY2026 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | F | F | F | F | F |
| FY2027 | D | D |
November 2026 filing chart in full
This is the employment-based chart USCIS published for November 2026; the family chart and month-to-month changes are on the current visa bulletin page and the November 2026 archive page.[2]
| Category | Rest of world | China | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | C | 01 Jul 2024 | 01 Jul 2024 | C | C |
| EB-2 | 15 Mar 2026 | 01 Jan 2023 | 15 Jan 2015 | 15 Mar 2026 | 15 Mar 2026 |
| EB-3 | 01 Aug 2024 | 01 Apr 2024 | 15 Jan 2015 | 01 Aug 2024 | 01 Jan 2024 |
| EB-3 Other Workers | 01 Jul 2022 | 01 Oct 2020 | 15 Jan 2015 | 01 Jul 2022 | 01 Jun 2022 |
| EB-4 | 01 Jan 2025 | 01 Jan 2025 | 01 Jan 2025 | 01 Jan 2025 | 01 Jan 2025 |
| Certain Religious Workers | 01 Jan 2025 | 01 Jan 2025 | 01 Jan 2025 | 01 Jan 2025 | 01 Jan 2025 |
| EB-5 Unreserved | C | 01 Mar 2021 | 01 May 2024 | C | C |
| EB-5 Rural (20%) | C | C | C | C | C |
| EB-5 High Unemployment (10%) | C | C | C | C | C |
| EB-5 Infrastructure (2%) | C | C | C | C | C |
To see whether your own date can file this month, use the priority date calculator. For how USCIS defines your place in line, read what a priority date is.
Frequently asked questions
Does USCIS use the Final Action Dates or Dates for Filing chart this month?
For November 2026: Dates for Filing for family-sponsored cases and Dates for Filing for employment-based cases, according to USCIS's adjustment of status filing charts page.
When does USCIS announce which chart to use?
USCIS says it expects to designate a chart within one week of the State Department publishing the Visa Bulletin, and posts it on its "Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin" page.
If I file under Dates for Filing, when is my green card approved?
Only after your priority date is earlier than the Final Action Date for your category and country. Until then the I-485 stays pending, which can take months or years in backlogged categories.
Does the National Visa Center use the same chart?
For consular processing the National Visa Center uses the Dates for Filing chart to tell applicants when to submit documents, and visas are issued only when the Final Action Date is reached. USCIS’s monthly choice applies to adjustment of status inside the United States.
Sources
- Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin
- When to File Your Adjustment of Status Application for Family-Sponsored or Employment-Based Preference Visas: November 2026
- When to File Your Adjustment of Status Application for Family-Sponsored or Employment-Based Preference Visas: October 2015
- Policy Manual, Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 6: Adjudicative Review (visa availability)
- 8 CFR 245.1: Eligibility for adjustment of status (visa availability, 245.1(g))
- Policy Manual, Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 7: Child Status Protection Act
- The Visa Bulletin (monthly publication and archive)