Skip to main content
This is the USCIS preview website. Visit uscis.gov for the official USCIS site.
USCIS Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government    Here's how you know
Español
Multilingual Resources
Official Government Website

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Website

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( A locked padlock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Seal, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
 
Sign In  
Access USCIS online services.
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
Sign In
Create Account
Horizontal Menu
  • Topics
  • Forms
  • Newsroom
  • Citizenship
  • Green Card
  • Laws
  • Tools
  • Contact us
  • Multilingual Resources
  • Ask Emma
Main navigation
Skip to main content
  • Green Card
    • Green Card Eligibility
      • Green Card for Employment-Based Immigrants
      • Green Card for Family Preference Immigrants
      • Green Card for an Immediate Relative of a U.S. Citizen
    • How to Apply for a Green Card
    • Green Card Processes and Procedures
      • Adjustment of Status
      • Fiscal Year 2023 Employment-Based Adjustment of Status FAQs
      • Consular Processing
      • Public Charge Resources
      • Concurrent Filing of Form I-485
      • Visa Availability & Priority Dates
        • Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin
      • Travel Documents
      • Employment Authorization Document
      • Finding a Medical Doctor
      • Affidavit of Support
      • Child Status Protection Act
    • While Your Green Card Application Is Pending with USCIS
    • After Receiving a Decision
    • After We Grant Your Green Card
      • Conditional Permanent Residence
      • International Travel as a Permanent Resident
      • Maintaining Permanent Residence
      • Replace a Green Card
      • Rights and Responsibilities of a Permanent Resident
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Green Card
  3. Green Card Processes and Procedures
  4. Visa Availability & Priority Dates
  5. When to File Your Adjustment of Status Application for Family-Sponsored or Employment-Based Preference Visas: September 2019

When to File Your Adjustment of Status Application for Family-Sponsored or Employment-Based Preference Visas: September 2019

Are you seeking to adjust your status and become a U.S. permanent resident under a family-sponsored or employment-based preference immigrant visa? If you have not yet had a relative or employer file an immigrant visa petition on your behalf, please learn more about the Adjustment of Status Filing Process. If you already have a petition filed or approved on your behalf, you may have to wait for an available visa in your category (if applicable) before you can file your Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. This page will help you determine when to file your adjustment of status application.

When to File

Use the Visa Bulletin charts below to determine when to file your adjustment of status application.

To use the charts:

  1. Find your visa type in the first column (on the left) of the appropriate chart (Family-sponsored or Employment-based).
  2. Stay in that row and move directly to the right to find the corresponding date under the country of your birth (as listed in the boldface columns across the top).
  3. If the date on the chart is current (“C”), or your priority date is earlier than the date on the chart, you may file your adjustment of status application, if otherwise eligible to do so.
  4.  “U” means unauthorized; for example, numbers are not authorized for issuance.

Your priority date is generally the date when your relative or employer properly filed the immigrant visa petition on your behalf with USCIS. If a labor certification is required to be filed with your immigrant visa petition, the priority date is the date the labor certification application was accepted for processing by the Department of Labor.

September 2019

Final Action Dates for Filing for F2A Family-Sponsored Adjustment of Status Applications:

 Family-
 Sponsored

 All Chargeability
 Areas Except
 Those Listed

CHINA-
mainland
born

INDIA

MEXICO

PHILIPPINES

F2A

C

C

C

C

C

Dates for Filing for Family-Sponsored Adjustment of Status Applications:

 Family-
 Sponsored

 All Chargeability
 Areas Except
 Those Listed

CHINA-
mainland
born

INDIA

MEXICO

PHILIPPINES

F1

01MAY13

01MAY13

01MAY13

08NOV99

01DEC08

F2B

15OCT14

15OCT14

15OCT14

01MAR99

01FEB09

F3

22JAN08

22JAN08

22JAN08

15JUL00

01AUG98

F4

08MAR07

08MAR07

22MAY05

22DEC98

01JAN99

Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Adjustment of Status Applications:

Employment- Based

All Chargeability
Areas Except
Those Listed

CHINA-
mainland
born

El SALVADOR
GUATEMALA
HONDURAS

INDIA

MEXICO

PHILIPPINES

VIETNAM

1st

01OCT17

01JAN14

01OCT17

U

01OCT17

01OCT17

01OCT17

2nd

01JAN18

01JAN17

01JAN18

08MAY09

01JAN18

01JAN18

01JAN18

3rd

01JUL16

01JAN14

01JUL16

01JUL05

01JUL16

01JUL16

01JUL16

Other Workers

01JUL16

22NOV07

01JUL16

01JUL05

01JUL16

01JUL16

01JUL16

4th

U

U

U

U

U

U

U

Certain Religious Workers

U

U

U

U

U

U

U

5th
Non-Regional
Center
(C5 and T5)

C

22OCT14

C

01SEP17

C

C

22OCT14

5th
Regional
Center
(I5 and R5)

C

22OCT14

C

01SEP17

C

C

22OCT14

 

About the Visa Bulletin

DOS publishes current immigrant visa availability information in a monthly Visa Bulletin. The Visa Bulletin indicates when statutorily limited visas are available for issuance to prospective immigrants based on their individual priority date.

On Nov. 20, 2014, the Secretary of Homeland Security directed USCIS to work with DOS to:

  • Ensure that all immigrant visas authorized by Congress are issued to eligible individuals when there is sufficient demand for such visas, and
  • Improve the Visa Bulletin system for determining when immigrant visas are available to applicants during the fiscal year.

Additionally, in July 2015, the Administration issued its report on Modernizing and Streamlining Our Legal Immigration System for the 21st Century (PDF). This report included detailed recommendations to revise and update the monthly Visa Bulletin to better estimate immigrant visa availability and provide needed predictability to nonimmigrant workers seeking permanent residency.

USCIS, in coordination with DOS, revised the procedures for determining visa availability for applicants waiting to file for adjustment of status. The revised process will better align with procedures DOS uses for aliens who seek to become U.S. permanent residents by applying for immigrant visas at U.S. consulates and embassies abroad.

This revised process will enhance DOS’s ability to more accurately predict overall immigrant visa demand in determining the cut-off dates for the Visa Bulletin. This will help ensure that the maximum number of immigrant visas are issued annually as intended by Congress, and minimize month-to-month fluctuations in Visa Bulletin final action dates. Additional goals are outlined in the White House report, Modernizing and Streamlining Our Legal Immigration System for the 21st Century (PDF).

New Visa Bulletin Charts

The Visa Bulletin will now have two different charts because of the revised procedures. DOS will post two charts per visa preference category in the DOS Visa Bulletin. The charts are:

  • Application Final Action Dates (dates when visas may finally be issued); and
  • Dates for Filing Applications (earliest dates when applicants may be able to apply).

When USCIS determines there are immigrant visas available for the filing of additional adjustment of status applications, the Dates for Filing Applications chart may be used to determine when to file an adjustment of status application with USCIS. Otherwise, the Application Final Action Dates chart must be used to determine when to file an adjustment of status application with USCIS.

In coordination with the DOS, USCIS will monitor visa numbers each month and post the relevant chart on this page under When to File.

Determining Visa Availability

USCIS considers several factors to determine if there is a greater supply of visas than the demand for those visas. To determine visa availability, USCIS will compare the number of visas available for the remainder of the fiscal year with:

  • Documentarily qualified visa applications reported by DOS;
  • Pending adjustment of status applications reported by USCIS; and
  • Historical drop off rate of applicants for adjustment of status (for example, denials, withdrawals and abandonments)

 

Last Reviewed/Updated:
08/15/2019
Was this page helpful?
0 / 2000
To protect your privacy, please do not include any personal information in your feedback. Review our Privacy Policy.
Return to top
  • Topics
  • Forms
  • Newsroom
  • Citizenship
  • Green Card
  • Laws
  • Tools
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Seal, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
LinkedIn
Email
Contact USCIS
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Seal

USCIS.gov

An official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Important links
  • About USCIS
  • Accessibility
  • Budget and Performance
  • DHS Components
  • Freedom of Information Act
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Privacy and Legal Disclaimers
  • Site Map
  • Office of the Inspector General
  • The White House
  • USA.gov
Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov