Visa Bulletin priority date checker
Compare your priority date against a published Visa Bulletin cutoff and see whether the date itself is blocking you.
How to use this tool
Priority date checker
Select your preference category (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, or Family-based), your country of chargeability, and which Visa Bulletin chart applies — Final Action Dates or Dates for Filing. Enter your priority date and the published cutoff date. The tool shows whether your date is current against that cutoff.
Visa Bulletin helper
Priority date checker
Plug in your own priority date and compare it with the published cutoff you are looking at. It is a fast way to see whether the date itself is blocking you.
Keep in mind
USCIS decides each month whether adjustment filings use Final Action Dates or Dates for Filing. This tool helps with the math, not the monthly policy call.
Result
Enter your priority date and the published cutoff to compare them.
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Free tools for the first pass. Haven for the full decision workflow.
The public tools help with immediate calculations and document prep. The full app adds a personalized timeline, crisis planning, and guidance organized around your own case.
FAQ
Common questions about this tool.
- What is a priority date in U.S. immigration?
- A priority date is the date USCIS received your immigrant visa petition — or, for employment-based PERM cases, the date DOL received the labor certification application. It marks your place in the immigrant visa queue for your category and country.
- What is the difference between Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing?
- Final Action Dates show when a visa number is actually available to use. Dates for Filing (when published by USCIS) allow applicants to submit an I-485 adjustment of status application earlier — but a visa number must still be available before USCIS can approve the case.
- Why does my country of birth affect my priority date cutoff?
- Immigrant visa numbers are allocated per country of birth, not citizenship. Countries with historically high demand — India, China, Mexico, and the Philippines — have longer queues and earlier cutoff dates than other countries.
- How often does the Visa Bulletin change?
- USCIS publishes a new Visa Bulletin monthly. Cutoff dates typically advance each month, but significant retrogressions — where dates move backward — occasionally happen. Always check the most current bulletin before making filing decisions.
Tools for the first pass. Haven for the full decision workflow.
The public tools handle immediate calculations. The full app adds a personalized timeline, layoff planning, and guidance organized around your actual case.
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