EB Priority Date History

Y-axis shows months of backlog between the bulletin date and priority date cutoff. Higher = longer wait. "Current" (0) means no backlog — I-485 can be filed immediately. Breaks indicate unavailable (U) months.

How to read this chart

• The U.S. Dept of State publishes a Visa Bulletin each month listing which priority dates are "current" for each EB category and country of birth.
• FAD (Final Action Date) is the cutoff for I-485 approval — your priority date must be before this date for your green card to be approved.
• DOF (Date of Filing) is a separate (usually earlier) cutoff that lets you file Form I-485 before the FAD advances — locking in work authorization (EAD) and travel (Advance Parole) while waiting.
• A spike upward means retrogression — the cutoff moved backward, extending the queue. This happens when too many visas are used in a given month.
• Countries with separate queues (India, China, Mexico, Philippines) track independently from "Rest of World."