Green Card Calculator: Check Your Priority Date & Wait Time
Green Card Priority Date Calculator
Enter your category, country and priority date. The calculator checks both Visa Bulletin charts, measures how far each cutoff has to move, and totals your Form I-485 filing fees.
The cutoff has to move 13 months (1.1 years) to reach your date.
Controls when USCIS or a consulate can approve your green card.
Your date is 1 month ahead of the cutoff.
Controls when you can submit Form I-485 or DS-260.
Forecast your approval year
Cutoffs move at an uneven pace and sometimes go backward. Set the pace you expect; the result is a projection from that assumption, not a State Department prediction.
At 6 months of movement per year, the cutoff covers your date in about 2.2 years (26 months), near December 2028.
Form I-485 fee estimate
USCIS fees only. The I-693 medical exam is paid to the civil surgeon. Confirm amounts on Form G-1055 before filing.
| Category | All other countries | China | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family-sponsored | |||||
| F1 | 22JAN20 | 22JAN20 | 22JAN20 | 08SEP08 | 01NOV13 |
| F2A | 22SEP26 | 22SEP26 | 22SEP26 | 22MAR26 | 22SEP26 |
| F2B | 22AUG19 | 22AUG19 | 22AUG19 | 15MAY10 | 01OCT13 |
| F3 | 22OCT14 | 22OCT14 | 22OCT14 | 01JUL01 | 22JUL06 |
| F4 | 22OCT11 | 22OCT11 | 15DEC06 | 22APR01 | 15MAY08 |
| Employment-based | |||||
| EB-1 | C | 01JUL23 | 01FEB23 | C | C |
| EB-2 | 01JAN25 | 01OCT21 | 01NOV13 | 01JAN25 | 01JAN25 |
| EB-3 | 15MAY24 | 08JAN22 | 01JAN14 | 15MAY24 | 15AUG23 |
| EB-3 Other workers | 01JAN22 | 01OCT19 | 01JAN14 | 01JAN22 | 01JAN22 |
| EB-4 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 |
| Religious workers | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 |
| EB-5 Unreserved | C | 01DEC16 | 01DEC23 | C | C |
| EB-5 Rural | C | C | C | C | C |
| EB-5 High unemployment | C | C | C | C | C |
| EB-5 Infrastructure | C | C | C | C | C |
C means current, with no backlog. A date such as 01NOV13 means your priority date must fall earlier than November 1, 2013. Your selected cell is highlighted.
A green card calculator compares your priority date with the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletin cutoff for your category and country, then shows whether you can file or get approved now. Your date is current if it falls earlier than that cutoff. Under the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, the first bulletin of fiscal year (FY) 2027, an India EB-2 applicant needs a priority date before November 1, 2013 for approval. That’s a line roughly 13 years (156 months) long. Enter 3 details in the calculator above to see where you stand.
How to Use the Green Card Calculator
To use the green card calculator, enter 3 case details and read the 2 results it returns.
- Select your preference category, such as EB-2 or F4.
- Select your country of chargeability, which is usually your country of birth.
- Enter your priority date from your Form I-797 approval notice.
- Compare the 2 results: Final Action status and Dates for Filing status.
Behind the form, the tool works as a priority date calculator and a visa bulletin calculator in one pass. Both charts get checked. Two applicants with the same 2014 date can still get opposite answers, since India, China, Mexico and the Philippines each carry a cutoff separate from Rest of World.
How Do You Calculate Priority Date Status?
To calculate priority date status, match your date against this month’s cutoff for your exact category and country. The rule is strict. A January 15, 2015 cutoff covers a priority date of January 14, 2015, but it doesn’t cover January 15 itself, because your date has to fall earlier than the listed day.
Where Is Your GC Priority Date?
Your GC priority date is printed on your Form I-130 or Form I-140 notice from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). For PERM cases, it’s the day the Department of Labor (DOL) received your labor certification. Family petitions use the date USCIS received the I-130. That date stays fixed for the life of the case.
Final Action Dates vs. Dates for Filing
Final Action Dates control when USCIS can approve your green card, and Dates for Filing control when you can submit Form I-485.
| Chart | What it controls | Who relies on it | October 2026 use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final Action Dates | Green card approval | USCIS and U.S. consulates | Governs every approval |
| Dates for Filing | I-485 or DS-260 submission | Applicants filing early | Accepted by USCIS for October 2026 I-485 filings |
Each month, USCIS announces which chart applies to adjustment filings. For October 2026, it picked Dates for Filing in both family-sponsored and employment-based categories. That’s good news. Filing early lets you request a work permit and a travel document while the approval itself waits.
October 2026 Employment-Based Cutoff Dates
These are the October 2026 cutoffs a green card priority date calculator should use for the 3 most searched employment categories, with every category in the chart above.
| Category and chart | India | China | Rest of World |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 Final Action | Feb 1, 2023 | Jul 1, 2023 | Current |
| EB-2 Final Action | Nov 1, 2013 | Oct 1, 2021 | Jan 1, 2025 |
| EB-2 Dates for Filing | Jan 15, 2015 | Jan 1, 2023 | Mar 15, 2026 |
| EB-3 Final Action | Jan 1, 2014 | Jan 8, 2022 | May 15, 2024 |
| EB-3 Dates for Filing | Jan 15, 2015 | Apr 1, 2024 | Aug 1, 2024 |
Rest of World EB-2 Final Action slid back 1 year and 9 months (21 months), landing on January 1, 2025, and Mexico and the Philippines share that date. India EB-2 had been unavailable since July 2026. All 3 EB-5 set-aside categories stay current for every country.
Worked Example: EB-2 India With a December 1, 2014 Priority Date
This applicant can file Form I-485 in October 2026 but can’t be approved yet. December 1, 2014 sits before the January 15, 2015 filing cutoff. It sits after the November 1, 2013 Final Action cutoff, though, so approval waits until that date moves past December 2014, a gap of 13 months (just over 1 year).
Here’s the movement so far. In June 2026, the Final Action Date stood at September 1, 2013, and it reopened in October at November 1, 2013, a 2-month gain across 4 bulletins. Meanwhile, a pending I-485 supports Form I-765 for work and Form I-131 for travel.
Why Is the Green Card Wait So Long?
The wait is long because Congress fixes the annual visa supply and caps every country at 7% of the combined preference total. Family-sponsored categories receive at least 226,000 visas a year, while employment-based categories receive about 140,000. EB-2 gets 28.6% of that employment total.
Demand from India and China far outpaces a 7% share. So their lines stretch for years. Spillover softens this a little. Unused EB-1 numbers fall to EB-2, and unused family numbers move into the next year’s employment pool.
How Accurate Is a Green Card Prediction Calculator?
A green card prediction calculator gives an estimate, not a guarantee, because DOS resets cutoffs every month based on demand. Any green card forecast calculator projects from past movement. Retrogression breaks those projections fast, and October 2026 proved it when Rest of World EB-2 dropped 21 months in a single bulletin.
For a sharper read, pair the forecast with USCIS pending I-485 inventory data, which counts how many applicants with earlier dates sit ahead of you. Then recheck monthly. DOS typically posts the next bulletin in the middle of the prior month.
What Is the Filing Fee for I-485?
The filing fee for I-485 is $1,440 for applicants 14 and older, with biometrics included.
| Form | Purpose | USCIS fee |
|---|---|---|
| I-485, age 14 and older | Adjustment of status | $1,440 |
| I-485, under 14 filing with a parent | Adjustment of status | $950 |
| I-765, filed with I-485 | Work permit | $260 |
| I-131, filed with I-485 | Advance parole | $630 |
| I-693 | Medical exam | No USCIS fee (civil surgeon charges separately) |
| Total for 1 adult (I-485 + I-765 + I-131) | $2,330 |
Since December 2, 2024, USCIS has required the I-693 medical exam to arrive with the I-485 for applicants who need one. Confirm every amount on Form G-1055, the USCIS fee schedule, before you mail anything, because a wrong payment gets the whole package rejected.
4 Factors That Change Your Calculated Wait
Your calculated wait shifts when one of these 4 factors applies to your case.
- Cross-chargeability: Claim your spouse’s birth country when it carries a shorter backlog.
- Priority date retention: Keep the date from an approved I-140 when a new employer files another I-140.
- Category downgrade: Refile from EB-2 to EB-3 when the EB-3 cutoff is later; India EB-3 Final Action (January 1, 2014) currently runs 2 months ahead of EB-2.
- Child Status Protection Act (CSPA): Protect a child from aging out at 21 by subtracting the time a petition sat pending.
Each one changes the inputs, so run the green card calculator again after any of them applies.
When Should You File Once Your Date Is Current?
File in the same month your date becomes current under the chart USCIS accepts, because the next bulletin can retrogress. Applicants inside the United States file Form I-485, while those abroad move through the National Visa Center (NVC) and submit Form DS-260.
- Check the USCIS adjustment of status filing charts page for the month.
- Book an I-693 medical exam with a USCIS-designated civil surgeon.
- Gather your I-140 or I-130 approval notice and civil documents.
- File Form I-485 with Form I-765 and Form I-131 in one package.
How This Green Card Calculator Gets Its Data
Every result comes from official DOS and USCIS publications, led by the October 2026 Visa Bulletin. Cutoffs reflect the October 2026 bulletin, checked October 15, 2026. A green card calculator priority date result is general information, not legal advice; complex histories, such as a prior removal order, need an attorney’s review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my priority date current if it matches the cutoff date exactly?
No. The bulletin requires a date earlier than the listed cutoff, so a priority date of November 1, 2013 doesn’t qualify against a November 1, 2013 cutoff. You’d qualify with October 31, 2013 or earlier.
How often does the Visa Bulletin change?
Every month. The State Department typically publishes it mid-month for the following month, and any cutoff can move forward or backward. Checking once a month keeps your estimate current.
Can I file Form I-485 before my Final Action Date is reached?
Yes. USCIS accepts filings under the Dates for Filing chart in months it announces that chart, as it did for October 2026. Approval still waits for the Final Action Date.
Does changing employers reset my priority date?
No. An approved I-140 lets you carry its priority date to a new employer’s petition in most cases. USCIS removes that benefit only when it revokes the original approval for fraud or error.
Does the calculator work for family-based green cards?
Yes. It covers F1, F2A, F2B, F3 and F4 preference cases. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, such as a spouse or a parent, face no Visa Bulletin cutoff at all.
Data: U.S. Department of State, Visa Bulletin for October 2026; USCIS Adjustment of Status Filing Charts; USCIS Form G-1055 fee schedule. Checked October 15, 2026.
General information, not legal advice. Cases with prior removal orders, status violations or age-out questions under the Child Status Protection Act need an immigration attorney’s review.
Michael Reynolds
Michael Reynolds leads immigration content at ImmigrationWin, covering visa requirements, application and relocation pathways. He researches immigration policies and official government guidance to explain changing rules clearly. His guides help students, families, and professionals make informed decisions about moving abroad.
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