Immigration FAQ

Final Action Dates show when a visa number can actually be issued or a green card approved. Dates for Filing show the earlier point at which applicants may submit documents to the National Visa Center. USCIS decides each month which chart adjustment of status applicants must use.

USCIS announces the designated chart each month on its Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page, separately for family-sponsored and employment-based cases. Our Visa Bulletin section reports that announcement when available. The USCIS designation determines which chart applies to adjustment filings.

Shown as C in the official bulletin. Visa numbers are available to every qualified applicant in that category, regardless of priority date.

Shown as U in the official bulletin. No visa numbers are authorized for that category in that month, usually because the annual or per-country limit has been reached.

It is the date your petition was filed, or for most EB-2 and EB-3 cases the date the labor certification was submitted to the Department of Labor. It appears on the I-797 approval notice for the I-130 or I-140.

That is how the State Department defines the cutoff. Numbers are authorized only for applicants whose priority date is earlier than the date listed. A priority date that matches the listed date is not yet reached.

A cutoff date moving backward from one month to the next. It happens when more applicants have been reported than there are numbers left in the fiscal year for that category and country.

The fiscal year runs from 1 October to 30 September. Early in the year dates often advance to generate demand; later in the year they slow or retrogress so that issuances stay within the annual limits.

Chargeability is the country against which a visa number is counted, normally the applicant's country of birth. Specified exceptions can permit use of a spouse's or parent's birth country. The applicable exception depends on the family relationships and circumstances.

Demand from those countries exceeds the per-country limit, so the State Department publishes separate cutoff dates for them. All other countries share the All Other column.

No. It only compares the date you enter with the published bulletin data for the category and country you select. Filing rules depend on the chart USCIS designates, your status, and other factors it cannot assess.

No. We publish the official figures and describe what changed. We do not forecast where dates will go.

Adjustment of status is applying for a green card from inside the United States through USCIS. Consular processing is applying for an immigrant visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad through the State Department.

USCIS, part of the Department of Homeland Security, decides petitions and applications filed inside the United States. The State Department runs consulates abroad and publishes the Visa Bulletin.

An agency publishes a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register, accepts public comment, then publishes a final rule with an effective date. Courts can pause or strike down a rule, which is why we cover both rulemaking and litigation.

A preliminary injunction temporarily restricts enforcement within the court order's scope while litigation continues. Its coverage can be nationwide or limited to particular parties or classes, and later court action can change it. Our coverage identifies the scope stated in the relevant order.

USCIS publishes processing times by form and office on its website, and the State Department publishes visa wait times by consulate. Our coverage explains how to read those figures, but the official pages are the source.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association directory, state bar referral services, and the Department of Justice list of recognized organizations and accredited representatives are the standard starting points. We do not recommend individual practitioners.

A visa is the document a U.S. consulate issues abroad. It lets you travel to a port of entry and ask to be admitted. Your status is what you hold once you are inside the country, and the length of your permitted stay is set by the officer at admission and recorded on your I-94 record, not by the visa's expiration date. That is why a visa can expire while an authorized stay continues, and why the two dates often differ.

Use the Case Status Online tool on uscis.gov with the 13-character receipt number printed on your USCIS notice. It is three letters followed by ten numbers, entered without dashes. The tool shows the last action taken on the case. We cannot interpret what a status means for an individual case.

A notice from USCIS saying it needs more documents or information before it can decide a case. It is not a decision on the case. The notice lists what is missing and the deadline for responding, and USCIS continues reviewing once the response arrives. Our glossary has a short entry on the Request for Evidence.

Premium processing is an optional USCIS service, requested for a fee on Form I-907, that commits USCIS to act on an eligible case within a set number of business days. Acting means issuing an approval, a denial, a notice of intent to deny, or a request for evidence, so it does not guarantee approval. It is available only for benefit requests USCIS has designated, and the Form I-907 instructions point to the official page for current fees and timeframes.

Most noncitizens in the United States must report a change of address to USCIS within 10 days of moving, using Form AR-11, which has no filing fee. Filing it online updates the pending cases you list on the form. Changing your address with the Postal Service does not change it with USCIS. Whether an exception applies to a particular person is a question for an attorney or accredited representative.

Most green cards are valid for 10 years. A conditional green card, issued for example when a marriage-based approval comes less than two years into the marriage, is valid for two years. Its holder generally must file a petition to remove the conditions during the 90 days before the card expires, and Form I-90 is not used to renew it. Our glossary explains conditional permanent resident status.

Anyone can submit a public comment on a proposed rule through Regulations.gov, or by mail when the notice says so. Search by the docket number or title shown in the Federal Register notice, and check the deadline listed there, since comment periods are commonly 30 or 60 days. Comments are generally public, and late comments may not be considered.

Only licensed attorneys and accredited representatives authorized by the government can give immigration legal advice. In the United States a notario or notary public is not one of them. Official USCIS forms are free, so be wary of anyone charging for the form itself, and do not sign blank forms or let anyone keep your original documents, as the FTC guidance advises. You can report scams to USCIS and the FTC.

Immigrant visas are issued to people who intend to live permanently in the United States. Nonimmigrant visas are for temporary stays such as tourism, business, medical treatment, temporary work or study, according to CBP. A person entering on an immigrant visa becomes a lawful permanent resident once a CBP officer reviews and endorses the visa and paperwork at the port of entry. Our Visa Library groups both kinds by theme.

An Employment Authorization Document, often called a work permit, is a card USCIS issues as proof that a noncitizen may work in the United States. It is requested on Form I-765 and does not grant an immigration status. Some people must apply for one to be allowed to work, such as certain applicants with a pending green card application, while others, including green card holders, do not, as USCIS explains. Our glossary has an entry on the EAD.

A green card shows lawful permanent resident status, which lets a person live and work in the United States. Citizenship adds rights: only citizens can vote in federal elections, serve on a federal jury and travel on a U.S. passport, and citizens generally get priority when petitioning for relatives, as a USCIS guide notes. Becoming a citizen through naturalization is optional. Our glossary explains naturalization.