When it comes to family-based immigration, one of the most confusing parts of the process is figuring out when you can actually submit your Adjustment of Status (Form I-485). Many applicants rely on the Department of State’s Visa Bulletin, but the USCIS adds an extra step: deciding which chart you are allowed to use each month.
Each Visa Bulletin has two charts for family categories:
- Dates for Filing Chart: shows the earliest dates when you can submit your application.
- Final Action Dates Chart: shows when visas are actually available and can be approved.
Think of it this way:
- Dates for Filing = the “pre-boarding line.”
- Final Action = when your seat is ready, and you can actually fly.
Every month, the USCIS reviews visa demand and announces whether family-based applicants should use the Dates for Filing or the Final Action Dates chart for their Adjustment of Status.
This announcement is published on the USCIS website (under “Adjustment of Status Filing Charts”).
For example, some months, USCIS allows family applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart, which is usually more favorable (earlier dates). Other months, they require everyone to use the Final Action chart, which means waiting longer.
If you file too early (using the wrong chart), your case may be rejected or simply not processed until your date becomes current. That can waste time, money, and cause stress.
By checking the USCIS chart announcement every single month, you’ll know:
- Whether you can go ahead and file now, or
- Whether you need to hold off a little longer.
Understanding which chart applies isn’t just a technical detail—it’s the key to timing your Adjustment of Status correctly. By following USCIS’s monthly updates, you can save yourself months (or even years) of unnecessary waiting.
Just to let you know, this information applies to Family Preference Categories; beneficiaries under Immediate Relative Categories do not need to follow the Visa Bulletin, because they are not subject to the visa cap.
Click here to access The Visa Bulletin webpage: The Visa Bulletin Page
