Employment Green Card

EB-2 Priority Date: Read the Visa Bulletin (2026)

Step-by-step: find your EB-2 priority date on I-797C, locate it in the Visa Bulletin, and read Final Action vs Dates for Filing each month.

By Martha Benavides · May 16, 2026 · 7 min read

📋 Informational · Not legal advice

Bulletins change monthly. Always rely on the official bulletin and USCIS chart selection pages. MBO Immigration LLC helps with document prep—not legal advice about when you may file.

If you’re in EB-2, your green card timeline has two different clocks:

USCIS processing for your I-140 (and often I-485 if you’re adjusting in the U.S.)
Visa availability governed by the Department of State Visa Bulletin—especially for backlogged countries (notably India and China)

This guide is the employment-based counterpart to reading charts like a practitioner: precise, boring, and useful.

Step 1: Confirm your priority date

Your priority date is usually the date the qualifying petition was filed (PERM / ETA date for many employer cases; I-140 receipt date for NIW in many scenarios—confirm your notice).

Find it on your I-797C receipt/approval notices and keep a PDF—you’ll reference it monthly.

Step 2: Identify your “chargeability” country

For bulletin tables, you mostly care about country of birth (commonly labeled “chargeability area”), not current citizenship.

Step 3: Open the official bulletin

Use the Department of State publication:

Visa Bulletin (official)

Click the current month PDF/HTML version you prefer.

Step 4: Find the right employment-based section

Locate the employment-based chart(s) for your category—EB-2 (often labeled “2nd”).

Do not accidentally read the family-based chart.

Step 5: Final Action Dates vs Dates for Filing

Each monthly bulletin typically includes:

Final Action Date chart (often called “Chart A” in USCIS guidance)
Dates for Filing chart (“Chart B”)

Important: USCIS decides which chart I-485 filers may use each month for employment-based cases.

Check USCIS after the bulletin posts:

USCIS Visa Availability and Priority Dates

If USCIS says you may use Chart B for filing, you might be able to file I-485 earlier—but eligibility rules still apply.

Step 6: “Current” means what it says

If your row shows “C” (current), visa numbers are available for that category/country for that chart—subject to USCIS filing rules that month.

If a date is listed, your priority date must be on or before that bulletin date to be “current” for that chart.

Step 7: Retrogression happens

Dates can move backwards month-to-month. If you’re eligible to file, filing sooner rather than later can matter—discuss strategy with counsel.

A worked example: reading EB-2 for a Brazilian-born applicant in 2026

Suppose you were born in Brazil, are working in California on an H-1B, and just received I-140 NIW approval with a priority date of October 15, 2025.

Find the most recent Visa Bulletin for the upcoming month.
Open the Employment-Based Final Action Dates chart.
Look at the EB-2 row, then the column for your chargeability area — Brazil falls under “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed” since Brazil is not specifically listed in the bulletin.
If “All Chargeability” shows C (current), you’re eligible to file I-485 right now.
Then check the Dates for Filing chart in the same bulletin.
Visit the USCIS Visa Availability page for the same month — USCIS announces which chart you may use for I-485 in that month.
If USCIS authorizes the Dates for Filing chart and your country/category is current there, you may be able to file I-485 earlier — sometimes by months.

For most non-India / non-China-born applicants in 2026, EB-2 is current or close to current — so concurrent I-140 + I-485 filing (or fast follow-up I-485) is realistic.

A worked example: reading EB-2 for an India-born applicant in 2026

Suppose you were born in India, currently on H-1B, with an I-140 NIW priority date of April 1, 2014.

Open the same bulletin and look at the EB-2 row, India column — typically a date like “December 2012” or “January 2013” in 2026.
Your priority date (April 2014) is after the bulletin date — you’re not current yet.
You cannot file I-485 yet. You can, however, maintain H-1B beyond the 6-year cap under AC21 because your I-140 is approved.
Track the bulletin monthly. Some months the date moves forward, some it stays, occasionally it retrogresses.
Once your priority date becomes current — either on the Final Action chart or the Dates for Filing chart (with USCIS authorization) — file I-485 the same bulletin cycle if possible.

This is why I-140 portability and EB-1A consideration matter for India-born applicants.

Common mistakes when reading the bulletin

Reading the family-based table by accident. Family categories (F1, F2A, F2B, F3, F4) and employment categories (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3) are in separate sections.
Confusing country of citizenship with country of birth. Use birth, with limited exceptions (cross-chargeability for spouses).
Filing I-485 before USCIS authorizes the Dates for Filing chart for that month — even if Chart B looks favorable.
Misreading “U” (unauthorized) as “current.” If a row shows U, no visa is available that month for that category.
Forgetting to check the bulletin every month. Dates change. Set a calendar reminder for the 15th of each month when bulletins are typically issued.

What “concurrent filing” means and why it matters

If your category is current when you’re ready to file the I-140:

File I-140 + I-485 + I-765 (work permit) + I-131 (advance parole) in the same package.
USCIS works the I-140 first, then the I-485.
You typically receive an EAD (work permit) in 4–8 months and advance parole around the same time.
This decouples you from your H-1B / O-1 employer for work authorization purposes (with the appropriate strategy — talk to your attorney before quitting anything).

For India / China born applicants, concurrent filing isn’t possible until your priority date is current — sometimes years.

Tools to track your priority date

Department of State Visa Bulletin — official source.
USCIS Visa Availability and Priority Dates — which chart applies for I-485 each month.
USCIS Case Status — your specific receipt status.
Set a recurring 15th-of-the-month calendar event titled “Check Visa Bulletin (EB-2 + my country).”

How MBO Immigration fits in

Through our partner attorney program, we offer end-to-end EB-2 / NIW representation:

Licensed partner immigration attorneys draft the I-140 / NIW petition letter.
We track your priority date monthly and tell you the moment you can file I-485.
We prepare the I-485 packet cleanly.
We handle translations, credential evaluation, indexing, and checklist discipline.
We coordinate I-864 support for family members when applicable.
One bilingual point of contact through approval.

Get a free quote →

Legal notice: MBO Immigration LLC is a document preparation service, not a law firm.