Understanding Green Card Priority Dates: What Every Applicant Should Know
Key Points to Know
- The green card priority date establishes your position in the immigrant visa waiting line.
- If you are an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, your category is always current—meaning there is no waiting period.
- Applicants from high-demand countries such as India, Mexico, China, and the Philippines may experience longer backlogs due to the 7% annual per-country cap.
- Staying aware of your priority date helps you plan ahead and know when you can move forward with your green card process.
For many families, the I-130 priority date can be confusing. Put simply, it marks your “place in line” for a family-based green card. USCIS assigns this date once your I-130 Petition for Alien Relative is received. To know when you can take the next step, you must compare your priority date with the Final Action Dates listed in the U.S. Department of State’s monthly Visa Bulletin.
This explains why some cases move forward quickly while others take years. Understanding priority dates ensures you know exactly how they affect your timeline.
What Is the I-130 Priority Date?
When you submit Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative), USCIS assigns a priority date. This date, printed on your Form I-797 Notice of Action, determines your position in the queue for a family-based green card.
Priority dates only apply to certain family preference categories with limited annual visa numbers, including:
- Unmarried adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens
- Spouses and minor children (under 21) of lawful permanent residents
- Unmarried adult sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents
- Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens
- Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens
⚠️ Important: If you are an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen (spouse, unmarried child under 21, or parent), you do not need to wait for your priority date to become current. This category is always current.
What Does It Mean for a Priority Date to Be “Current”?
Your priority date must be current before you can move forward with either:
- Consular processing (for applicants abroad), or
- Adjustment of status (for applicants already in the U.S.).
“Current” means that a visa number is immediately available, either because your turn in line has arrived or because there is no backlog in your category. Sometimes, entire categories may become current if demand is low.
To determine if your date is current, you must:
- Check your priority date on your I-797 Notice of Action.
- Review the monthly Visa Bulletin issued by the State Department.
- Locate your family preference category (F1, F2, F3, or F4) and your country of chargeability.
- Compare the Final Action Date in the bulletin with your own priority date.
- If the date in the bulletin is the same or later than your priority date, your case can move forward.
Example:
Ana, the unmarried daughter of a U.S. citizen, falls under the F1 visa category. Her father filed an I-130 for her, giving her a priority date of May 1, 2015.
Ten years later, she checks the Visa Bulletin and sees that the Final Action Date for her category is May 20, 2015. Since the bulletin date has passed her priority date, her case is now
current, and she may proceed with the National Visa Center (NVC) for her green card processing.
How to Check Your Priority Date on the Visa Bulletin
The Visa Bulletin includes a section titled “Family-Sponsored Preferences”. This table lists the Final Action Dates for each preference category and country.
- If the date in your preference category is later than your assigned priority date, your case is current.
- At that point, you may file for adjustment of status (if in the U.S.) or proceed with immigrant visa processing through a U.S. consulate abroad.
Family-Based Green Cards: Categories, Processing Times, and Priority Dates
Two Main Types of Family-Based Green Cards
When applying for a family-based green card, applicants generally fall into one of two categories:
Immediate Relatives – This group includes spouses, unmarried minor children, and parents of U.S. citizens.
Family Preference – This category includes spouses and children of lawful permanent residents, unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens or green card holders, married children of U.S. citizens, and siblings of U.S. citizens.
Immediate relatives benefit from significantly shorter processing times. This is because there is no annual cap on visas for this category. As long as the applicant is deemed admissible and the I-130 petition filed by the U.S. citizen sponsor is approved, immigrant visas are always available.
On the other hand, family preference applicants face annual numerical limits. When demand exceeds the number of available visas, a backlog forms, and applicants must wait in line for their turn.
The preference categories are:
- First Preference (F1): Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years and older) of U.S. citizens.
- Second Preference (F2A): Spouses and unmarried children under 21 of lawful permanent residents.
- Second Preference (F2B): Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years and older) of lawful permanent residents.
- Third Preference (F3): Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.
- Fourth Preference (F4): Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens (where the U.S. citizen is 21 or older).
It is important to note that sibling applications (F4) face the longest wait times, as they are the lowest priority among the categories.
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Why Processing Times Differ in Family Preference Categories
Applicants often wonder why two individuals in the same category who filed petitions at the same time receive their green cards at vastly different times. In some cases, the difference can span several years—or even decades.
This discrepancy occurs primarily because:
- Each subcategory has a specific visa quota.
- Country of origin affects wait times due to annual limits.
Every year, the U.S. allocates 366,000 green cards across family-based and employment-based categories. Of this total, 226,000 are reserved for family-based applicants while 140,000 are reserved for employment-based categories.
The family-based quota is further divided as follows:
- F1: 23,400
- F2: 114,200 (subdivided into F2A – 87,934 and F2B – 26,266)
- F3: 23,400
- F4: 65,000
This means applicants in subcategories with higher quotas—such as F2A—usually experience shorter wait times compared to applicants in categories with smaller quotas.
👉 Example: Spouses and children of green card holders under F2A often wait significantly less time than siblings of U.S. citizens under F4.
Wait Times Based on Country of Origin
In addition to the numerical caps, Congress has imposed a 7% per-country limit for each category. This rule ensures that no single country accounts for more than 7% of the visas issued annually.
As a result, individuals from countries with high demand for U.S. green cards—such as India, Mexico, and China—face much longer wait times. These countries consistently exceed their annual 7% allocation, creating decades-long backlogs in certain categories.
In contrast, applicants from many European and African nations often experience shorter wait times since the demand from those regions rarely reaches the annual cap.
Family-Based Green Card Priority Dates: India, China, and Mexico
The Visa Bulletin provides monthly updates on which priority dates are currently being processed. For high-demand countries, the wait can be decades.
For example, according to the August 2025 Visa Bulletin in the F4 category (siblings of U.S. citizens):
- Mexico: Processing applications filed April 30, 2001 – wait time of over 24 years.
- India: Processing applications filed December 1, 2006 – wait time of nearly 19 years.
- China (and most other countries): Processing applications filed January 1, 2009 – wait time of more than 16 years.
This illustrates how the per-country quota rule drastically impacts applicants from countries with large populations and high immigration demand.
Why Priority Dates Are Crucial
Your priority date—the date USCIS receives your I-130 petition—determines your place in line. By comparing your priority date to the Visa Bulletin cutoff dates, you can estimate how long you may need to wait.
Monitoring the Visa Bulletin closely ensures you are prepared to act as soon as your date becomes current. This allows you to gather documentation and be ready to file the next stage of your application without delays.
Next Steps When Your Priority Date Is Current
If You Are in the U.S.
Applicants lawfully residing in the U.S. on a nonimmigrant visa (such as H-1B, L-1, or K-1) may apply for adjustment of status by filing Form I-485 with USCIS.
This form requires supporting documentation to confirm eligibility, family relationship, and personal details. Filing fees vary by age:
- Applicants over 14 years old: $1,440
- Applicants under 14 years old: $950
(Fees are subject to change by USCIS.)
With a properly filed I-485, most applicants receive a decision within 6–10 months.
If You Are Outside the U.S.
Applicants abroad must complete consular processing through the U.S. embassy or consulate in their home country.
The process includes:
- Submitting Form DS-260 online.
- Attending an in-person interview with a consular officer.
- Receiving a visa packet (valid for entry into the U.S. before expiration).
At the U.S. port of entry, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) determines admissibility. Once admitted, applicants officially become lawful permanent residents, and USCIS typically mails the green card within 45 days of arrival.
FAQs About Family-Based Green Card Priority Dates
- When will my priority date be current?
- What is the fastest way to get a family-based green card?
- Are I-130 priority date, immigration priority date, and green card priority date the same thing?
- How does my country of origin affect wait times?
- Can priority dates change?
- What happens if my sponsor passes away before my date is current?
How Green Card Link Can Help
Understanding priority dates, processing backlogs, and country-specific quotas can be overwhelming. That’s where Green Card Link comes in.
At Green Card Link, its immigration attorneys have years of experience helping families successfully navigate the green card process. Whether you are an immediate relative with a straightforward path or part of a family preference category facing long wait times, the immigration attorneys at Green Card Link will ensure your petition is filed accurately and strategically to avoid unnecessary delays.
👉 Start your family-based green card journey today with Green Card Link.