Are Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates identical?
Read an employment-based Visa Bulletin using the correct month, preference/subcategory, chargeability and priority date. Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing serve different purposes, and USCIS separately identifies which chart adjustment applicants may use that month. A current line does not itself establish all application requirements.
Sources: October 2026 Visa Bulletin: chart definitions and adjustment-chart instruction · Checked October 25, 2026
What this guide covers
- Choose the actual preference and subcategory
- Compare the priority date with the right cutoff
- Separate final action from filing preparation
- Check USCIS’s chart choice for adjustment
- Read C, U and movement without forecasting certainty
At a glance
- Select the actual preference and subcategory.
- Use the correct month and chargeability.
- Keep priority date separate from notice dates.
Choose the actual preference and subcategory
EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, other workers, EB-4 and EB-5 lines are not interchangeable. Some religious-worker and investor lines are separately identified. Use the classification actually established by the relevant petition and the applicable chargeability rule rather than choosing a more favorable row by occupation or current address.
Compare the priority date with the right cutoff
The bulletin explains that a listed date marks an oversubscribed category and that the priority date generally must be earlier than the relevant cutoff. A date equal to the cutoff is not automatically earlier. Preserve the official priority-date source and distinguish it from a notice issue date or visa interview date.
Separate final action from filing preparation
Final Action Dates concern number availability for final action; Dates for Filing concern the described filing/document-preparation stage. The existence of a later filing cutoff does not mean final approval can occur under that later date. Keep both charts identified when discussing what a case can do next.
Check USCIS’s chart choice for adjustment
The bulletin directs adjustment applicants to USCIS for the chart permitted that month. Do not apply a Department of State document-preparation instruction as an unconditional I-485 filing rule. Other adjustment requirements also remain separate even where the priority date satisfies the permitted chart.
Read C, U and movement without forecasting certainty
The bulletin defines C as current and U as numbers unauthorized for issuance. Dates can advance or retrogress as demand changes; a past movement is not a promised wait. This free guide explains the reading method without publishing a stale cutoff or deciding chargeability, filing eligibility or a personal timeline.
| Item | Actual distinction | Practical question |
|---|---|---|
| Row | Actual classification/subcategory | Is the correct preference line selected? |
| Chart | Filing versus final action | Which stage is being discussed? |
| Month | Current applicable bulletin and USCIS instruction | Has an old chart been reused? |
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Version: October 25, 2026.
Go to the source
Sources & verification
Follow the institution that owns the requirement and check its current instructions.
Common questions
Are Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates identical?
No. They serve different stages; the filing chart is not an automatic final-approval date.
Sources: October 2026 Visa Bulletin: chart definitions and adjustment-chart instruction · Department of State Visa Bulletin
Can adjustment applicants always use Dates for Filing?
No. USCIS identifies which chart may be used for adjustment filing in the relevant month.
Sources: October 2026 Visa Bulletin: chart definitions and adjustment-chart instruction · Department of State Visa Bulletin
Does a priority date equal to the listed cutoff qualify as earlier?
No. Read the bulletin’s earlier-than language rather than treating equality as automatically sufficient.
Sources: October 2026 Visa Bulletin: chart definitions and adjustment-chart instruction · Department of State Visa Bulletin
What do C and U mean?
The bulletin defines C as current and U as numbers unauthorized for issuance, subject to the actual category and other requirements.
Sources: October 2026 Visa Bulletin: chart definitions and adjustment-chart instruction · Department of State Visa Bulletin
Can last month’s movement predict my approval date?
No. Numerical demand and published dates can change, including retrogression; no wait or outcome is guaranteed.
Sources: October 2026 Visa Bulletin: chart definitions and adjustment-chart instruction · Department of State Visa Bulletin
About this guide
By Immigrant Insider editorial desk. Updated .
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