TL;DR: The Visa Bulletin tells you when you can take the last step of a green card case. Find your priority date, your category (like EB-2 or EB-3) and your country column, then compare your date to the cut-off. USCIS decides each month whether I-485 filers use the “Final Action Dates” or “Dates for Filing” chart, so always check its page too.
“My PERM is approved. Why can’t I file my green card?” Candidates send me this question a lot, and the usual answer is that they’re reading the right row on the wrong chart. Here’s how to read the bulletin step by step. If you haven’t started your case yet, read my PERM green card process guide first, because that’s where your priority date comes from.
What the Visa Bulletin is
Congress caps how many green cards can be issued each year. The October 2026 Visa Bulletin says the worldwide employment-based level “is at least 140,000” for FY 2027, with a per-country limit the bulletin puts at 25,620.
When more people qualify than there are visa numbers, a line forms, and the State Department publishes the bulletin every month to show where the line is. Per its employment visa page, EB-2 and EB-3 each get 28.6% of the worldwide limit, plus any unused numbers from higher categories.
Steps 1 and 2: your priority date and your column
Your priority date is your place in line. According to USCIS:
- With PERM: it’s the date DOL accepted the labor certification application. The employer must file the I-140 within 180 days of the PERM approval to use it.
- Without PERM (for example, EB-1 or EB-2 NIW): it’s the date USCIS accepted your I-140.
- Where to find it: on your I-140 receipt or approval notice.
The charts have a row for each category and columns by country of chargeability, which is generally based on country of birth. The October 2026 bulletin lists four oversubscribed areas separately. Everyone else, including people born in Korea, uses “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed,” usually called “rest of world.” A cell shows a date (only earlier priority dates move), “C” for current, or “U” for unavailable.
Steps 3 and 4: which chart applies
- Chart A, Final Action Dates: when a green card can actually be approved. Numbers go only to applicants whose priority date is “earlier than the final action date listed.”
- Chart B, Dates for Filing: when you may get in the queue early. For I-485 cases, USCIS decides whether this chart can be used.
Why file early under Chart B? A pending I-485 usually lets you apply for a work permit and travel document, and after 180 days pending you may be able to move to a same or similar job using Supplement J.
The bulletin says I-485 filers should use Final Action Dates “unless otherwise indicated on the USCIS website.” USCIS posts its decision each month on the Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page, and the choice can change month to month.
“Once my I-485 is filed, am I safe from retrogression?”
A lot of people assume yes. Candidates in the EB-3 backlog tell me the uncertainty is what makes them refresh the bulletin every month.
USCIS’s Policy Manual sets two checkpoints: an immigrant visa must be immediately available when you file, and also on the date USCIS approves the case (USCIS Policy Manual). So a case filed while dates were current can sit waiting if the Final Action Date later moves back. Not legal advice; every case is different.
November 2026 numbers: rest of world
In the November 2026 Visa Bulletin, Final Action Dates moved forward for EB-2, EB-3 and Other Workers. For employment-based adjustment of status in November, USCIS is accepting the Dates for Filing chart (Chart B). Confirm on the USCIS filing charts page before you file.
| Category | Final Action (A) | Date for Filing (B) | Change vs Oct (A / B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | C | C | No change |
| EB-2 | 01APR25 | 15MAR26 | +3 months / same |
| EB-3 | 15JUN24 | 01AUG24 | +1 month / same |
| Other Workers | 01JUN22 | 01JUL22 | +5 months / +1 month |
| EB-4 | 15DEC22 | 01JAN25 | No change |
| EB-5 | C | C | No change |
The October 2026 bulletin also noted that some rest-of-world employment categories retrogressed for FY 2027. A date that was current last month can stop being current.
Three worked examples
These use the October 2026 rest-of-world numbers and are simplified, so talk to your attorney about your real case.
- EB-2, priority date March 2024. Earlier than the October Final Action Date (01JAN25), so a visa number is available.
- EB-2, priority date June 2025. Later than the Final Action Date but earlier than the Date for Filing (15MAR26). You can file an I-485 only if USCIS allows the Dates for Filing chart that month.
- EB-3, priority date October 2024. Later than both EB-3 dates (15MAY24 and 01AUG24). You wait, keep your nonimmigrant status valid, and watch each month’s bulletin.
What this means at a Korean company
- Your status still has to hold. While you wait, your E-2, L-1 or H-1B has to stay valid. Ask HR who tracks expiration dates.
- Time PERM early. Your priority date only starts when PERM is filed, so a “we sponsor after two years” policy pushes your place in line back two years.
- Family abroad. The choice between I-485 and consular processing matters. I cover it in I-140 approval with family abroad.
- Job changes. Before a new offer, check whether your I-485 has been pending 180 days. The H-1B transfer guide covers the visa side.
“Colleagues who came a year earlier already have green cards”
Candidates waiting on PERM tell me this often, and the feeling of being left behind is real.
Your place in line comes from your priority date, your preference category and your country of chargeability; USCIS uses those three with the Visa Bulletin to decide whether a visa is available to you (USCIS). Ask HR directly: when exactly will my PERM be filed, and could my role qualify for EB-2 instead of EB-3?
FAQ
My priority date is current. Do I get a green card right away?
No. A current date means a visa number can be used. USCIS or the consulate still has to review and approve your application.
Which column do I use if I was born in Korea?
Korea isn’t listed separately in the October 2026 bulletin, so you use “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed.”
Does USCIS always use Final Action Dates for I-485?
Generally, yes, unless USCIS says otherwise on its filing charts page. Check it every month before you file.
Sources: State Dept Visa Bulletin, October 2026, State Dept employment-based visas, USCIS visa availability and priority dates, USCIS filing charts, USCIS Supplement J.
