The difference between ‘dates for filing’ and ‘final action dates’ on the Visa Bulletin

The Department of State (DOS)'s monthly Visa Bulletin informs applicants of their “place in line” for an immigrant visa based on the person’s priority date.

- MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL, ESQ

For family-based petitions, the priority date is established upon the date the petition is filed with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). For most employment-based cases, the priority date is established when the case is filed with the Department of Labor.

The monthly Visa Bulletin has two different charts for priority dates, which leads to a lot of confusion and misunderstanding:

Immigrant visa applicants who have a priority date earlier than (or before) the dates listed in Chart B may already begin assembling and submitting required documents and fees to the National Visa Center (NVC) following receipt of notification from the NVC containing detailed instructions. This gives the petitioner and applicant(s) enough time to prepare the case and get it “documentarily qualified” in preparation for when their priority date will eventually become current on the “Final Action Dates” chart (Chart A). Just because your priority date appears on the Dates for Filing chart does not mean you are eligible to be queued up for an interview or issued a visa.