US Immigration & Visa Bulletin Glossary

The "place in line" for an immigrant visa. For employment-based cases, this is usually the date the Labor Certification (PERM) was filed. For family-based cases, it is the date the I-130 petition was filed.

The date found in "Chart A" of the Visa Bulletin. If your Priority Date is earlier than the date listed in this chart, a visa is physically available and your green card can be approved.

The date found in "Chart B" of the Visa Bulletin. This indicates when applicants living outside the U.S. can begin assembling and submitting documents to the National Visa Center (NVC), or when USCIS may allow adjustment of status filings.

A frustrating event where the "cutoff date" in the Visa Bulletin moves backward in time instead of forward. This happens when the demand for visas in a specific category exceeds the annual numerical limit.

A status in the Visa Bulletin indicating that there is no backlog for a specific category and country. If a category is "Current," anyone can file for their green card regardless of their Priority Date.

A notation in the Visa Bulletin meaning that no visas can be issued for that specific month because the annual limit for that category has already been reached.

The first step for most employment-based green cards. The Department of Labor must certify that there are no qualified U.S. workers available for the position. The date this is filed becomes your **Priority Date**.

The form filed by an employer with USCIS to petition for a foreign worker to become a permanent resident.

The application used by people already in the U.S. to change their non-immigrant status (like H-1B or F-1) to Permanent Resident (Green Card) status once their Priority Date is current.

The process of applying for an immigrant visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad, rather than adjusting status within the United States.

The agency that pre-processes immigrant visa applications after an I-130 or I-140 is approved but before the case is sent to a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

The country to which an immigrant visa is "charged." Usually, this is your country of birth, not your country of citizenship. This determines which column of the Visa Bulletin you must follow.

A rule that allows an applicant to "borrow" the country of chargeability from their spouse. For example, if a person born in India (long backlog) is married to someone born in the UK (no backlog), both can use the UK dates.

The different "tiers" of employment visas. EB-1 is for "Priority Workers" (extraordinary ability), EB-2 is for "Advanced Degrees," and EB-3 is for "Skilled Workers and Professionals."

The law limits the number of immigrant visas issued each year. Currently, the limit is 140,000 for employment-based visas and 226,000 for family-sponsored visas, further divided by country.

A law that helps "freeze" the age of a child applicant so they do not "age out" (turn 21) while waiting for a visa to become available, provided certain conditions are met.

The date USCIS officially receives an application. This is different from the Priority Date, though they can sometimes be the same day.

The official document issued by USCIS to notify an applicant that their petition has been approved.

The ability for certain green card applicants to change employers while their I-485 is pending (usually after 180 days) without having to start the green card process over.

An announcement often made in the "Notes" section of the Visa Bulletin where the State Department warns that a specific category may move backward in future months due to high demand.