Chart A or Chart B? Final Action Dates vs Dates for Filing in the Visa Bulletin

Every month when the visa bulletin comes out, someone in the community inevitably asks: "Should I be looking at Chart A or Chart B?"

The short answer: you don't choose — USCIS decides for you every month.

(The I-485 below is the application to adjust status — the form you file to get a green card while you are inside the US.) And the two charts control completely different things — one decides when you can file your application, the other decides when you can get your green card.

What are the two charts?

The Dates for Filing chart (Chart B) is usually ahead of the Final Action Dates chart (Chart A) by some amount, because the State Department sets Chart B at "where we expect Chart A to be in 8 to 12 months."

So the normal sequence is: Chart B reaches your date → you file the I-485 → you wait → Chart A reaches your date → approval.

In the live table above, the "Final Action Date" column is Chart A and the "Filing Date" column is Chart B, so you can compare directly how far apart they are.

The key point: USCIS decides which chart can be used each month

The State Department publishes two charts every month, but you can't necessarily use both. USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) separately announces each month whether I-485s filed that month use Chart A or Chart B.

It looks at three things before deciding: how many visa numbers are left for the fiscal year, how many documentarily qualified applicants the State Department already has, and how many people historically end up dropping out.

This decision can change from month to month, and employment-based and family-based cases may each use a different chart.

As of publication, the USCIS page says:

• Family-based: use Chart B (Dates for Filing)
• Employment-based: use Chart A (Final Action Dates)

⚠️ But note: that page is still labeled with the August guidance right now — the September visa bulletin is already out, and USCIS hasn't updated yet. This shows exactly one thing: before you file, you must check the current month's guidance on the USCIS website yourself — don't just reuse last month's.

What does it mean when employment-based cases use Chart A?

When USCIS says employment-based cases use Chart A, the practical effect is that Chart B means nothing for you — you have to wait until the Final Action Date reaches you before you can file your I-485.

That in itself is a signal. USCIS usually decides this way because the number of known applicants is already enough to use up this year's visa numbers, so there's no need to open up new filings to "restock."

The gap between the two charts is the State Department's own forecast

This is the most overlooked point, and the most useful one.

Charlie Oppenheim, the former chief of the State Department's Visa Control and Reporting Division who ran this system for many years, has explained that the Dates for Filing are usually set where the State Department expects the Final Action Dates to be in 8 to 12 months.

He also gave an example — one year the two charts for India EB-3 (the third employment-based preference, skilled workers) were almost identical, because "we already have enough Indian EB-3 applicants... so there's no need to open up new filings."

So:

• The two charts are far apart → the State Department expects this category to move forward a lot
• The two charts are almost the same → the State Department is telling you that everyone who needs to be in line is already in line, so don't expect big movement soon

This is forward-looking information the government publishes for free every month, and it's worth checking before any third-party prediction.

Three common misunderstandings

"Once Chart B reaches my date, I get my green card" — No. Chart B only lets you file. Actual approval waits for Chart A. There is usually more than a year in between.

"The official Chart B hasn't been updated, but your site keeps updating it" — The State Department publishes both charts every month, but USCIS may designate Chart A for several months in a row. In that case the Chart B numbers still change; they just don't count for filing.

"I can pick whichever chart is better for me" — No. If you file using the wrong chart, your case will be rejected outright. Among the I-485 cases we track, a significant share have the latest status "rejected because it was not properly filed."

Before you file, check these three things in order

1. Which chart applies today? Check the current month's guidance on the USCIS "Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin" page — don't trust last month's.
2. Is my priority date earlier than the cutoff date? Look at the column for your category and country of birth, not the "worldwide" column.
3. Are visa numbers still available? If your category is marked U (unauthorized) for the month, you can't file even if your priority date qualifies.

A tool can do the first two steps for you at once: I-485 Filing Eligibility Check.

Data sources

• US Department of State Visa Bulletin, original text of both charts for September 2026
• USCIS "Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin" page (the current month's guidance on that page is what counts)
• Public Q&As by Charlie Oppenheim during his time as chief of the State Department's Visa Control and Reporting Division