Dates for Filing vs Final Action Dates Explained

Every preference category in the Visa Bulletin carries two charts, and mixing them up is the most expensive reading mistake you can make. The dates for filing vs final action distinction decides two different things: whether you can submit your paperwork now, and whether your green card can actually finish now. Conflating the two either costs you a filing window you were eligible for or leaves you thinking you are done when you are not.

Final Action Dates (FAD)

The Final Action Dates chart sets the cutoff by which a visa number must be available for a case to be finalized — that is, for an immigrant visa to be issued at a consulate or for an adjustment of status to be approved inside the United States. If your priority date is earlier than the Final Action cutoff (or the category is Current), your case can reach the finish line.

Dates for Filing (DFF)

The Dates for Filing chart is usually set earlier than the Final Action chart. It marks the date by which you may submit a filing — such as an adjustment-of-status package — even though final action on that case may still be months or years away. Filing early lets you lock in a place in line, complete biometrics, and sometimes obtain work and travel documents while you wait for the Final Action date to catch up.

Why there are two charts

The two-chart system lets the government accept filings ahead of actual visa-number availability, smoothing workload and letting applicants get interim benefits. The gap between the charts is especially wide for backlogged countries such as India and China, where the Dates for Filing cutoff can be years ahead of the Final Action cutoff. Being eligible to file is not the same as being eligible to finish.

Which chart does USCIS choose each month?

For applicants adjusting status inside the U.S., the applicable chart is not fixed. USCIS decides monthly whether adjustment filers may use the Dates for Filing chart or must use the Final Action Dates chart, and it publishes that decision on its website. In some months USCIS opens the earlier Dates for Filing chart; in others it requires the Final Action chart. Because the choice can flip, adjustment filers must check USCIS every month rather than assume the more generous chart always applies.

August 2026 employment Final Action Dates (verified)

The verified Final Action Dates for August 2026 employment preferences are shown below. The matching Dates for Filing values are published in the same official bulletin and are not restated here to avoid quoting figures outside the verified dataset.