What Priority Date Do You Need to Get a Green Card?
Published 2026-08-08 · Based on verified U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin movement.
Photo: Gaël Gaborel - OrbisTerrae via UnsplashMost calculators answer “when will my date be Current?” But the question that actually drives planning is the reverse: “If I want my green card by 2030, what priority date do I need — and when must I file PERM and I-140?” That is the question Visafig’s reverse estimator answers, and almost no competitor offers it.
The method (transparent)
Given a target date, the estimator:
- Takes the latest official cutoff for your category and country.
- Projects it forward by (months until target) × (verified average monthly movement).
- Reads off the latest priority date that would be Current by then.
- Subtracts your PERM and I-140 lead times to get filing deadlines.
Worked example 1 — EB-3 India, target 2030
Verified EB-3 India Final Action Dates:
| Bulletin | EB-3 India cutoff |
|---|---|
| Aug 2024 | 22OCT12 |
| Aug 2025 | 22MAY13 |
| Jan 2026 | 15NOV13 |
| Aug 2026 | 01JAN14 |
Over this span EB-3 India advanced roughly 12 days per month on average. From the August 2026 cutoff (01JAN14) to a January 2030 target is about 42 months, projecting an advance of ~500 days — so the cutoff reaching your date implies a priority date no later than roughly mid-2015. Anyone with a priority date later than that would, on this trend, miss a 2030 green card and should consider accelerating PERM now.
Worked example 2 — EB-2 China, target 2030
China EB-2 held at 01SEP21 across Aug 2024, Aug 2025, Jan 2026, and Aug 2026 — essentially frozen. A reverse projection therefore returns a needed priority date near 01SEP21 regardless of a 2030 target, because the cutoff is not advancing. This is the honest output: for a frozen category, the only way to be Current is already having an early date.
Turn it into deadlines
The needed priority date only helps if you can get it. Subtract your PERM lead time (commonly 6–18 months) and I-140 lead time (4–9 months) to find the latest filing start. Use the Priority Date Reverse Estimator to compute your specific deadlines with adjustable lead times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'reverse planning' mean for a priority date?
Instead of entering your priority date to see when you will be Current, you enter a target green-card year and the tool back-calculates the latest priority date you can still hold — plus the PERM and I-140 deadlines required to get there.
Why is this more useful than a normal calculator?
It answers the question applicants actually plan around: 'If I want my green card by 2030, when must my PERM be filed?' That drives real deadlines, not just curiosity.
What if my category is Unavailable (U)?
Then no reliable forward projection exists, and an honest tool will say so. India EB-2 and EB-5 were Unavailable in 2026, so a reverse date for them cannot be trusted until the category reopens.
Where do the movement rates come from?
From the verified average monthly cutoff movement in stored Department of State bulletins — never assumed. Frozen categories (e.g., China EB-2 held at 01SEP21 across 2024–2026) correctly project little or no advance.