USCIS issues green cards based on the Visa Bulletin that is published once a month by the US State Department.
In most cases, immigrants waiting for their green cards have an approved family petition (I-130) or an alien worker petition (I-140). Both approval forms, I-130 and I-140, contain a Priority Date, which is the date when a given petition was filed, either with the USICS or with the Department of Labor.
Waiting time for the green card is calculated based on this Priority Date.
October 2023 |
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|
Category |
Family Based Green Cards |
Employment Based Green Cards |
|||
|
Filing Date *** |
Green Card Issuance Date |
Filing Date*** |
Green Card Issuance Date |
||
| 1 |
Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens (21 years of age or older) |
1 Sep 2017 |
1 Jan 2015 |
||
| 2a |
Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents |
1 Sep 2023 |
8 Feb 2019 |
||
| 2b |
Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older) of Permanent Residents |
1 Jan 2017 |
22 Sep 2015 |
||
| 3 |
Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens |
1 Mar 2010 |
8 Jan 2009 |
||
| 4 |
Brothers and Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens |
1 Mar 2008 |
22 Apr 2007 |
||
| 1 |
Priority Workers |
Current |
Current |
||
| 2 |
Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability |
1 Jan 2023 |
8 Jul 2022 |
||
| 3 |
Skilled Workers and Professionals |
1 Feb 2023 |
1 Dec 2021 |
||
|
Other workers |
15 Dec 2020 |
1 Aug 2020 |
|||
| 4 |
Religious workers |
1 Mar 2019 |
No Visas |
||
| 5 |
Investors |
Current |
Current |
||
September 2023 |
|||||
|
Category |
Family Based Green Cards |
Employment Based Green Cards |
|||
|
Filing Date *** |
Green Card Issuance Date |
Filing Date*** |
Green Card Issuance Date |
||
| 1 |
Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens (21 years of age or older) |
1 Sep 2017 |
1 Jan 2015 |
||
| 2a |
Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents |
1 Sep 2023 |
1 Jan 2018 |
||
| 2b |
Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older) of Permanent Residents |
1 Jan 2017 |
22 Sep 2015 |
||
| 3 |
Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens |
1 Mar 2010 |
8 Jan 2009 |
||
| 4 |
Brothers and Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens |
1 Mar 2008 |
22 Apr 2007 |
||
| 1 |
Priority Workers |
Current |
1 Aug 2023 |
||
| 2 |
Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability |
1 Dec 2022 |
1 Jul 2022 |
||
| 3 |
Skilled Workers and Professionals |
1 May 2023 |
1 May 2020 |
||
|
Other workers |
1 Jun 2020 |
1 May 2020 |
|||
| 4 |
Religious workers |
1 Oct 2018 |
1 Sep 2018 |
||
| 5 |
Investors |
Current |
Current |
||
*** Must check with USCIS for applicability.
The above Visa Bulletin contains Priority Dates for citizens of most countries. Different dates apply to citizens of Mexico, China, India, and Philippines.