Updated November 11, 2026

February 2026 Visa Bulletin: USCIS Dates for Filing and Form I-485 guide

For February 2026, USCIS determined that both family-sponsored and employment-based preference applicants must use the Dates for Filing charts to see when they can submit Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. You may file your adjustment of status application in February 2026 if the chart shows your category is current (C) or if your priority date is earlier than the cutoff date listed for your preference category and country of birth. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, preference visas are capped at 226,000 family-sponsored visas and 140,000 employment-based visas per year, according to USCIS.

Which Visa Bulletin chart does USCIS use for February 2026?

Every month, the Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin with two charts per visa preference category: the Application Final Action Dates chart (dates when visas may finally be issued) and the Dates for Filing Applications chart (earliest dates when applicants may be able to apply). USCIS reviews available visa numbers each month and posts which chart adjustment of status applicants inside the United States must use.

For February 2026 (updated by USCIS on January 13, 2026), USCIS designated the Dates for Filing charts for both family-sponsored and employment-based adjustment of status applications. USCIS allows the Dates for Filing chart when it determines there are more immigrant visas available for the fiscal year than there are known applicants, or when immigrant visas are available for the filing of additional adjustment of status applications.

In addition, USCIS states on its filing charts page that if a particular immigrant visa category is current on the Final Action Dates chart or the cutoff date on the Final Action Dates chart is later than the date on the Dates for Filing chart, applicants in that immigrant visa category may file using the Final Action Dates chart during that month.

• C means Current: immigrant visas are immediately available to all qualified adjustment of status applicants and overseas immigrant visa applicants in that preference category and country of chargeability, regardless of priority date.
• Earlier than the cutoff date: if a specific date is listed, your priority date must be earlier than the date shown on the chart for you to file Form I-485.
• U means Unauthorized: visa numbers are not authorized for issuance or are temporarily unavailable to all applicants in that preference category or country of chargeability.

February 2026 Dates for Filing: family-sponsored preference categories

If you are seeking to adjust status through a family-sponsored preference category, use the USCIS February 2026 Dates for Filing chart below. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (spouses, unmarried children under 21, parents of U.S. citizens at least 21 years old, and qualifying widows or widowers) have unlimited immigrant visas under the Immigration and Nationality Act, so they do not wait for a cutoff date in the tables below.

For family preference categories, USCIS defines the five preference groups as follows: First preference (F1) is for unmarried adult sons and daughters (21 or older) of U.S. citizens. Second preference 2A (F2A) is for spouses and unmarried children (under 21) of permanent residents. Second preference 2B (F2B) is for unmarried adult sons and daughters of permanent residents. Third preference (F3) is for married sons and daughters of any age of U.S. citizens. Fourth preference (F4) is for brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens.

February 2026 Dates for Filing for Family-Sponsored Adjustment of Status Applications, from USCIS

February 2026 Dates for Filing: employment-based preference categories

If you are applying for adjustment of status in an employment-based preference category during February 2026, compare your priority date against the USCIS Dates for Filing chart below.

In the February 2026 table, 1st preference and all 5th preference Set Aside categories are Current for most countries, while Certain Religious Workers is listed as Unauthorized across all chargeability areas.

February 2026 Dates for Filing for Employment-Based Adjustment of Status Applications, from USCIS

How to check if your priority date qualifies in February 2026 (with worked examples)

Before you can check the chart, you need your exact priority date. You can find your priority date printed on the Form I-797, Notice of Action, for the immigrant petition filed on your behalf.

Once you have your priority date, follow three steps on the February 2026 USCIS chart: find your visa preference category in the first column on the left, stay in that row and move right to the column for your country of birth (country of chargeability), and check whether the entry is C or a date later than your priority date.

Worked example 1 (Employment-Based 3rd Preference): Suppose you were born in the Philippines and your employer sponsored you for an EB-3 skilled worker position requiring a Department of Labor (DOL) labor certification. DOL accepted the labor certification for processing on September 14, 2023, and your employer filed Form I-140 within the required 180-day validity window after DOL approval. On the February 2026 employment-based Dates for Filing chart, the 3rd preference cutoff for the Philippines is 01OCT23 (October 1, 2023). Because your priority date of September 14, 2023 is earlier than October 1, 2023, you may file Form I-485 in February 2026 if you are otherwise eligible.

Worked example 2 (Employment-Based 2nd Preference vs. 3rd Preference for India): Suppose you were born in India. By our calculation from the USCIS February 2026 Dates for Filing chart, the 3rd preference and Other Workers cutoff date for India (August 15, 2014) is 257 days (8.5 months) further ahead than the 2nd preference cutoff date for India (December 1, 2013). If your priority date is May 10, 2014, your date is not earlier than the 2nd preference cutoff of 01DEC13, but it is earlier than the 3rd preference cutoff of 15AUG14.

Worked example 3 (Family-Sponsored F2A vs. F1): Suppose you are a permanent resident who properly filed Form I-130 for your spouse (born in Mexico) on January 10, 2026. That places the petition in the F2A category, which has a February 2026 Dates for Filing cutoff of 22JAN26 (January 22, 2026) across all countries. Because January 10, 2026 is earlier than January 22, 2026, your spouse's priority date qualifies under the February 2026 chart. By contrast, by our calculation from the USCIS February 2026 Family-Sponsored Dates for Filing chart, the F2B cutoff for All Chargeability Areas (March 15, 2017) is 170 days earlier than the F1 cutoff (September 1, 2017).

How your priority date was established depends on your petition category:

• Family-sponsored preference cases: the date Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative (or in certain instances Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant) was properly filed with USCIS.
• Employment-based cases requiring a DOL labor certification: the date the labor certification application was accepted for processing by the Department of Labor. To preserve the priority date, the petitioner must file Form I-140 with USCIS within 180 days of the DOL approval date on the labor certification, or else the labor certification is no longer valid.
• Employment-based cases not requiring a DOL labor certification: the date USCIS accepts Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, for processing.
• Fourth preference special immigrants (including religious workers): the date USCIS accepts Form I-360 for processing.
• Fifth preference investors: the date USCIS accepts Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur, for processing.

Checklist: how to prepare and file Form I-485 when your priority date is ready

When the February 2026 Dates for Filing chart shows your priority date is eligible, you must assemble a complete adjustment of status package while you are present in the United States. Send all required initial evidence with your Form I-485 so USCIS does not have to send a Request for Evidence.

Use this step-by-step filing checklist built from USCIS Form I-485 and Fee Schedule rules:

• Check if you can file concurrently: if your priority date is earlier than the cutoff date on the permitted Dates for Filing chart (or the chart shows C), and your category allows it, you may concurrently file Form I-485 together with the underlying Form I-130 or Form I-140 petition. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens can always file Form I-485 concurrently with Form I-130.
• Determine whether you need Form I-485 Supplement J: if you are filing Form I-485 together with a Form I-140 that names you as the principal beneficiary, you do not need Supplement J. However, you must file Supplement J if you are filing Form I-485 based on a previously filed Form I-140, or if you are requesting job portability to a new, permanent job offer under INA section 204(j).
• Include Form I-693 (medical examination) at the time of filing: if you are required to submit Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (or a partial Form I-693 such as the Vaccination Record), you must submit it with your Form I-485, or USCIS may reject your Form I-485. For paper mail filings, submit Form I-693 inside the original sealed envelope from the civil surgeon. For online Form I-485 filings (available for certain eligible applicants), you must open the sealed envelope, upload the completed Form I-693, and keep the original Form I-693 and envelope in case USCIS asks for them at an interview or as evidence.
• Check the correct boxes in Part 2 of Form I-485: principal applicants check the appropriate box in Part 2, Item 2, and in Part 2, Items 3.a. through 3.g. Derivative spouses or children check the derivative box in Part 2, Item 2, complete the Principal Applicant information in Part 2, Item 2, and check the appropriate box in Part 2, Items 3.a. through 3.g.
• Verify form edition dates and signatures: make sure every page of your printed form is from the same form edition, with the edition date and page numbers visible at the bottom of all pages, and sign the form. USCIS rejects unsigned forms or forms with missing or mixed-edition pages.
• Decide on Form I-765 (work authorization) and Form I-131 (advance parole): you may file Form I-765 and Form I-131 concurrently with Form I-485. For Form I-485 applications filed after April 1, 2024, you must pay additional fees to file Form I-765 and Form I-131 as listed on the USCIS Fee Schedule. If you file Form I-131 concurrently for advance parole, select only item 5.A. in Part 1 of Form I-131 (no I-485 receipt number is needed when filing concurrently. If you file later, include a copy of your Form I-797C receipt notice).
• Use an accepted payment method: cash can never be used. When filing by mail, pay by credit, debit, or prepaid card using Form G-1450, or directly from a U.S. bank account using Form G-1650 (unless you qualify for a paper fee exemption and include a signed Form G-1651). If any fee is incorrect, USCIS will reject the application. Attach Form G-1145 to the first page if you want an email or text notification when a USCIS lockbox accepts your package.

Annual visa caps, oversubscription, and visa retrogression explained

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, Congress sets baseline statutory limits on preference categories. In general, family-sponsored preference visas are limited to 226,000 visas per year, and employment-based preference visas are limited to 140,000 visas per year. By statute, these annual limits may be exceeded when certain immigrant visas from the previous fiscal year's allocation were not fully used.

Within those caps, the law divides both family and employment categories into sub-categories, each receiving a prescribed percentage of the overall visa numbers, and also limits the percentage of visas that can be allotted based on an immigrant's country of chargeability (usually the country of birth). When demand exceeds the supply of visas for a category and country of chargeability, the Department of State considers it oversubscribed and imposes a cutoff date to keep visa issuance within statutory limits.

To decide each month whether there is a greater supply of visas than demand, USCIS compares the number of visas available for the remainder of the fiscal year against three data points: documentarily qualified visa applications reported by the Department of State, pending adjustment of status applications reported by USCIS, and the historical drop-off rate of adjustment of status applicants (such as denials, withdrawals, and abandonments).

Sometimes a priority date that is current one month will not be current the next month, or the cutoff date will move backward to an earlier date. This is called visa retrogression. USCIS explains that visa retrogression generally occurs when more people apply for a visa in a particular category than there are visas available for that month, and the annual limit for a category or country has been exhausted or is expected to run out soon. When the new government fiscal year begins on October 1, a new supply of visa numbers becomes available, which usually, though not always, returns cutoff dates to where they were before retrogression.

What happens after you file Form I-485: biometrics, interviews, and address changes

Filing your Form I-485 when your priority date is eligible under the February 2026 chart is Step 4 of the USCIS nine-step adjustment of status process. Knowing what follows helps you avoid preventable denials while your application is pending.

After you file at a USCIS lockbox, you may not immediately see an A-Number on your initial Form I-797, Notice of Action, due to a USCIS business process change. In those cases, USCIS sends your A-Number in a second notice a few days after accepting your Form I-485.

Next, USCIS mails a notice for your biometrics services appointment at a local Application Support Center (ASC) to provide your fingerprints, photograph, and/or signature for identity verification and required background and security checks. At the ASC, you must sign an acknowledgment certifying that you reviewed all information in your application and that it was complete, true, and correct at the time of filing. If you do not sign the acknowledgment or miss your ASC appointment without properly notifying USCIS to reschedule, USCIS may deny your Form I-485.

USCIS officials then review your case to decide whether an in-person interview is required. If scheduled, you (and the family member who filed the immigrant petition for you, if applicable) must appear at a USCIS office to answer questions under oath or affirmation regarding your Form I-485 and bring originals of all documentation submitted with the application, including passports, travel documents, and Form I-94, whether or not they are expired.

While your case is pending, if you move, you must notify USCIS of your new address within 10 days of moving by submitting Form AR-11, Alien's Change of Address Card (which can be submitted online).

Practice example

Are you still working for the employer that filed your Form I-140 petition, or have you changed employers while your Form I-485 has been pending?

At your adjustment of status interview, answer directly and under oath whether you remain with your sponsoring employer or have requested job portability under INA section 204(j). Under USCIS rules, you must appear in person to answer questions under oath or affirmation regarding your Form I-485 and bring originals of all documentation submitted with your application. If your case is based on a previously filed Form I-140 or a new job under INA section 204(j), have your signed Form I-485 Supplement J ready. Bring your original Form I-797 notices, passports, travel documents, and Form I-94, whether or not expired. If you filed online and uploaded Form I-693, bring the original Form I-693 and the civil surgeon envelope.

At an adjustment of status interview, USCIS requires applicants to answer questions under oath regarding Form I-485 eligibility and review original documentation submitted with the application.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the Department of State.