Updated November 11, 2026

February 2026 Visa Bulletin: USCIS adjustment of status filing charts and priority dates

For February 2026, USCIS designated the Dates for Filing chart for both family-sponsored and employment-based Form I-485 adjustment of status applications, according to the USCIS When to File notice updated January 13, 2026. If the chart for your category and country of birth shows Current (C) or your priority date is earlier than the listed cut-off date, you may file Form I-485 in February 2026. By statute, preference visas are capped at 226,000 per year for family categories and 140,000 per year for employment categories.

Which chart does USCIS use for February 2026?

Every month, the Department of State publishes two charts per preference category in the Visa Bulletin: Application Final Action Dates (when visas may finally be issued) and Dates for Filing Applications (the earliest dates when applicants may be able to apply). Within one week of that publication, USCIS posts which chart applicants inside the United States must use to file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.

For February 2026, USCIS determined that there are immigrant visas available for the filing of additional adjustment of status applications. As a result, applicants in all family-sponsored preference categories and all employment-based preference categories must use the Dates for Filing charts for February 2026.

However, USCIS also states a general rule on its filing charts page: if a particular immigrant visa category is Current on the Final Action Dates chart, or if the cut-off date on the Final Action Dates chart is later than the date on the Dates for Filing chart, applicants in that category may file using the Final Action Dates chart during that month.

Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens do not wait for a Visa Bulletin cut-off date. Immigrant visas for immediate relatives are unlimited and always available. This group includes spouses of U.S. citizens, unmarried children under 21 of U.S. citizens, parents of U.S. citizens who are at least 21 years old, and qualifying widows or widowers of U.S. citizens.

February 2026 family-sponsored Dates for Filing chart

If you are adjusting status inside the United States based on a family preference petition (Form I-130, or in certain instances Form I-360), use the February 2026 Dates for Filing table below. Your priority date is the date your relative properly filed Form I-130 (or Form I-360) on your behalf with USCIS.

The five family-sponsored preference categories are defined by USCIS as follows:

• First preference (F1): Unmarried, adult sons and daughters (age 21 or older) of U.S. citizens.
• Second preference (F2A): Spouses and unmarried children (under age 21) of permanent residents (Green Card holders).
• Second preference (F2B): Unmarried adult sons and daughters of permanent residents.
• Third preference (F3): Married sons and daughters (any age) of U.S. citizens.
• Fourth preference (F4): Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens.

February 2026 Dates for Filing for Family-Sponsored Adjustment of Status Applications (USCIS)

February 2026 employment-based Dates for Filing chart

If you are seeking to adjust status under an employment-based preference visa, use the February 2026 Dates for Filing chart below. On the chart, C means Current (visas are immediately available to all qualified applicants in that category and country), and U means unauthorized (numbers are not authorized for issuance).

All three EB-5 Set Aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure) are Current across every country column, while Certain Religious Workers is marked U (unauthorized) across all columns.

February 2026 Dates for Filing for Employment-Based Adjustment of Status Applications (USCIS)

How the family-sponsored Dates for Filing moved since June 2025

Comparing the USCIS June 2025 Dates for Filing table with the February 2026 Dates for Filing table shows which family categories advanced over that eight-month span and which held steady.

The table below compares every family-sponsored cell from the June 2025 Dates for Filing chart against the February 2026 Dates for Filing chart.

Comparison of June 2025 vs. February 2026 Family-Sponsored Dates for Filing

How to find your priority date on Form I-797

You can find your priority date on Form I-797, Notice of Action, for the immigrant petition filed on your behalf. Which date sets your place in the queue depends on the category you are applying under:

• Family-sponsored petitions: Your priority date is the date Form I-130 (or Form I-360 in certain instances) was properly filed with USCIS.
• Employment-based categories requiring a labor certification: Your priority date is the date the Department of Labor (DOL) accepted the labor certification application for processing. To keep that priority date valid, the petitioner must file Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, with USCIS within 180 days of the DOL approval date on the labor certification.
• Employment-based categories not requiring a labor certification: Your priority date is the date USCIS accepts Form I-140 for processing.
• Fourth preference special immigrants (including religious workers): Your priority date is the date USCIS accepts Form I-360 for processing.
• Fifth preference investors (EB-5): Your priority date is the date USCIS accepts Form I-526 for processing.

How to check if your priority date is eligible in February 2026

Once you have your priority date in hand, follow this four-step checklist written by our team from USCIS instructions to verify whether you can submit Form I-485 in February 2026:

• Step 1: Look at the first column on the left of the family-sponsored or employment-based February 2026 chart and find your specific preference category.
• Step 2: Stay in that row and move right to the column matching your country of chargeability, which is usually your country of birth.
• Step 3: Compare your priority date to the cell. If the cell says C, or if your priority date is strictly earlier than the cut-off date shown, a visa number is available for filing. If the cell says U, numbers are not authorized and you cannot file.
• Step 4: Check whether you qualify for concurrent filing. When USCIS permits the Dates for Filing chart (as in February 2026), you may file Form I-485 together with an underlying Form I-130 or Form I-140 if your priority date is earlier than the Dates for Filing cut-off date or the category is marked C.

Worked example: checking two February 2026 cases

To see how the strict earlier-than rule works in practice, here are two invented examples created by our team using the February 2026 USCIS Dates for Filing charts.

Case 1 (Employment-Based 3rd Preference, born in the Philippines): Suppose an employer filed a labor certification that the Department of Labor accepted for processing on October 1, 2023, and then filed Form I-140 within 180 days of DOL approval. On the February 2026 Employment-Based Dates for Filing chart, the 3rd preference cut-off date for the Philippines is 01OCT23 (October 1, 2023). Because USCIS requires your priority date to be earlier than the date on the chart, an exact match of October 1, 2023 is not yet eligible to file. By contrast, an applicant born in the Philippines with a priority date of September 30, 2023 is one day earlier than 01OCT23 and may file Form I-485 in February 2026, if otherwise eligible.

Case 2 (Family-Sponsored F2A, born in India): Suppose a lawful permanent resident properly filed Form I-130 for their spouse (born in India) on January 10, 2026. On the February 2026 Family-Sponsored Dates for Filing chart, the F2A cut-off date for India is 22JAN26 (January 22, 2026). Because January 10, 2026 is 12 days earlier than January 22, 2026, and the spouse is already in the United States legally and otherwise eligible, the spouse may file Form I-485 during February 2026.

Maintaining status while you wait to file Form I-485

Filing an immigrant visa petition (such as Form I-130) only demonstrates a qualifying relationship and creates a place in line for visa processing. USCIS notes that an approved petition does not grant any benefit beyond that place in line. If you are inside the United States waiting for your priority date to become current, you must maintain valid nonimmigrant status.

Your authorized status and the date it expires are shown in the lower right-hand corner of your Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Record. If you need to extend your stay or change to a different nonimmigrant category before your authorized stay expires, you (or in some cases your employer) must file the appropriate form, such as Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, or Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. Failing to maintain nonimmigrant status can result in being barred from returning to or removed from the United States.

When your priority date is eligible under the February 2026 chart and you prepare to submit Form I-485, check Form G-1055, Fee Schedule, for the exact required fee. If a fee is incorrect, or if pages of your form are missing or come from different form editions, USCIS will reject the application.

Why priority dates retrogress and how annual visa limits work

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, Congress limits the number of preference immigrant visas that can be issued each fiscal year. In general, family-sponsored preference visas are capped at 226,000 visas per year, and employment-based preference visas are capped at 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. There are also limits on the percentage of visas that can be allotted to any single country of chargeability.

To decide each month whether there is a greater supply of visas than demand, USCIS compares the number of visas available for the rest of the fiscal year against three numbers: 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 applicants (such as denials, withdrawals, and abandonments).

When demand for visas in a category and country exceeds the supply for a given month, the category is considered oversubscribed and the Department of State imposes a cut-off date. Sometimes a priority date that is current one month is no longer current the next month, or the cut-off date moves backward to an earlier date. This is called visa retrogression, and it generally happens when the annual limit for a category or country has been exhausted or is expected to run out soon. When the new federal fiscal year begins on October 1, a new supply of visa numbers becomes available, which usually (though not always) returns cut-off dates to where they were before retrogression.

Practice example

When was your immigrant petition filed, and how have you maintained lawful nonimmigrant status while waiting for your priority date to become current?

State the exact date your underlying petition was properly filed, matching the priority date on your Form I-797 Notice of Action. Clearly identify the petition type, such as Form I-130 or Form I-140. Then, recount your chronological immigration history inside the United States. Reference each nonimmigrant status you held, such as F-1, H-1B, or L-1, and state the expiration dates listed in the lower right-hand corner of your Forms I-94. Mention any timely filed extensions or changes of status using Form I-539 or Form I-129. Have your I-797 approval notices, all entry Forms I-94, and passports organized and ready to present to the officer immediately if requested.

The officer is verifying that your priority date is genuine, matches USCIS records, and was eligible for filing under the Visa Bulletin, while confirming you maintained continuous lawful status inside the United States without unauthorized stay or unauthorized activity.

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.