China: green card priority dates, October 2026

Final Action Dates decide when a green card can be approved: your priority date must be earlier than the date shown. Dates for Filing decide when you may submit your I-485 early. Each month USCIS says which chart applicants in the US must use; for October 2026 it is Dates for Filing. If the Final Action date for your category is current or later than the Dates for Filing date, you may file under Final Action instead.

No. It follows your country of chargeability, which is normally your country of birth. A spouse can sometimes be charged to the other spouse's country of birth (cross-chargeability). People born in Taiwan, Hong Kong or Macau use the rest-of-world dates, not mainland China's.

"C" (Current) means there is no backlog in that category: any priority date qualifies. "U" (Unavailable) means no visa numbers can be used in that category this month.

For most EB-2 and EB-3 cases it is the date your PERM labor certification was filed with the Department of Labor. For EB-1 and EB-2 National Interest Waiver cases, which need no PERM, it is the date USCIS received your I-140. It is printed on your I-797 approval notice.

The State Department usually publishes the next month's bulletin around the middle of the current month, sometimes later. We check every 20 minutes and update within about 30 minutes of release.

Some applicants with an EB-2 case file a second I-140 in EB-3 based on the same labor certification, often called downgrading. Whether it helps depends on your case and your employer; an immigration attorney should make that call.

No. This site reads the official bulletin and the USCIS chart designation for you. For decisions about your case, talk to an immigration attorney.