What Is a Priority Date? Green Card Priority Date Explained

March 10, 20265 min read

Your priority date is one of the most important dates in your green card journey. It determines your place in the immigration queue and when you'll become eligible for a green card. Here's everything you need to know.

Definition: What Is a Priority Date?

A priority date is the date that establishes your position in the employment-based green card queue. Think of it as your "ticket number" in a waiting line. The earlier your priority date, the sooner you become eligible for a green card.

How Is Your Priority Date Assigned?

Your priority date is typically set in one of two ways:

PERM filing date: If your employer filed a PERM labor certification, your priority date is the date the DOL received the PERM application. This is the most common path for EB-2 and EB-3.
I-140 receipt date: If no PERM was required (common for EB-1), your priority date is the date USCIS received your I-140 petition.

How to Find Your Priority Date

You can find your priority date on:

Your I-140 approval notice (Form I-797)
Your PERM approval notice (ETA Form 9089)
Your USCIS online account — check your case status

Why Does Your Priority Date Matter?

Each month, the State Department publishes the Visa Bulletin with cutoff dates for each country and EB category. Your priority date must be before the cutoff date for your category to be eligible.

For countries like India and China with heavy backlogs, the gap between your priority date and the current cutoff can mean years of waiting.

Can Your Priority Date Change?

Yes, in certain situations:

Priority date retention: If your I-140 was approved and you change employers, you can usually keep your original priority date for a new I-140 filing.
Priority date portability: You can "port" your EB-3 priority date to an EB-2 petition (or vice versa) with a new employer and new I-140.
Recapture: If a previous I-140 was revoked for reasons other than fraud, you may be able to reclaim that priority date.

Check Your Wait Time

Use our Priority Date Predictor to see how your priority date compares to current visa bulletin cutoffs and get an estimated timeline for your green card.