U.S. Immigration Quota Chart: Green Card Priority Dates

State Department Visa Bulletin - December 2004
"Priority Dates" Charts

The dates below indicate the immigrant visa "priority dates" currently being processed - for example, 1st preference green card applicants from Mexico who apply in December 2004 face over a ten-year wait for their application to even begin to be processed because the USCIS (formerly INS) is still working on applications that were originally filed on July 15, 1994.

PRIORITY DATES FOR FAMILY PREFERENCE GREEN CARDS*

Family
Pref.

All Chargeability Areas
Except Those Listed

India

Mexico

Philippines

1^st
22NOV00 22NOV00 15JUL94 15OCT90

2A*
01JUL00 01JUL00 22SEP97 01JUL00

2B
22JUL95 22JUL95 01JAN92 22JUL95

3^rd
01DEC97 01DEC97 01JUL94 01JUN90

4^th
08OCT92 15FEB92 08OCT92 22SEP82

PRIORITY DATES FOR EMPLOYMENT-BASED GREEN CARDS* (C=CURRENT)

Empl.
Pref.

All Chargeability Areas
Except Those Listed

India

Mexico

Philippines

1^st

C

C

C

C

2^nd

C

C

C

C

3^rd

C

C

C

C

Other Workers

C

C

C

C

4^th

C

C

C

C

Certain Religious Workers

C

C

C

C

5^th

C

C

C

C

Targeted Employment Areas/ Regional Centers

C

C

C

C