Overview
- USCIS will use the Dates for Filing chart in March 2026, enabling eligible applicants in the U.S. to file I‑485 based on the more favorable Chart B cutoffs.
- EB-2 for All Chargeability Areas, Mexico, and the Philippines is Current on the Dates for Filing chart, and the EB-2 Final Action Date for that group advances to October 15, 2024.
- The State Department’s ongoing pause on immigrant visa issuance for roughly 75 countries remains in effect, blocking consular approvals abroad even when dates advance.
- Nationals from paused countries who are already in the U.S. may still pursue adjustment of status and, upon filing, gain interim benefits such as employment authorization and advance parole.
- The Visa Office attributes part of the broad advancement to reduced consular demand and cautions that retrogression could follow later in the fiscal year if policies change or numbers tighten.