Finally, USCIS delivered! Now you have an official USCIS green card tracker.
The “pending I-485 data” posted on the new uscis.gov website is exactly what we have been waiting for. The i-485 inventory chart not only displays the total number of pending green card applications, but is broken down by priority date, preference category and country of origin. These three levels of details determine your position in the waiting line, and can give you a much better estimate of when your adjustment of status (green card) application will be processed.
1. Country of Origin
There are essentially five lines for employment-based green cards, separated by country of chargeability. The five lines are China, India, Mexico, the Phillipines, and All Other Countries (a.k.a. Rest of World – ROW). The monthly visa bulletin, which determines who is eligible for a visa number, releases visas based on chargeability. Historically China, India, Mexico and the Phillipines are “over-subscribed” countries, meaning there are more applicants from these countries than visa numbers available each year. As a result, these countries are tracked separately in the visa bulletin and USCIS’ i-485 inventory report.
2. Preference Category
Each of the five country-specific lines is further divided by preference categories. For example, EB-1 priority workers, EB-2 professionals with advanced degrees, EB-3 skilled workers, etc. The average waiting time for green card varies dramatically from one preference to another. USCIS did an excellent job by compiling and also presenting the data in the reports.
3. Priority Date
A priority date is when the green card process officially starts, which is usually the date when labor certification or I-140 is filed. Your priority date (PD) determines your position in the line, for your EB category and country of chargeability. This is the one piece of information that tells you exactly how many people are in front of you. USCIS breaks the total number of pending I-485 cases down to each month of a given year based on priority date.
How do I use the green card tracker?
Suppose you are from China, have a priority date of March 2007, and your immigrant petition is in EB2, you can see from the chart below that 786 applicants with a priority date in the same month and year as yours are waiting in line in the EB2 China category. You don’t have to know how many of the 786 people are in front you, because quite likely all of you will become eligible for a visa on the same day.
Now the more important question is how many people have a priority date earlier than yours. Again from the chart, you simply add up all the numbers before March 2007:
1 + 1 +2 + 13 + 20 + 35 + 123 + 4,084 + 8,581 + 743 + 671 = 14274
So there are a total of 14274 applicants from China in EB-2 category who are in front you in the waiting line for green card. You can’t find this level of detail and precision anywhere else.
How do I know when my green card will be approved?
Unfortunately you don’t know that yet, at least not accurately, since this is the first time USCIS published such report. USCIS plans to update the green card tracker every quarter. So after the next one, you will know how many people ahead of you (or behind you, for some reason) have received their green card or otherwise left the line. Comparing that with the Visa Bulletin, you will have a better idea of how much longer you have to wait for your turn.
Pending I-485 Adjustment of Status Applications based on Priority Date for China EB-2:
| China EB2 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | Grand Total |
| January | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 9 | 509 | 743 | 18 | 2 | 1,302 |
| February | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 152 | 508 | 671 | 9 | 0 | 1,343 |
| March | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 612 | 713 | 786 | 11 | 1 | 2,128 |
| April | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 71 | 493 | 686 | 16 | 4 | 1,285 |
| May | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 145 | 612 | 552 | 16 | 2 | 1,330 |
| June | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 188 | 803 | 567 | 12 | 0 | 1,584 |
| July | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 211 | 713 | 1,906 | 16 | 0 | 2,862 |
| August | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 404 | 827 | 190 | 5 | 0 | 1,442 |
| September | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 1,028 | 922 | 107 | 12 | 0 | 2,093 |
| October | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 13 | 401 | 869 | 62 | 6 | 0 | 1,361 |
| November | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 395 | 762 | 26 | 14 | 0 | 1,220 |
| December | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 468 | 850 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 1,383 |
| Total | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 20 | 35 | 123 | 4,084 | 8,581 | 6,325 | 139 | 9 | 19,333 |
Thanks for the Article.
So these dates are based on the applicants who started their Green Card (i.e Labor Process) ?
I hope these dates are NOT the receipt dates of the Applicants who filed I-485 ?
Can you be more clear on this ?
Thanks a lot.
Yes, they are priority dates (PD), not I-485 filing date (RD). A PD is usually the date when LC started, or I-140 if LC is not required.
Thanks for the clarification.
My immgrant visa was approved in August 2009 I arrived in the U.S Sept. 6th 2009 how long do I have to wait for my greencard in the mail? or do I have to call some office?
@agresta, it certainly can take a few weeks for your GC to arrive in the mail. You may call USCIS customer service (1-800-375-5283) if it takes too long or if you have questions.
I have one question about this example here with EB2 and China: Currently (visa bulletin November 2009), the cutoff date for EB2 China is April 1, 2005 which means that everybody with a PD of March 2005 or sooner is current and can file for a GC immediately. In this example, this is a total number of 968 applicants. Why are they on this tracker? Aren’t they current and can file for a green card immediately, thus not needing to wait anymore??? Can you please clarify this? Thanks so much!
The numbers shown in the table are pending I-485 applications, meaning that those applications have already been filed but not yet approved.
PD needs to be current for both:
1. filing I-485; and
2. receiving I-485 approval (green card).
Hope this helps.
For China, India, Mexico and Phillipines, I see some numbers in the EB3 and EB2 categories for 2008 and 2009. If these numbers are the number of people who applied for AOS for that PD, how did they apply? As far as i know PDs in 2008 and 2009 have neve been current.
Also, Why are there so many unapproved cases in 2002, 2003, 2004 when the current visa bulletin date for Eb2 is in 2005? Doesnt that mean that visas are being issued for 2005, which would mean that they have cleared everyone prior that that?
Acer,
Great questions. I think that those I-485 cases filed in 2008 and 2009 had something to do with visa cross-chargeability, meaning that although an applicant’s own PD was not current, his or her spouse came from a country for which visa number was available at that time. Hopefully USCIS will clarify this issue in the future because lots of people don’t understand how it could happen.
Regarding older cases with priority dates in 2003 – 2004, it is not surprising. When a case’s PD is current, it is eligible for a visa number but it doesn’t guarantee 485 approval. I know a few people who just received green cards after their I-485 had been pending for quite a while even though their PD were current and FBI name checks had been cleared all this time.
The much older cases could be anything. Abandoned, stuck in security checks, USCIS entry error, who knows. But there are really not many of them.
Hi,
My name is Shri, I am on EAD now and waiting for GC.
My question is on EAD should I maintain same pay which I filled in Labor?
Now I am short fall of $20K
Please advise.
Thanks,
Shri,
That is a question better suited for your attorney. It is never a good idea to make up a number.
Hi,
Why EB3 is not moving at all? I think my finger print is expired. Can I make any initiation to re-new or I have to wait?
thx
I would guess that to make any useful predictions, we would also need to know how many cases are completed as well as how many new cases are submitted for processing during the time period between the release of each pending I-485 inventory.
Hi,
Im EB3-Phil. Can you please tell me the latest priority date of EB3-Phil that was approved? I heard it was 2005. My PD is July, 2005. Will my PD be current this year? Thanks
Jojo
how long will a visa for employment based be processed? thanks