Glossary · Concepts & rules
Priority date
The date your green card application 'started' — determines your wait under USCIS Visa Bulletin.
For EB-2/EB-3, priority date = date PERM filing was received by DOL. For EB-1, priority date = date I-140 filing was received by USCIS. The priority date determines how long you'll wait for the visa number to become available per the monthly USCIS Visa Bulletin. India-born EB-2/EB-3 applicants face multi-decade waits. Critically: priority date is PORTABLE under AC21 §106(b) — you keep it forever, even across employers, even after departing the US.
Related terms
I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker)
Employer-sponsored green-card petition. Once approved, it locks your priority date and unlocks 3-year H-1B extensions past the 6-year cap.
PERM (Labor Certification)
DOL-approved labor certification — the first step of the employment-based green card process before the I-140.
AC21 (American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act)
2000 statute that codified H-1B portability + 1- and 3-year extensions past the 6-year cap for green-card-pending workers.
Visa retrogression
When the USCIS Visa Bulletin moves backward — your priority date that was current last month isn't current this month.
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