About this Priority Date Wait Estimator
Priority-date planning depends on the gap between your priority date and the cutoff date you are using, plus your own assumptions about future bulletin movement, document readiness, and interview backlog.
Who this calculator is for
- Applicants tracking a family-based or employment-based priority date.
- Families planning document collection, savings, travel, and interview timing.
- Case organizers comparing conservative and optimistic bulletin movement assumptions.
When to use it
- Model how many months remain if cutoff dates advance at a chosen pace.
- Add document preparation and interview backlog assumptions to a planning wait estimate.
- Compare scenarios for slow movement, faster movement, or retrogression risk.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the priority date and the cutoff date you want to compare against.
- Enter the assumed average bulletin advancement per year in months.
- Add document preparation, interview queue, and retrogression buffer assumptions.
- Use the result as a planning scenario, then verify the actual bulletin and process before acting.
Key assumptions
- The current cutoff date and movement rate are user-entered and not fetched from any bulletin.
- Future movement is modeled as a simple average and does not predict retrogression or pauses.
- This planning estimate runs locally in your browser from the values you enter. It is not legal advice, not an official government fee or timeline, and not a document or photo acceptance determination.
Accuracy and testing
Review formula sources, default test cases, assumptions, unit handling, rounding rules, and changelog for this calculator.
How this calculator works
Inputs explained
Priority date
The applicant priority date to compare against a user-entered cutoff date.
Current cutoff date
The cutoff date you choose to model from a bulletin, chart, or planning scenario.
Bulletin advancement assumption
How many months the cutoff date is assumed to advance per year. This is not predicted by the calculator.
Backlog and buffer months
User-entered time for document preparation, interview queues, retrogression, or administrative uncertainty.
Understanding your results
Example scenarios
Slow movement scenario
If the cutoff date is 24 months before the priority date and you assume 6 months of advancement per year, the bulletin portion is about 48 months before adding backlog and buffers.
Current-date planning
If the cutoff date is already after the priority date, the remaining estimate comes from your document preparation, interview queue, and buffer assumptions.
Key Features
- Instant Calculation
- Private & Secure
- Mobile Optimized
Things to Keep in Mind
This tool does not determine visa availability, eligibility, chargeability, filing chart selection, petition validity, child age protection, or interview scheduling.
Tips & Best Practices
- Run optimistic, base, and conservative movement assumptions instead of relying on one scenario.
- Keep document readiness separate from visa bulletin movement so you can see what you control.
- Confirm whether the dates-for-filing or final-action chart applies to your next step.