What is the priority date in the EB-2 NIW?

The priority date is, in simple terms, your place in line. In the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver), it marks the moment your petition officially enters the system and serves as the reference point for tracking when you will be able to move to the final step of obtaining your green card.

It matters because the employment-based green card process involves visa number availability, which varies by category and by the applicant’s country of birth. Your priority date is compared against dates that the relevant authority publishes periodically: when your date becomes current, a window opens to complete the process. This is why the phrase the line moved is so commonly used in this context.

• The priority date establishes your position in the EB-2 NIW queue.
• It is compared against official dates published periodically.
• Your country of birth influences how fast that line moves.

Since availability changes over time and depends on factors outside your control, the best approach is to monitor the official bulletins and work with a specialist who can interpret your priority date and help you plan your next steps with confidence.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.