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EB-3 China: the Chinese row that keeps passing EB-2

Enter the priority date of your PERM labor certification to see where an EB-3 case for a person born in mainland China stands this month.

Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and past error

Where will you apply?

October 2026 bulletin

Current

Your date is before the Final Action cutoff: a green card can be approved this month.

Final Action DateJanuary 8, 2022
Date for FilingApril 1, 2024
I-485 this month (USCIS uses Dates for Filing)You can file
I-485 employment, national average (August 2026)11.8 months
Government fees (paper filing, with work permit and travel permit)$3,645
How this was calculated
  1. Fees: I-140 $715 + I-140 $600 + I-485 $1,440 + I-765 $260 + I-131 $630 (USCIS Form G-1055, edition 10/07/26, and State Department visa fees).

Fee details, line by line

Estimate from public data, not legal advice. Your case may differ (cross-chargeability, CSPA, waivers). For advice, see a licensed immigration attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative. Not affiliated with USCIS or the Department of State. Method and past error

In the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, EB-3 for people born in mainland China has a Final Action Date of January 8, 2022, 7 days later than the month before, and a Date for Filing of April 1, 2024, which moved 814 days forward in one bulletin. The Chinese EB-2 date is October 1, 2021, so EB-3 is about 3 months ahead. The Chinese column has had its own EB-3 date in 99% of bulletins since October 2015, and a separate Other Workers row for China reads October 1, 2019. Our back-test passed for dates six months behind the cutoff, with a median error of 2 months, and for dates two years behind, with 9 months, but not at one year, where the error was 5 months against a real wait of about 9. Where it passes, the calculator shows a range; elsewhere it shows the distance only.

Ahead of EB-2 China, again

This month the Chinese EB-3 Final Action Date is about 3 months ahead of EB-2 China, October 1, 2021. The lead has changed hands many times since 2015, and the most recent swap came in July 2026, when EB-3 China moved from August 1, 2021 to December 22, 2021 in one bulletin while the EB-2 row stood still. For a worker holding an approved EB-2 petition, a second Form I-140 in EB-3 can generally keep the earlier priority date; EB-2 China and the downgrade calculator show both lines.

Fiscal 2026 and the October leap

The Final Action Date opened fiscal 2026 at March 1, 2021 and reached January 8, 2022 by October 2026. The Date for Filing did more: April 1, 2024 in the October bulletin, against January 8, 2022 a month earlier. An applicant in the United States whose priority date falls between the two charts can file Form I-485 in months when USCIS designates the filing chart, then wait for the Final Action Date.

The 2015 fall and ten years of Octobers

The row has retrogressed 14 times since 2001. The deepest drop came in August 2015: September 1, 2011 to June 1, 2004, then December 22, 2004 the month after. Measured from October 2016 (January 22, 2013) to October 2026, the cutoff advanced about 108 months of priority dates in 120 calendar months.

The forecast, distance by distance

For dates six months behind, the tested median error was 2 months with 65 % coverage; one year behind, 5 months; two years behind, 9 months with 68 % coverage. Each distance is judged on its own, so a range can appear for one priority date and not for another.

EB-3 in the October 2026 bulletin

USCIS asks applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart this month to file Form I-485.
CountryFinal ActionDates for FilingChange this month
All other countriesMay 15, 2024August 1, 2024▼ 109 days
China (mainland born)January 8, 2022April 1, 2024▲ 7 days
IndiaJanuary 1, 2014January 15, 2015no change
MexicoMay 15, 2024August 1, 2024▼ 109 days
PhilippinesAugust 15, 2023January 1, 2024▲ 14 days
EB-3 China (mainland born): Final Action cutoff by bulletin month since December 20012002200620102014201820222002200620102014201820222026
Solid line: Final Action Date. Dashed line: Dates for Filing (since October 2015). A drop is a retrogression.

Every October since 2002

October opens each federal fiscal year, so it is the cleanest point to compare one year with the next.
BulletinFinal Action DateYears behind the bulletin
October 2002Current (C)–
October 2003Current (C)–
October 2004Current (C)–
October 2005March 1, 20014.6
October 2006May 1, 20024.4
October 2007September 1, 20016.1
October 2008October 1, 20017.0
October 2009Unavailable (U)–
October 2010November 8, 20036.9
October 2011August 8, 20047.1
October 2012Unavailable (U)–
October 2013July 1, 20103.3
October 2014April 1, 20095.5
October 2015October 15, 20114.0
October 2016January 22, 20133.7
October 2017January 1, 20143.7
October 2018June 1, 20153.3
October 2019November 1, 20153.9
October 2020July 1, 20173.3
October 2021January 8, 20192.7
October 2022June 15, 20184.3
October 2023January 1, 20203.7
October 2024April 1, 20204.5
October 2025March 1, 20214.6
October 2026January 8, 20224.7

How our forecast did for this case

Back-test from October 2012 to October 2025, each month using only the bulletins known that month.
Distance behind the cutoffMedian error, our modelMedian error, “last 12 months” ruleRange held the real dateStart months testedPublished?
6 months2 months7 months65 %156Yes
12 months5 months15 months65 %156No reliable forecast
24 months9 months20 months68 %151Yes
48 months11 months49 months76 %68No reliable forecast

Questions people ask

Why did the EB-3 China filing date jump in October 2026?

The October 2026 bulletin opened fiscal year 2027 and, in its own words, advanced dates across various categories; it does not explain individual moves. A jump in the Date for Filing allows earlier filing of Form I-485 in months when USCIS designates that chart for employment cases. It is not an approval date, which still follows the Final Action Date.

How does EB-3 Other Workers China differ from EB-3 China?

The two Chinese rows are counted separately. Other Workers covers jobs USCIS classes as unskilled (EW3) and shares a worldwide ceiling of 10,000 numbers a year, so it can carry an older date than the skilled-worker row. The I-140 approval notice shows which classification applies, and that decides the row to read.

Did EB-3 China fall in the summer of 2015?

Yes. In August 2015 the Chinese EB-3 cutoff dropped from September 1, 2011 to June 1, 2004, about 87 months in a single bulletin, the deepest fall this row has recorded. September 2015 moved it only to December 22, 2004, and October 2015, the first bulletin of the next fiscal year, put it back at October 15, 2011. A single month can therefore depart sharply from the trend.

Keep going

EB-3 skilled workers

Third preference: the worldwide cutoff for skilled workers and professionals, its October 2026 step back and the history.

China

Every Visa Bulletin category for people born in mainland China, with the worldwide date beside it.

EB-2 China

Advanced-degree workers born in mainland China: a slow but regular queue, and one where our forecast passes its test.

EB-2 to EB-3 downgrade

When the EB-3 line for your country is ahead of EB-2, and what moving down a category involves.

I-485 employment-based

Employment green card adjustment times as USCIS publishes them, field offices against service centers.

Official sources and data

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Data for 2026, checked on