EB-3 India: back where it stood in October 2021
Enter the priority date of your PERM labor certification to check where an EB-3 case for a person born in India stands this month.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and past error
October 2026 bulletin
Current
Your date is before the Final Action cutoff: a green card can be approved this month.
| Final Action Date | January 1, 2014 |
|---|---|
| Date for Filing | January 15, 2015 |
| 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
- 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).
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
The October 2026 Visa Bulletin puts EB-3 India at a Final Action Date of January 1, 2014 and a Date for Filing of January 15, 2015, with no change in the Final Action Date from the previous bulletin. The same Final Action Date reached January 1, 2014 in October 2021, then fell to April 1, 2012 a year later, so the cutoff spent five fiscal years climbing back to where it had already been. Against EB-2 India (November 1, 2013), the third preference is about 2 months ahead this month, and the two Indian rows have swapped the lead 9 times since 2015. EB-3 Other Workers India carries the identical date. Our back-test does not support a forecast for this queue at any distance we tested: a year or more behind, the median error ran from about 9 to 38 months.
A five-year loop
October readings tell this queue’s story. The Indian EB-3 Final Action Date was March 1, 2005 in October 2016 and January 15, 2010 in October 2020, then jumped to January 1, 2014 in October 2021. A year later it read April 1, 2012. It came back slowly: May 1, 2012 in 2023, November 1, 2012 in 2024, August 22, 2013 in 2025 and January 1, 2014 in 2026. A priority date from early 2013 was therefore current in October 2021, behind the cutoff one bulletin later, when November 2021 brought the date back to January 15, 2012, and current again only by October 2025. Applicants whose I-485 was not approved inside that short window kept it pending, renewing the work permit and travel document, and waited about four years for the date to come back.
EB-3 or EB-2 for India
This month the EB-2 India Final Action Date is November 1, 2013, so EB-3 is about 2 months ahead. Both Indian rows share the same Date for Filing, January 15, 2015. Since January 2015 the lead between the two rows has changed hands 9 times, which is why employers sometimes file a second Form I-140 in the other preference for the same worker. EB-2 India and the EB-2 to EB-3 calculator show both queues.
Older history
The row has retrogressed 14 times since 2001. Its largest single fall followed the July 2007 bulletin, which listed it as Current (C): after two months marked unavailable, October 2007 reopened it at April 22, 2001, about 74 months lower. More on retrogression.
Why no date is forecast
Tested month by month from October 2012 to October 2025, forecasts for Indian EB-3 dates six months behind the cutoff missed by a median of 6 months, and two years behind by 24 months, with the range catching 41 % of outcomes. Neither meets our rule. The calculator shows where your date stands and whether you can file.
EB-3 in the October 2026 bulletin
| Country | Final Action | Dates for Filing | Change this month |
|---|---|---|---|
| All other countries | May 15, 2024 | August 1, 2024 | ▼ 109 days |
| China (mainland born) | January 8, 2022 | April 1, 2024 | ▲ 7 days |
| India | January 1, 2014 | January 15, 2015 | no change |
| Mexico | May 15, 2024 | August 1, 2024 | ▼ 109 days |
| Philippines | August 15, 2023 | January 1, 2024 | ▲ 14 days |
Every October since 2002
| Bulletin | Final Action Date | Years behind the bulletin |
|---|---|---|
| October 2002 | Current (C) | – |
| October 2003 | Current (C) | – |
| October 2004 | Current (C) | – |
| October 2005 | March 1, 2001 | 4.6 |
| October 2006 | April 22, 2001 | 5.4 |
| October 2007 | April 22, 2001 | 6.4 |
| October 2008 | July 1, 2001 | 7.3 |
| October 2009 | Unavailable (U) | – |
| October 2010 | January 15, 2002 | 8.7 |
| October 2011 | July 15, 2002 | 9.2 |
| October 2012 | Unavailable (U) | – |
| October 2013 | September 22, 2003 | 10.0 |
| October 2014 | November 15, 2003 | 10.9 |
| October 2015 | March 8, 2004 | 11.6 |
| October 2016 | March 1, 2005 | 11.6 |
| October 2017 | October 15, 2006 | 11.0 |
| October 2018 | January 1, 2009 | 9.7 |
| October 2019 | January 1, 2009 | 10.7 |
| October 2020 | January 15, 2010 | 10.7 |
| October 2021 | January 1, 2014 | 7.7 |
| October 2022 | April 1, 2012 | 10.5 |
| October 2023 | May 1, 2012 | 11.4 |
| October 2024 | November 1, 2012 | 11.9 |
| October 2025 | August 22, 2013 | 12.1 |
| October 2026 | January 1, 2014 | 12.7 |
How our forecast did for this case
| Distance behind the cutoff | Median error, our model | Median error, “last 12 months” rule | Range held the real date | Start months tested | Published? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 months | 6 months | 10 months | 54 % | 156 | No reliable forecast |
| 12 months | 9 months | 15 months | 47 % | 156 | No reliable forecast |
| 24 months | 24 months | 25 months | 41 % | 156 | No reliable forecast |
| 48 months | 38 months | 39 months | 32 % | 156 | No reliable forecast |