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October 2026 Visa Bulletin: fiscal year 2027 resets the chart

Choose a category and country to read the October 2026 cutoffs on both charts and compare them with September, the last bulletin of fiscal 2026.

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

In the October 2026 bulletin

Current

EB-2: advanced degree or exceptional ability

Final Action DateNovember 1, 2013
Date for FilingJanuary 15, 2015 · yours qualified

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 is the first of fiscal year 2027, and it reset the employment chart. EB-2 for the rest of the world, current since April, received a cutoff of January 1, 2025, a retrogression of 608 days. EB-3 worldwide went back 109 days to May 15, 2024 and EB-3 Other Workers 90 days. The Indian boxes closed since July reopened: EB-2 India at November 1, 2013, EB-5 India at December 1, 2023. Family dates for most of the world did not move, but the country columns did: F2B Mexico gained 454 days, F4 Philippines 267 and F1 Mexico 251. USCIS designated the Dates for Filing chart for both family and employment cases filing Form I-485 this month, and several of those filing dates moved years ahead of approval.

Fiscal year 2027 starts with a reset

October brings a new year of visa numbers, and the first bulletin of a year is where the State Department recalibrates. This one did so mostly on the employment side. EB-2 worldwide, which had read Current (C) through the summer, now reads January 1, 2025, a step back of about 1.7 years in one bulletin. EB-3 worldwide slipped from September 1, 2024 to May 15, 2024, and EB-3 Other Workers to January 1, 2022. The EB-3 worldwide filing date fell further, from Current (C) to August 1, 2024.

India comes back on its own terms

EB-2 India was unavailable from July to September. It returns at November 1, 2013, against September 1, 2013 in June, the last month it had a date. EB-5 India reopens at December 1, 2023, well ahead of its June date of May 1, 2022. EB-1 India gains 109 days to February 1, 2023, recovering part of the ground it lost in June and July. EB-3 India holds at January 1, 2014.

Mexico and the Philippines take their turn

The worldwide family column did not move at all, after its large September advance. The country columns did the moving:

Final Action Dates, family-sponsored, oversubscribed countries.
LineSeptember 2026October 2026Gain (days)
F2B MexicoFebruary 15, 2009May 15, 2010454
F4 PhilippinesAugust 22, 2007May 15, 2008267
F1 MexicoJanuary 1, 2008September 8, 2008251
F2A MexicoAugust 22, 2025March 22, 2026212
F1 PhilippinesMay 1, 2013November 1, 2013184
F3 PhilippinesFebruary 22, 2006July 22, 2006150
F2B PhilippinesJune 1, 2013October 1, 2013122

F3 Mexico kept its approval date but its filing date advanced 504 days, to December 1, 2002.

Filing dates far ahead of approval

USCIS chose Dates for Filing for family and employment cases alike this month (USCIS filing charts), and the second chart moved more than the first. EB-5 China's filing date advanced 1,461 days, to March 1, 2021, while its Final Action Date stayed at December 1, 2016. EB-4 filing gained 731 days and EB-3 China filing 814. For eligible applicants already in the United States, October opens the door to file Form I-485 years before approval can follow. Source: Visa Bulletin for October 2026. Previous month: September 2026.

Final Action Dates, October 2026

Family-sponsored: a green card can be approved if the priority date is earlier than the date shown.
CategoryAll other countriesChina (mainland born)IndiaMexicoPhilippines
F1January 22, 2020January 22, 2020January 22, 2020September 8, 2008November 1, 2013
F2ASeptember 22, 2026September 22, 2026September 22, 2026March 22, 2026September 22, 2026
F2BAugust 22, 2019August 22, 2019August 22, 2019May 15, 2010October 1, 2013
F3October 22, 2014October 22, 2014October 22, 2014July 1, 2001July 22, 2006
F4October 22, 2011October 22, 2011December 15, 2006April 22, 2001May 15, 2008
Employment-based (EB-5: unreserved numbers).
CategoryAll other countriesChina (mainland born)IndiaMexicoPhilippines
EB-1Current (C)July 1, 2023February 1, 2023Current (C)Current (C)
EB-2January 1, 2025October 1, 2021November 1, 2013January 1, 2025January 1, 2025
EB-3May 15, 2024January 8, 2022January 1, 2014May 15, 2024August 15, 2023
EB-3 Other WorkersJanuary 1, 2022October 1, 2019January 1, 2014January 1, 2022January 1, 2022
EB-4December 15, 2022December 15, 2022December 15, 2022December 15, 2022December 15, 2022
EB-5Current (C)December 1, 2016December 1, 2023Current (C)Current (C)

Dates for Filing, October 2026

Family-sponsored: earliest priority dates allowed to file.
CategoryAll other countriesChina (mainland born)IndiaMexicoPhilippines
F1February 1, 2020February 1, 2020February 1, 2020December 1, 2008April 22, 2015
F2ACurrent (C)Current (C)Current (C)Current (C)Current (C)
F2BSeptember 1, 2019September 1, 2019September 1, 2019March 22, 2011October 1, 2014
F3November 1, 2014November 1, 2014November 1, 2014December 1, 2002October 22, 2006
F4November 1, 2011November 1, 2011February 1, 2007April 30, 2001March 22, 2009
Employment-based.
CategoryAll other countriesChina (mainland born)IndiaMexicoPhilippines
EB-1Current (C)July 1, 2024July 1, 2024Current (C)Current (C)
EB-2March 15, 2026January 1, 2023January 15, 2015March 15, 2026March 15, 2026
EB-3August 1, 2024April 1, 2024January 15, 2015August 1, 2024January 1, 2024
EB-3 Other WorkersJune 1, 2022October 1, 2020January 15, 2015June 1, 2022June 1, 2022
EB-4January 1, 2025January 1, 2025January 1, 2025January 1, 2025January 1, 2025
EB-5Current (C)March 1, 2021May 1, 2024Current (C)Current (C)

Movement since the previous bulletin

Final Action Dates: ▲ forward, ▼ backward (retrogression).
CategoryAll other countriesChina (mainland born)IndiaMexicoPhilippines
F1no changeno changeno change▲ 251 days▲ 184 days
F2A▲ 31 days▲ 31 days▲ 31 days▲ 212 days▲ 31 days
F2Bno changeno changeno change▲ 454 days▲ 122 days
F3no changeno changeno changeno change▲ 150 days
F4no changeno change▲ 44 days▲ 14 days▲ 267 days
EB-1▲ 30 daysno change▲ 109 days▲ 30 days▲ 30 days
EB-2▼ 608 days▲ 30 days▲ 61 days▼ 608 days▼ 608 days
EB-3▼ 109 days▲ 7 daysno change▼ 109 days▲ 14 days
EB-3 Other Workers▼ 90 days▲ 153 daysno change▼ 90 days▲ 31 days
EB-4no changeno changeno changeno changeno change
EB-5▲ 30 daysno change▲ 579 days▲ 30 days▲ 30 days

Questions people ask

Why did EB-2 worldwide retrogress in the October 2026 Visa Bulletin?

The bulletin replaced the current listing that EB-2 had held since April with a cutoff in January 2025. The State Department does not publish the demand behind each date, but a retrogression at the start of a fiscal year usually means that more applicants with older dates are ready than the new year’s numbers can serve in its first months.

Is EB-2 India available again in the October 2026 Visa Bulletin?

Yes. After three bulletins listed it as unavailable, EB-2 India returned with a Final Action Date a little later than the one it had in June 2026. Its Dates for Filing column did not change. Indian applicants whose priority date is earlier than the new cutoff can be approved again from October.

Which chart does USCIS accept in October 2026 for Form I-485?

For October 2026, USCIS designated the Dates for Filing chart for both family-sponsored and employment-based applicants adjusting status inside the United States. That matters this month because several employment filing dates, for EB-3 China, EB-4 and EB-5 China among them, jumped far ahead of their Final Action Dates.

Did family dates move in the October 2026 Visa Bulletin?

Not in the worldwide column: F1, F2B, F3 and F4 for most countries kept the dates that September had given them. The movement was in the oversubscribed columns. F2B Mexico, F4 Philippines, F1 Mexico, F2A Mexico and the Philippine F1, F3 and F2B lines all advanced by several months.

Keep going

Visa Bulletin

This month’s Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing for every category and country, with what moved.

Bulletin history

Every Visa Bulletin since December 2001 on one screen: pick a month, a category and a country.

Predictions

Graded forecast ranges for people a year behind each cutoff, and the boxes where we refuse to guess.

EB-2 advanced degree

Second preference: the rest-of-world cutoff after the October 2026 reset, NIW timing and the India and China lines.

Bulletin release timing

When the monthly Visa Bulletin comes out, why the year starts in October, and what September usually brings.

Official sources and data

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