October 2026 visa bulletin changes bring a mixed set of movements for U.S. green card applicants as the new fiscal year begins. The latest bulletin restores visa availability for several India employment categories, advances multiple China cutoff dates, and moves some employment-based dates backward for other countries. USCIS will also use the Dates for Filing chart for employment-based adjustment-of-status applications during October.
The October bulletin is the first Visa Bulletin of fiscal year 2027. That makes it especially important for applicants who have been waiting for the annual visa numbers to reset. Categories that became unavailable at the end of fiscal year 2026 can receive new numbers beginning with the new fiscal year.
However, the October update does not produce uniform movement. Some applicants receive earlier dates, while others face retrogression. The outcome depends on the immigration category and the applicant’s country of chargeability.
What the October 2026 Visa Bulletin Changes
The new bulletin covers both family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visa categories. For many people tracking employment-based green cards, the biggest developments involve EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 and EB-5.
Several changes stand out immediately.
India’s EB-2 category becomes available again after reaching its annual limit during fiscal year 2026. Its October Final Action Date is November 1, 2013.
India’s EB-5 unreserved category also becomes available again. Its October Final Action Date is December 1, 2023.
China receives substantial movement in several employment-based filing categories. China EB-2 moves forward to January 1, 2023 on the Dates for Filing chart, while China EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers advances to April 1, 2024.
The picture is different for many applicants from other countries. EB-2 Dates for Filing move backward to March 15, 2026, while EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers move backward to August 1, 2024.
USCIS will accept employment-based adjustment-of-status applications using the Dates for Filing chart in October.
These developments make the October bulletin particularly important for applicants who are close to their applicable cutoff date.
October Employment-Based Final Action Dates
Final Action Dates determine when an immigrant visa can be issued or when an adjustment-of-status application can receive final approval, provided the applicant meets all other requirements.
The October employment-based Final Action Dates are:
| Category | China | India | Philippines | All Other Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | July 1, 2023 | February 1, 2023 | Current | Current |
| EB-2 | October 1, 2021 | November 1, 2013 | January 1, 2025 | January 1, 2025 |
| EB-3 Professionals/Skilled Workers | January 8, 2022 | January 1, 2014 | August 15, 2023 | May 15, 2024 |
| EB-3 Other Workers | October 1, 2019 | January 1, 2014 | January 1, 2022 | January 1, 2022 |
| EB-4 | December 15, 2022 | December 15, 2022 | December 15, 2022 | December 15, 2022 |
| EB-5 Unreserved | December 1, 2016 | December 1, 2023 | Current | Current |
The EB-5 Rural, High Unemployment and Infrastructure set-aside categories remain current for all countries.
A cutoff marked “Current” means immigrant visa numbers are available without a specific priority-date cutoff for that category and country, subject to the applicable legal requirements.
EB-1 India Advances in October
EB-1 India receives a significant change at the start of fiscal year 2027.
Its Final Action Date moves to February 1, 2023. The previous cutoff was October 15, 2022.
That movement gives some Indian applicants with older priority dates a clearer path toward final action.
China’s EB-1 Final Action Date remains July 1, 2023.
For applicants from countries other than China and India, EB-1 remains current.
The Dates for Filing chart shows an even more substantial development. EB-1 China and India both move to July 1, 2024 for October.
Applicants who qualify to file adjustment of status can therefore have a filing opportunity well ahead of the Final Action Date.
EB-2 India Returns to Availability
One of the most closely watched October developments involves EB-2 India.
The category became unavailable during fiscal year 2026 after the annual visa limit was reached. The start of fiscal year 2027 provides a new allocation of immigrant visa numbers.
For October, the EB-2 India Final Action Date is November 1, 2013.
The Dates for Filing date remains January 15, 2015.
This difference is important. A person whose priority date is earlier than January 15, 2015 may be eligible to submit an employment-based adjustment-of-status application in October if all other requirements are satisfied.
Final approval follows a separate standard. The applicant’s priority date must meet the Final Action Date for a visa number to become available for final action.
EB-2 China Moves Forward
China’s EB-2 category also advances in October.
The Final Action Date moves to October 1, 2021.
The Dates for Filing cutoff moves much further, reaching January 1, 2023.
That creates a substantial gap between filing eligibility and final visa availability.
For applicants with qualifying priority dates, the filing-date movement can be important because it may allow an adjustment application to be submitted even though the Final Action Date has not yet reached the same priority date.
For China EB-2 applicants, checking both dates is therefore essential.
EB-2 for Other Countries Moves Backward
Applicants from countries other than China and India face a different October development.
The EB-2 Final Action Date moves to January 1, 2025.
The Dates for Filing date is March 15, 2026.
The change reflects the State Department’s management of immigrant visa numbers during fiscal year 2027.
A retrogressed date does not cancel an approved petition. Instead, it means visa availability is controlled by a newer cutoff date.
Applicants should compare their priority dates against the October dates rather than relying on how quickly their case moved in previous months.
EB-3 China Gets Major Filing-Date Movement
China receives one of the largest employment-based filing-date advances in October.
The EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers Dates for Filing cutoff moves to April 1, 2024.
Its Final Action Date is January 8, 2022.
That difference means an eligible applicant may reach the filing stage long before reaching the final approval stage.
India’s EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers Dates for Filing cutoff remains January 15, 2015.
The India Final Action Date remains January 1, 2014.
The Philippines has a January 1, 2024 Dates for Filing cutoff and an August 15, 2023 Final Action Date.
EB-3 Other Workers Has Separate Dates
The EB-3 Other Workers category follows a different set of cutoff dates.
For October, the Final Action Date is October 1, 2019 for China and January 1, 2014 for India. The date for other countries is January 1, 2022.
The Dates for Filing chart shows October 1, 2020 for China, January 15, 2015 for India and June 1, 2022 for other countries.
Applicants should not use the EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers dates when evaluating an Other Workers case.
The two categories have separate annual availability and separate cutoff dates.
EB-5 India Becomes Available Again
The October bulletin also restores availability for India’s EB-5 unreserved category.
The Final Action Date is December 1, 2023.
The Dates for Filing cutoff is May 1, 2024.
India’s EB-5 unreserved category had become unavailable during the previous fiscal year after available numbers were used.
China’s EB-5 unreserved Final Action Date is December 1, 2016. Its Dates for Filing cutoff is March 1, 2021.
EB-5 unreserved remains current for other countries.
The three EB-5 set-aside categories also remain current:
- Rural
- High Unemployment
- Infrastructure
These set-aside categories have their own statutory allocation and continue to show current availability in October.
EB-4 Dates Remain Limited
The EB-4 category has a December 15, 2022 Final Action Date for all countries in October.
Its Dates for Filing cutoff is January 1, 2025.
The gap between the two dates again demonstrates why applicants need to distinguish between filing eligibility and final visa availability.
The October bulletin also continues the separate treatment of certain religious workers under the applicable statutory extension.
Why the New Fiscal Year Matters
October 1 marks the beginning of a new federal fiscal year.
Employment-based immigrant visas are subject to annual numerical limits. Once available numbers are exhausted, the government cannot continue issuing visas in that category during the same fiscal year.
That is why categories that become unavailable near the end of September can become available again when October begins.
India’s EB-2 and EB-5 unreserved categories illustrate this transition in the October bulletin.
The return of availability does not mean every priority date becomes current. New cutoff dates still control the use of immigrant visa numbers.
The State Department also monitors demand throughout the year. Cutoff dates can therefore move forward, remain unchanged or retrogress as visa usage develops.
USCIS Will Use Dates for Filing in October
Another major October development concerns applicants already inside the United States.
USCIS will use the employment-based Dates for Filing chart for October 2026.
This determines which eligible applicants can submit Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, based on their employment category and country of chargeability.
A person generally needs a priority date earlier than the applicable filing cutoff.
That does not mean the application can automatically receive final approval.
Final approval still depends on visa availability under the Final Action Dates chart, along with the applicant meeting all other adjustment-of-status requirements.
This distinction is especially important in October because the Dates for Filing chart is considerably ahead of the Final Action Dates in several categories.
What Priority Dates Mean in October
A priority date is the date used to establish an applicant’s place in the immigrant visa queue.
For many employment-based cases, the priority date comes from the filing of the labor certification or the immigrant petition, depending on the category and circumstances.
Applicants compare that date against the applicable Visa Bulletin cutoff.
For example, an EB-2 India applicant with a priority date earlier than January 15, 2015 may meet the October Dates for Filing cutoff, assuming the person otherwise qualifies to file.
The Final Action Date for EB-2 India is November 1, 2013.
That means filing eligibility and final approval can occur at different stages.
The same concept applies throughout the employment-based charts.
October Changes for Family-Sponsored Categories
The October bulletin also establishes new family-sponsored cutoff dates.
Family-sponsored preference categories include F1, F2A, F2B, F3 and F4.
F2A covers certain spouses and unmarried children of permanent residents. F1 covers unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens. F2B covers unmarried adult children of permanent residents. F3 covers married children of U.S. citizens, while F4 covers siblings of adult U.S. citizens.
Each category has its own annual limits and country-specific allocations.
The October bulletin continues to distinguish between Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing for these categories.
Applicants should therefore identify their exact family preference category before comparing a priority date with the October tables.
Why Country of Chargeability Matters
Visa Bulletin dates do not apply identically to every applicant.
The tables separate countries with significant immigrant visa demand from the general worldwide column.
China, India, Mexico and the Philippines frequently have separate cutoff dates in major preference categories.
The country used for Visa Bulletin purposes generally relates to the applicant’s country of chargeability rather than simply the country where the person currently lives.
This distinction can change the applicable cutoff date.
Applicants should therefore avoid comparing their priority date with a general worldwide date if their case falls under a separate country column.
What Applicants Should Check Before Filing
The October changes make several checks particularly important.
Applicants should first identify their exact preference category. Next, they should confirm the applicable country column.
After that, they should compare their priority date with the October Dates for Filing chart.
For employment-based adjustment-of-status cases, USCIS has selected Dates for Filing for October.
Applicants should also compare the same priority date with the Final Action Date to understand whether a visa number is available for final approval.
A useful October checklist includes:
- Confirm the preference category.
- Confirm the country of chargeability.
- Locate the priority date.
- Check the October Dates for Filing cutoff.
- Check the October Final Action Date.
- Confirm USCIS’s October filing-chart selection.
- Review all other Form I-485 eligibility requirements before filing.
These steps help prevent confusion when the two charts show significantly different dates.
What the October 2026 Changes Mean for Applicants
The October bulletin does not move every category in the same direction.
India receives renewed availability in EB-2 and EB-5 unreserved, while EB-1 India also advances.
China sees substantial movement in several employment-based Dates for Filing categories. EB-2 China moves to January 1, 2023 for filing, and EB-3 China Professionals and Skilled Workers moves to April 1, 2024.
At the same time, EB-2 and EB-3 filing dates for many other countries move backward.
These differences reflect the way annual immigrant visa numbers are distributed and managed across preference categories and countries.
The beginning of fiscal year 2027 therefore creates new opportunities for some applicants while leaving others subject to significant backlogs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the biggest October 2026 Visa Bulletin changes?
The major changes include renewed EB-2 and EB-5 unreserved availability for India, advances for EB-1 India and several China categories, plus retrogression in several employment-based categories for other countries.
Can EB-2 India applicants file adjustment of status in October?
Eligible EB-2 India applicants whose priority dates are earlier than January 15, 2015 can generally use the October Dates for Filing cutoff to determine whether they may submit an adjustment application, assuming all other requirements are satisfied.
What is the October EB-2 India Final Action Date?
The October 2026 EB-2 India Final Action Date is November 1, 2013.
What is the October EB-5 India date?
The EB-5 unreserved Final Action Date for India is December 1, 2023. The Dates for Filing cutoff is May 1, 2024.
What is the October EB-1 India Final Action Date?
The EB-1 India Final Action Date is February 1, 2023.
Which chart will USCIS use for employment-based filings in October 2026?
USCIS will use the Dates for Filing chart for employment-based adjustment-of-status applications in October.
Does a filing date mean the green card will be approved?
No. Filing eligibility and final visa availability are separate. The Final Action Date controls when an immigrant visa can be issued or an eligible adjustment application can receive final approval.
Why did some employment-based dates move backward?
The State Department adjusted several dates to manage immigrant visa usage within the fiscal year’s available limits.
Are EB-5 set-aside categories current in October?
Yes. The Rural, High Unemployment and Infrastructure EB-5 set-aside categories are current for all countries in October.
Do October dates apply to the entire fiscal year?
No. Visa Bulletin cutoff dates can change from month to month. The October bulletin provides the applicable dates for that month, while later bulletins can introduce further advances, holds or retrogressions.
The October 2026 bulletin gives applicants a new starting point for fiscal year 2027, with particularly important developments for India and China and major differences between filing and final-action dates.
Keep checking your priority date against the latest October rules, and share your category and cutoff-date experience in the comments as the new fiscal year moves forward.