October 2026 Visa Bulletin: EB-2 India Returns

Index

• USCIS Filing Chart Guidance for October 2026
• Key Highlights from the October 2026 Bulletin
• Table A: Family-Based Final Action Dates
• Table B: Family-Based Dates for Filing
• Table A: Employment-Based Final Action Dates
• Table B: Employment-Based Dates for Filing
• Sources

The U.S. Department of State has published the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, the first bulletin of fiscal year 2027, and its most significant changes are in the Employment-Based preference system. EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India become available again, with Final Action Dates of November 1, 2013 and December 1, 2023. At the same time, EB-2 retrogresses from Current to January 1, 2025 for All Chargeability Areas, Mexico, and the Philippines, while EB-3 and EB-3 Other Workers move backward for All Chargeability Areas and Mexico. The Family-Sponsored charts are quieter: the All Chargeability Areas and China Final Action Dates hold at their September levels in F1, F2B, F3, and F4, F2A advances by one month, and several Mexico and Philippines columns move forward. Whether this creates a filing or approval opportunity depends on your preference category, country of chargeability, priority date, and the chart USCIS permits you to use.

The October 2026 Visa Bulletin establishes the monthly cutoffs used in family and employment-based immigrant visa cases for the first month of FY 2027.

USCIS Filing Chart Guidance for October 2026

The Department of State publishes both Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing, but USCIS makes the separate monthly decision that controls Form I-485 filings inside the United States. The October bulletin states the default rule: adjustment applicants must rely on the Final Action Dates unless USCIS affirmatively allows one or both groups to use the Dates for Filing chart. That decision matters more than usual this month, because several Employment-Based filing cutoffs moved sharply in both directions.

• Family-Sponsored applicants: use Final Action Dates unless the USCIS filing-charts page authorizes Dates for Filing for October.
• Employment-Based applicants: use Final Action Dates unless USCIS publishes an October selection permitting Dates for Filing.

Your priority date generally must be earlier than the cutoff in the chart USCIS has selected, and you must independently qualify to adjust status. Once a Form I-485 is properly accepted, many applicants may also request Employment Authorization (EAD) and Advance Parole (AP) while the case remains pending. Applicants processing abroad follow a different path: the National Visa Center uses the Dates for Filing chart to invite document submission, while visa issuance still depends on the Final Action Dates. Check the official USCIS filing-charts page immediately before filing. Our analysis of the 2026 adjustment of status policy discusses additional issues that may affect a pending or planned I-485.

Key Highlights from the October 2026 Bulletin

The month-to-month changes below compare October with September and separate approval cutoffs from document-submission cutoffs. For last month's movement, see our September 2026 immigration bulletin.

Family-Sponsored, Table A (Final Action Dates)

• F1 (All Areas, China, India): January 22, 2020 (no change); Mexico: September 8, 2008 (advanced about 8 months 1 week); Philippines: November 1, 2013 (advanced 6 months)
• F2A (All Areas, China, India, Philippines): September 22, 2026 (advanced 1 month); Mexico: March 22, 2026 (advanced 7 months)
• F2B (All Areas, China, India): August 22, 2019 (no change); Mexico: May 15, 2010 (advanced 15 months); Philippines: October 1, 2013 (advanced 4 months)
• F3 (All Areas, China, India): October 22, 2014 (no change); Mexico: July 1, 2001 (no change); Philippines: July 22, 2006 (advanced 5 months)
• F4 (All Areas, China): October 22, 2011 (no change); India: December 15, 2006 (advanced about 1 month 2 weeks); Mexico: April 22, 2001 (advanced 2 weeks); Philippines: May 15, 2008 (advanced about 8 months 3 weeks)

October again uses a two-part F2A allocation. Numbers exempt from the per-country limit are available to applicants from all countries whose priority dates are earlier than March 22, 2026. Numbers subject to the per-country limit are available to applicants chargeable to countries other than Mexico with priority dates beginning March 22, 2026 and earlier than September 22, 2026. Every F2A number allocated to Mexico comes from the exempt portion, which is why the seven-month move in the exempt cutoff, from August 22, 2025 to March 22, 2026, carries the Mexico F2A date forward by the same amount.

Family-Sponsored, Table B (Dates for Filing)

• F1 shows no movement in any country column; All Areas, China, and India remain at February 1, 2020
• F2A remains Current in every country column
• F2B (All Areas, China, India): September 1, 2019 (no change); Mexico: March 22, 2011 (advanced about 10 months 1 week); Philippines: October 1, 2014 (advanced 12 months)
• F3 (All Areas, China, India): November 1, 2014 (no change); Mexico: December 1, 2002 (advanced about 16 months 2 weeks); Philippines: October 22, 2006 (advanced about 2 months 2 weeks)
• F4 (All Areas, China): November 1, 2011 (no change); India: February 1, 2007 (advanced about 1 month 2 weeks); Philippines: March 22, 2009 (advanced 12 months); Mexico remains at April 30, 2001

Applicants in the family-preference categories can review our family-based green card services page for an overview of I-130 petitions, adjustment of status, consular processing, and sponsorship options.

Employment-Based, Table A (Final Action Dates)

• EB-1 remains Current except for China, which stays at July 1, 2023, and India, which advances about 3 months 2 weeks to February 1, 2023.
• EB-2 retrogresses from Current to January 1, 2025 for All Chargeability Areas, Mexico, and the Philippines; China advances 1 month to October 1, 2021, and India returns from Unavailable with a cutoff of November 1, 2013.
• EB-3 retrogresses about 3 months 2 weeks to May 15, 2024 for All Chargeability Areas and Mexico; China advances 1 week to January 8, 2022, the Philippines advances 2 weeks to August 15, 2023, and India remains at January 1, 2014.
• EB-3 Other Workers retrogresses 3 months to January 1, 2022 for All Chargeability Areas and Mexico; China advances 5 months to October 1, 2019, the Philippines advances 1 month to January 1, 2022, and India remains at January 1, 2014.
• EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers show no movement and remain at December 15, 2022 for every listed country.
• EB-5 Unreserved India returns from Unavailable with a cutoff of December 1, 2023; China remains December 1, 2016, and all three set-aside categories remain Current.

Applicants comparing employment-based green card options should evaluate both the petition category and the visa-availability chart that controls the final residence step.

Employment-Based, Table B (Dates for Filing)

• EB-1 China and India advance 7 months to July 1, 2024; all other columns remain Current.
• EB-2 moves from Current to March 15, 2026 for All Chargeability Areas, Mexico, and the Philippines; China advances 12 months to January 1, 2023, while India remains at January 15, 2015.
• EB-3 moves from Current to August 1, 2024 for All Chargeability Areas and Mexico; China advances about 26 months 3 weeks to April 1, 2024, while India and the Philippines are unchanged.
• EB-3 Other Workers retrogresses 2 months to June 1, 2022 for All Chargeability Areas, Mexico, and the Philippines; China advances 12 months to October 1, 2020.
• EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers advance 24 months to January 1, 2025 for every listed country.
• EB-5 Unreserved China advances 48 months to March 1, 2021; India remains at May 1, 2024, and all set-aside filing categories remain Current.

Retrogression Notes & FY 2027 Outlook

The October bulletin carries three notes that shape planning for the new fiscal year:

• Rest of World retrogression: the Department advanced dates in various categories with the arrival of FY 2027 numbers, but it retrogressed certain Employment-Based categories for Rest of World countries to keep issuances within FY 2027 quarterly and annual limits.
• Certain Religious Workers (SR): H.R. 6500, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, signed on September 2, 2026, extends the SR category through December 11, 2026. SR cases remain subject to the same cutoffs as the other EB-4 categories.
• EB-3 Other Workers: the NACARA-related reduction to the annual Other Workers limit will be limited to approximately 150 numbers in FY 2027.

Unlike the September bulletin, which reported finalized FY 2026 limits, the October bulletin lists the statutory baseline figures: 226,000 for Family-Sponsored preferences and at least 140,000 for Employment-Based preferences. On that basis, the per-country limit is 25,620 and the dependent-area limit is 7,320. The Department sets the final annual limits once USCIS supplies the data required under INA Section 201; the FY 2026 determination was reported in the September bulletin.

Because October opens a new fiscal year, the published cutoffs reflect a fresh supply of visa numbers, but they are not a guarantee of steady forward movement. The Department states that it continues to monitor demand and will make adjustments as needed, so further retrogression or advancement remains possible in the coming months. SR applicants should also track the December 11, 2026 end date closely, because continued access to the category after that date depends on further action by Congress.

Table A: Family-Based Final Action Dates

F1

F2A

F2B

F3

F4

Table B: Family-Based Dates for Filing

F1

F2A

F2B

F3

F4

Table A: Employment-Based Final Action Dates

EB-1

EB-2

EB-3

EB-3 Other Workers

EB-4

EB-4 Certain Religious Workers

EB-5 Unreserved

EB-5 Set Aside Rural

EB-5 Set Aside High Unemployment

EB-5 Set Aside Infrastructure

Table B: Employment-Based Dates for Filing

EB-1

EB-2

EB-3

EB-3 Other Workers

EB-4

EB-4 Certain Religious Workers

EB-5 Unreserved

EB-5 Set Aside Rural

EB-5 Set Aside High Unemployment

EB-5 Set Aside Infrastructure

October opens FY 2027 with a sharp split between country columns. EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India regain visa availability and China gains in several Employment-Based categories, while All Chargeability Areas and Mexico face retrogression in EB-2, EB-3, and EB-3 Other Workers, and the Philippines is affected in EB-2. On the Family-Sponsored side, September's large worldwide gains hold steady, and the Mexico and Philippines columns advance in several categories. Before submitting an application or making decisions about work or travel, confirm the USCIS chart selection and compare your exact priority date with the correct category and country column.

Sources

1. Visa Bulletin for October 2026, U.S. Department of State, September 4, 2026.
2. Visa Bulletin for September 2026, U.S. Department of State, August 10, 2026.
3. Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
4. The Visa Bulletin, U.S. Department of State.
5. H.R. 6500, Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 (Public Law 119-103), Congress.gov, September 2, 2026.
6. Congressional Bill H.R. 6500 Signed into Law, The White House, September 2, 2026.