September 2026 Visa Bulletin: F-3 Final Action Date Moved 29 Months

Index

• USCIS Filing Chart Guidance for September 2026
• Key Highlights from the September 2026 Bulletin
• Employment-Based, Table A (Final Action Dates)
• 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 September 2026 Visa Bulletin, and its most significant changes are in the Family-Sponsored preference system. F1, F2B, and F3 Final Action Dates advance by more than a year in the worldwide, China, and India columns. F4 moves ahead by more than two years in the worldwide and China columns, while F2A advances by one month. The Employment-Based charts are far quieter: only EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers advance, both by two months. EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, and EB-5 Final Action Dates remain unchanged, and EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India are still Unavailable. 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 September 2026 Visa Bulletin establishes the monthly cutoffs used in family and employment-based immigrant visa cases.

USCIS Filing Chart Guidance for September 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 September 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. For that reason, the existence of a later date in Table B does not by itself mean that an I-485 may be submitted.

• Family-Sponsored applicants: use Final Action Dates unless the USCIS filing-charts page authorizes Dates for Filing for September.
• Employment-Based applicants: use Final Action Dates unless USCIS publishes a September 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. 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 September 2026 Bulletin

The month-to-month changes below compare September with August and separate approval cutoffs from document-submission cutoffs.

Family-Sponsored, Table A (Final Action Dates)

• F1 (All Areas, China, India): January 22, 2020 (advanced about 13 months 1 week); Mexico: January 1, 2008 (advanced 1 month)
• F2A (All Areas, China, India, Philippines): August 22, 2026 (advanced 1 month); Mexico: August 22, 2025 (also advanced 1 month)
• F2B (All Areas, China, India): August 22, 2019 (advanced about 19 months 3 weeks)
• F3 (All Areas, China, India): October 22, 2014 (advanced about 29 months 1 week)
• F4 (All Areas, China): October 22, 2011 (advanced about 25 months 3 weeks); Philippines: August 22, 2007 (advanced 3 weeks)

September 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 August 22, 2025. Numbers subject to the per-country limit are available to applicants chargeable to countries other than Mexico with priority dates beginning August 22, 2025 and earlier than August 22, 2026. Every F2A number allocated to Mexico comes from the exempt portion.

Family-Sponsored, Table B (Dates for Filing)

• F1 (All Areas, China, India): February 1, 2020 (advanced about 7 months 2 weeks)
• F2A remains Current in every country column
• F2B (All Areas, China, India): September 1, 2019 (advanced 8 months)
• F3 (All Areas, China, India): November 1, 2014 (advanced 20 months)
• F4 (All Areas, China): November 1, 2011 (advanced about 16 months 1 week)

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 is unchanged in every column; China remains July 1, 2023, and India remains October 15, 2022.
• EB-2 is unchanged; China remains September 1, 2021, while India remains Unavailable.
• EB-3 and EB-3 Other Workers show no movement from August in any listed chargeability area.
• EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers advance by 2 months to December 15, 2022 for every listed country.
• EB-5 Unreserved does not move; India remains Unavailable, 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)

• No Employment-Based Dates for Filing changed between August and September 2026.
• All EB-5 set-aside filing categories remain Current, while the country-specific cutoffs in EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, Other Workers, and EB-5 Unreserved remain exactly where they were in August.

Retrogression Alerts & Fiscal-Year Outlook

The September bulletin carries three late-fiscal-year warnings for Employment-Based applicants:

• EB-1 India: continued demand may force the category to become Unavailable in the coming weeks if India reaches its pro-rated limit before September 30.
• EB-2: the Department may need to retrogress a Final Action Date or make the category Unavailable before the fiscal year closes.
• EB-5 Unreserved: increased demand may likewise require retrogression or an Unavailable designation before the end of FY 2026.

The Department of State also finalized the FY 2026 numerical limits: 226,000 for Family-Sponsored preferences and 186,317 for Employment-Based preferences. The standard per-country limit is 28,862, and the dependent-area limit is 8,247. After including the specified EB-5 carryover numbers, those figures become 29,136 and 8,325.

Because September is the final month of the fiscal year, a published cutoff is not a guarantee that a visa number will remain available through September 30. The Department warns that additional demand, policy changes, or annual and per-country limits may still produce retrogression or an immediate Unavailable designation.

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

September delivers substantial forward movement for many family-preference applicants, particularly in F2B, F3, F4, and F1. The Employment-Based side is almost completely unchanged apart from the two-month EB-4 advance, and the warnings affecting EB-1 India, EB-2, and EB-5 Unreserved make end-of-year timing especially sensitive. 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 September 2026, U.S. Department of State, August 10, 2026.
2. Visa Bulletin for August 2026, U.S. Department of State, July 15, 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. Presidential Proclamation 10998, The White House, December 2025.
6. Presidential Proclamation 10949, The White House, June 2025.