The October 2026 Visa Bulletin delivers a sharply divided picture for employment-based green card applicants.
China gets some of the biggest jumps seen in months. China’s EB-3 Dates for Filing moves forward to April 1, 2024, more than two years ahead of the previous cutoff. China EB-5 Unreserved also jumps four years, to March 1, 2021.
India gets a more complicated result. EB-2 becomes available again under the Final Action Dates chart, while EB-1 moves forward. But India’s EB-2 and EB-3 Dates for Filing remain stuck at January 15, 2015.
For applicants from most other countries, the picture is different. EB-2 and EB-3 filing dates move backward from their previous positions.
There is also an important filing opportunity in October: USCIS is allowing employment-based adjustment-of-status applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart this month.
USCIS is using the more generous filing chart in October
The distinction between the two Visa Bulletin charts matters.
The Dates for Filing chart determines when an eligible applicant can submit an adjustment-of-status application when USCIS designates that chart for use.
The Final Action Dates chart controls when the green card itself can be approved.
For October 2026, USCIS is allowing employment-based applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart. That means some applicants can file Form I-485 even though their priority date is not yet current for final approval. See also: Green Card Pending? The 10-Day Rule That Must Be Followed.
The filing cutoff is also strict. A priority date must be earlier than the listed date. If the chart says January 15, 2015, a priority date of January 14, 2015 qualifies, while January 15, 2015 does not.
This is a monthly decision. USCIS can designate a different chart in November.
China gets the biggest October jumps
China is where the October bulletin gets dramatic.
For EB-3 professionals and skilled workers, China’s Dates for Filing moves to April 1, 2024. The previous cutoff was January 1, 2022, so the filing date moves forward by more than two years.
China’s EB-2 Dates for Filing also advances one year, from January 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023.
And China’s EB-5 Unreserved Dates for Filing jumps four years, from March 1, 2017 to March 1, 2021.
China’s EB-1 Dates for Filing also advances seven months, reaching July 1, 2024.
But there is an important catch.
The Final Action Dates have not moved nearly as far.
China’s October Final Action Date is:
- EB-1: July 1, 2023
- EB-2: October 1, 2021
- EB-3: January 8, 2022
- EB-5 Unreserved: December 1, 2016
So a Chinese applicant who becomes eligible to file under the October Dates for Filing chart does not automatically have a green card approval available. The priority date still has to become current under the Final Action Dates chart before USCIS can approve the adjustment.
India gets a second chance in EB-2
India’s October numbers are more complicated.
The big change is in EB-2 Final Action Dates.
India’s EB-2 Final Action Date is now November 1, 2013. The category had become unavailable at the end of fiscal year 2026 after the State Department reported that all available FY2026 EB-2 numbers for India had been used. The new fiscal year began October 1, bringing a new allocation of visa numbers. See also: H-1B Lottery Has a New Rule: Your Salary Could Now Decide Your Odds.
India’s EB-1 Final Action Date also advances to February 1, 2023.
But the filing chart tells a different story.
India’s October Dates for Filing remain:
- EB-1: July 1, 2024
- EB-2: January 15, 2015
- EB-3: January 15, 2015
- EB-5 Unreserved: May 1, 2024
So an Indian applicant with an EB-2 or EB-3 priority date after January 15, 2015 does not gain a new October I-485 filing window from those categories.
Rest of World gets pushed backward
The biggest negative change is for several categories covering applicants from countries that are not separately listed in the Visa Bulletin.
For EB-2, the Dates for Filing cutoff for Rest of World, Mexico and the Philippines moves back to March 15, 2026.
The EB-2 Final Action Date is now January 1, 2025.
For EB-3 professionals and skilled workers, the Dates for Filing cutoff for Rest of World and Mexico moves back to August 1, 2024. The Final Action Date moves back to May 15, 2024.
The State Department says these retrogressions are necessary to keep visa issuances within the fiscal year 2027 quarterly and annual limits.
That means an applicant who was expecting continued forward movement cannot simply assume that September’s position carries into October.
The strange part: filing can still be possible even after a retrogression
This is where October’s bulletin gets confusing.
Take an EB-2 applicant from Rest of World.
The October Dates for Filing cutoff is March 15, 2026.
But the October Final Action Date is January 1, 2025.
Because USCIS is using Dates for Filing in October, an eligible applicant with a priority date earlier than March 15, 2026 may be able to file Form I-485.
But the green card cannot be approved until the priority date is also current under the Final Action Dates chart.
So filing and approval can be separated by more than a year.
That distinction is particularly important this month because the two charts have moved in different directions.
Philippines remains relatively stable in EB-3
The Philippines did not see the same EB-3 filing-date reversal.
The October EB-3 Dates for Filing cutoff is January 1, 2024, unchanged from September.
The Final Action Date advances to August 15, 2023.
EB-2 Philippines, however, moves to a March 15, 2026 filing cutoff and a January 1, 2025 Final Action Date.
EB-5 set-asides remain current
The three EB-5 set-aside categories remain Current for all countries:
- Rural projects
- High-unemployment projects
- Infrastructure projects
That is different from the EB-5 Unreserved category, where country-specific cutoffs continue to apply. China’s EB-5 Unreserved filing date, for example, moves to March 1, 2021, while India’s remains May 1, 2024.
October 2026 green card dates at a glance
| Category | Country | Dates for Filing | Final Action Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | China | July 1, 2024 | July 1, 2023 |
| EB-1 | India | July 1, 2024 | February 1, 2023 |
| EB-2 | China | January 1, 2023 | October 1, 2021 |
| EB-2 | India | January 15, 2015 | November 1, 2013 |
| EB-2 | Rest of World | March 15, 2026 | January 1, 2025 |
| EB-3 | China | April 1, 2024 | January 8, 2022 |
| EB-3 | India | January 15, 2015 | January 1, 2014 |
| EB-3 | Philippines | January 1, 2024 | August 15, 2023 |
| EB-3 | Rest of World | August 1, 2024 | May 15, 2024 |
| EB-5 Unreserved | China | March 1, 2021 | December 1, 2016 |
| EB-5 Unreserved | India | May 1, 2024 | December 1, 2023 |
| EB-5 Set-Asides | All countries | Current | Current |
The dates above come from the State Department’s October 2026 Visa Bulletin.
Why October looks so different
October 1 marks the start of fiscal year 2027.
That means a new annual supply of employment-based immigrant visa numbers becomes available. The State Department says this allowed movement in several categories, while some Rest of World categories had to be retrogressed to keep visa issuances within the new fiscal year’s quarterly and annual limits.
That is why the October bulletin looks unusually uneven.
China gets major advances in several filing categories.
India sees selected advances and the reopening of EB-2 Final Action Dates.
Meanwhile, several EB-2 and EB-3 cutoffs for other countries move backward.
What applicants should check now
The first question is not simply whether the October date moved forward or backward.
It is whether the priority date is earlier than the applicable Dates for Filing cutoff for the applicant’s category and country of chargeability.
For employment-based applicants inside the United States, October is also a month to check whether USCIS’s Dates for Filing designation creates a new I-485 filing opportunity.
But filing an I-485 is not the same as getting a green card.
The Final Action Date still controls approval. And because USCIS makes its chart selection month by month, an applicant should not assume that the October filing window will remain open in November.
For applicants whose dates moved backward, the change can be just as important. A case that appeared close to filing or approval under a previous bulletin may now face a different cutoff.
The October bulletin is therefore not simply a story about dates moving forward.
It is a story about who gets a new filing window, who gets pushed back, and who can actually get a green card approved right now.
