The October 2026 Visa Bulletin brings major gains for some green card applicants as new visa numbers become available for fiscal year 2027. The biggest changes affect employment-based applicants from India. However, some categories for applicants from most other countries moved backward as the State Department sought to keep visa use within annual limits.
India’s EB-2 category reopened after being unavailable in September. Its October final action date is November 1, 2013, meaning applicants with earlier priority dates may again be eligible for final approval. Unreserved EB-5 visas for India also reopened, with a final action date of December 1, 2023.
EB-1 India advanced from October 15, 2022, to February 1, 2023. China’s dates for filing of employment-based visa applications posted major gains. EB-3 advanced from January 8, 2022, to April 1, 2024, while unreserved EB-5 moved from March 1, 2017, to March 1, 2021.
But EB-2's final action dates for filing for most countries, Mexico and the Philippines changed from Current to January 1, 2025. EB-3's final action dates for filing for most countries and Mexico moved backward from September 1, 2024, to May 15, 2024. F2A final action dates advanced from August 22 to September 22, 2026, for most countries.
Mexico moved from August 22, 2025, to March 22, 2026. Other notable gains included F2B Mexico, which advanced to May 15, 2010, and F4 Philippines, which moved to May 15, 2008. Applicants must have priority dates earlier than the listed cutoff.
Those applying inside the United States should also check which October chart USCIS has authorized before filing. This is a developing story. Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to help produce this story.
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