United States: October 2026 Visa Bulletin – Significant Advancements for China While Worldwide EB-2 and EB-3 Retrogress; USCIS to Honor Dates for Filing

According to the State Department’s October Visa Bulletin, most cut-off dates for China will advance significantly, while India cut-off dates will advance or remain unchanged. EB-2 and EB-3 cut-off dates for most other countries of the world will retrogress, with the State Department indicating that these retrogressions are necessary to keep immigrant visa numbers usage within fiscal year quarterly and annual limits.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced on its own Visa Bulletin-related web page that the agency will accept employment-based adjustment of status applications based on the Visa Bulletin Dates for Filing chart in October.

The Dates for Filing cutoff dates govern when a foreign national may be eligible to submit an adjustment of status application to USCIS. To be eligible to file an employment-based adjustment application in October, foreign nationals must have a priority date that is earlier than the Date for Filing listed for their preference category and country below:

• EB-1: China and India will advance seven months, to July 1, 2024. All other countries will continue to be current.
• EB-2: China will advance one year, to January 1, 2023, and India will remain at January 15, 2015. All other countries will retrogress six and one-half months, to March 15, 2026.
• EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers: China will advance almost two years and three months, to April 1, 2024. India and Philippines will remain unchanged, at January 15, 2015 and January 1, 2024, respectively. All other countries will retrogress two years and two months, to August 1, 2024.
• EB-5: For the EB-5 Unreserved categories, China will advance four years, to March 1, 2021, and India will remain at May 1, 2024. All other countries will remain current. The EB-5 set-aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure) will also remain current.

 

Under the October Bulletin, Final Action cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa or approval of an adjustment of status application will be as follows: 

• EB-1: China will remain at July 1, 2023, and India will advance three and one-half months, to February 1, 2023.  All other countries will continue to be current.
• EB-2: China will advance one month, to October 1, 2021, and India will become available again, moving ahead two months from its most recent cut-off date, to November 1, 2013. All other countries will retrogress by one year and nine months, to January 1, 2025.
• EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers: China will advance one week, to January 8, 2022, India will remain at January 1, 2014, and Philippines will advance two weeks, to August 15, 2023. All other countries will retrogress three and one-half months, to May 15, 2024.
• EB-5: For the EB-5 Unreserved categories, China will remain at December 1, 2016, and India will become available again, moving ahead one year and seven months from its most recent cut-off date, to December 1, 2023. All other countries will remain current. The EB-5 set-aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure) will also remain current.