The October 2026 Visa Bulletin is now published, and USCIS has selected Dates for Filing for both employment-based and family-sponsored preference adjustment applications this month. That replaces the uncertainty described in this page's earlier September preview with an actual current filing chart.
For EB-2 India, October's filing cutoff is January 15, 2015, while the final-action cutoff is November 1, 2013. For EB-2 applicants in the all-other-chargeability column, including most Turkish-born applicants, the filing cutoff is March 15, 2026 and the final-action cutoff is January 1, 2025. A priority date must be earlier than the applicable listed date.
Filing and Final Approval Are Separate Steps
The Dates for Filing chart determines the numerical filing window when USCIS selects it for adjustment applications. The Final Action Dates chart addresses availability for final approval or immigrant-visa issuance. It is possible to meet the first threshold without meeting the second, which is why a single statement that an applicant is current can be misleading without naming the chart.
For an EB-2 India example, a priority date in 2014 is earlier than the January 15, 2015 filing cutoff but later than the November 1, 2013 final-action cutoff. That illustrates a possible numerical filing opportunity without current final-action availability. It does not establish that the person satisfies every other requirement to file Form I-485.
Selected October Employment Dates
The October final-action chart lists EB-2 China at October 1, 2021 and its filing chart at January 1, 2023. EB-3 India has a final-action cutoff of January 1, 2014 and a filing cutoff of January 15, 2015. In the all-other-chargeability column, EB-3 final action is May 15, 2024, while filing is August 1, 2024.
These selected entries do not replace the complete bulletin. A reader must identify the correct preference category and chargeability area before comparing a date. Different EB-5 subcategories and the other-worker category have separate rows. A date from a neighboring row or a different country can produce the wrong answer even when copied accurately.
Why the New Fiscal Year Does Not Remove Backlogs
October begins fiscal year 2027, but the annual and category limits still apply. The State Department explains that new numbers allowed advancement in various categories while some rest-of-world employment categories retrogressed to keep issuance within quarterly and annual limits. A new fiscal year therefore does not guarantee that every cutoff will advance.
The bulletin also explains that a category can become unavailable if its annual limit is reached. Later movement depends on demand and allocations. The agency's published chart is the operative monthly information; a forecast, an earlier preview or a social-media estimate cannot establish a filing right for a future month.
Clinch Law Legal Analysis
What NIW Applicants Should Check
A national interest waiver is a route within EB-2, not a separate visa-number category in the bulletin. An approved I-140 does not itself establish that a visa number is available for a green card. The applicant must still use the appropriate EB-2 row and country column and examine the separate filing and final-action dates.
The practical document review begins with the priority date and the actual classification in the underlying record. It then turns to the person's eligibility for adjustment or consular processing. A numerical opening does not automatically grant employment authorization, travel permission or permission to disregard the conditions of an existing status.
USCIS Filing and Consular Processing
USCIS's October chart selection concerns adjustment applications filed in the United States. The bulletin separately describes when immigrant-visa applicants may assemble and submit documents to the National Visa Center after receiving its instructions. Being able to send documents is not a guarantee of an interview appointment or visa issuance at a consulate.
Applicants should keep the route clear when planning. An employer or family member discussing a case should identify whether the next step is an underlying classification, adjustment filing, National Visa Center document submission or final approval. Those steps can have different requirements even though each is loosely described as a green-card application.
Read the Symbols and Dates Carefully
C means the category is current; U means numbers are not authorized for issuance. A printed cutoff is an earlier-than test, so a priority date exactly equal to the cutoff is not earlier. The bulletin uses day-month-year abbreviations, and confusing the day and month can produce a filing error.
Check both official pages again before submission: the State Department bulletin for the dates and USCIS for the selected filing chart. This article was updated against the October sources on October 5, 2026. It explains the current window without forecasting a guaranteed advancement or completion date for an individual case.
Sources
- https://www.fragomen.com/insights/united-states-october-2026-visa-bulletin-significant-advancements-for-china-while-worldwide-eb-2-and-eb-3-retrogress-uscis-to-honor-dates-for-filing.html
- https://www.aila.org/library/visa-bulletin-for-october-2026
- https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2027/visa-bulletin-for-october-2026.html
- https://www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo
This article provides general information and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration outcomes depend on individual facts and current law.
For someone waiting to file a green-card application, October's useful question is whether the priority date is earlier than the correct Dates for Filing cutoff. USCIS selected that chart this month. An EB-2 India applicant must therefore distinguish the January 15, 2015 filing cutoff from the November 1, 2013 final-action cutoff. Meeting the first may open the numerical filing window, while meeting the second concerns final approval. Neither comparison removes the need to establish the rest of the person's adjustment eligibility.
That distinction changes planning: preparing a complete filing may be worthwhile even when final approval is not yet available, but the bulletin itself does not grant work authorization or travel permission. Those depend on separate rules and approvals. The start of a new fiscal year also does not guarantee that every category moves forward; October includes retrogression in some worldwide employment categories. Families and employers should plan around the actual current chart and their documents, with a fresh check before submission, rather than a prediction that next month's dates will necessarily improve.
Questions Clients Are Asking#
Which chart should I use to file in October?
USCIS selected Dates for Filing for October 2026 family and employment preference adjustment applications. Use the correct category and chargeability column, with a priority date earlier than its cutoff unless it is current. This answers the numerical filing question, not every other requirement for adjustment or the separate question of final approval.
Does a current filing date mean immediate approval?
No. The filing chart and Final Action Dates serve different functions. For example, EB-2 India has an October filing cutoff of January 15, 2015 and a final-action cutoff of November 1, 2013. A case can meet the former without the latter, and final approval still requires all other eligibility requirements and an available number.
Does an NIW approval avoid the EB-2 backlog?
The bulletin does not create a separate numerical queue for national interest waiver cases. An NIW applicant in EB-2 must use the EB-2 chart for the applicable chargeability area. Approval of the underlying classification and availability of an immigrant visa number remain distinct questions, and an approved case does not itself guarantee immediate adjustment.