The U.S. Department of State has released the September 2026 Visa Bulletin, closing out Fiscal Year 2026 with one of the most dramatic splits between family-sponsored and employment-based immigration categories in recent memory.
The September 2026 bulletin is the last one of fiscal year 2026, and it pulled in two directions at once: family final action dates surged, while employment dates barely moved at all.
For family-sponsored applicants who have waited years — and in some cases, decades — this bulletin brings extraordinary news. For employment-based applicants, particularly Indian nationals, it is a far more sobering picture.
Family-Sponsored Categories: Historic Gains
Family categories got their largest month of the fiscal year. F3 gained 29 months, F4 nearly 26, F2B close to 20, and F1 more than 13 — beating August, which was already the family record for FY2026.
Here is how the key family-sponsored Final Action Dates moved for most countries (Worldwide, China, India):
- F1 (Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens):
- F2A (Spouses and Minor Children of LPRs):
- F2B (Unmarried Adult Sons and Daughters of LPRs):
- F3 (Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens):
- F4 (Brothers and Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens):
F3 and F4 are the two longest family queues, and they have spent years crawling forward a month at a time. This month F3 jumped from May 2012 to October 2014, and F4 from September 2009 to October 2011. If you filed an I-130 for a sibling in 2010 or 2011, your date may have gone from years away to available in a single bulletin.
Why the Family Surge?
The Department of State attributes the movement to reduced immigrant visa issuance for nationals of certain countries under Administration policies affecting visa processing. To maximize use of available FY 2026 visa numbers, DOS has advanced Final Action Dates and, in some categories, Dates for Filing.
Section C of the bulletin says immigrant visa issuance rates dropped in FY 2026 because of policies in place since January 2025 and because some posts have had limited or suspended visa operations.
In other words, because fewer visas were actually being issued at overseas consular posts, DOS pushed dates forward aggressively to try to use up allotted visa numbers before the fiscal year expires.
Unfortunately, movement of September dates may have come much too late, since the September processing capacity at consular posts may be insufficient to fully utilize the required numbers to reach the annual limits.
Employment-Based Categories: A Frozen Landscape
While family categories celebrated, the employment-based side of the bulletin paints an altogether different picture.
The EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, and EB-5 Final Action Dates remain unchanged in September.
EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers final action dates advanced by two months, to December 15, 2022, for all countries. It was the only employment-based movement across the entire September 2026 Visa Bulletin.
Key employment-based Final Action Dates for September include:
- EB-1 India:
- EB-2 India:
- EB-3 India:
- EB-5 Unreserved:
Critical End-of-Year Warnings
Perhaps the most consequential aspect of this bulletin is the series of warnings from the State Department about potential mid-month unavailability.
According to the agency, EB-1 India may become unavailable in the coming weeks due to high demand and use of immigrant visa numbers in that category. Also, the EB-2 and EB-5 unreserved categories may retrogress or become unavailable before the end of September due to sustained demand and increased immigrant visa number use.
September adds a section absent from August: DOS may retrogress or make the EB-5 unreserved category Unavailable before the fiscal year ends. When the Visa Office adds a category-specific warning in the final month, it is rarely precautionary boilerplate.
The State Department has also warned that the EB-2 category could be retrogressed or made unavailable before September 30 if demand and number use continue to rise. The warning applies beyond India.
FY 2026 Numerical Limits
The Department of State confirmed the final FY-2026 numerical limits: 226,000 family-sponsored preference visas and 186,317 employment-based preference visas.
The August bulletin recited only the minimum baseline of "at least 140,000." September confirms the actual annual limit at 186,317 — roughly 46,000 visas above the floor. The bonus approximately 46,000 visas exist because unused family-sponsored green cards from Fiscal Year 2025 automatically rolled over into the employment-based pool.
Which Chart to Use in September
USCIS determined that, for September 2026, applicants in all family-sponsored preference categories must use the Dates for Filing chart, while applicants in all employment-based preference categories must use the Final Action Dates chart.
Practical Implications: What Applicants Should Do Now
Family-sponsored applicants who are newly current should act immediately. Given the extraordinary forward movement, many applicants whose priority dates were previously years away may now be eligible to file. However, applicants should be mindful that the September 30 fiscal year deadline is firm, and consular processing capacity may be limited.
Employment-based applicants, particularly those in the EB-1 India, EB-2, and EB-5 Unreserved categories, face urgent timelines.
Adjustment applicants with current priority dates should file before any retrogression; September availability is not guaranteed through month-end.
EB-2 India applicants should understand that the "unavailable" designation reflects annual-limit exhaustion rather than a permanent shift.
EB-2 India reopens in October. The current "U" reflects annual-limit exhaustion, not a demand-driven retrogression. October 1 resets the counter with FY2027 numbers, and DOS is expected to publish a date rather than carry the unavailability forward.
Fiscal year 2026 ends on September 30, 2026. New annual visa numbers generally become available on October 1, 2026, when fiscal year 2027 begins. Dates may change, sometimes significantly, when a new fiscal year starts.
All applicants — whether family-sponsored or employment-based — should consult with an experienced immigration attorney to evaluate their options before the fiscal year closes. The October 2026 Visa Bulletin, which will mark the start of FY 2027, is expected to be released in the second half of September and could bring significant date resets across multiple categories.