After much delay, the State Department published the October 2026 visa bulletin only two days before the Financial Year 2026 ends, creating a lot of confusion among immigration experts. This is the first visa bulletin for FY 2027, and immigration attorneys said they found it most disappointing. October visa bulletin resets the number of Green Cards as fresh slots are available at the beginning of the fiscal year and the unused numbers of visa also pass on to the next fiscal year. But no such indication was offered in the October 2026 visa bulletin and experts said the department might still be in the process of calculating the spillovers and more numbers would probably be added in the next bulletins.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
Immigration attorney Rahul Reddy said the department might get a clearer picture of spillovers by November. But without this, this remains the most disappointing October visa bulletin, he said.
EB-1: The EB1 cutoff date for India advances to February 1, 2023. China’s cutoff date remains July 1, 2023. EB1 remains current for all other countries of chargeability.
EB-2: EB-2 became unavailable for India in September as all Green Cards were used up. The only good news is that Eb-2 India is again available, with a final action cutoff date on November 1, 2013. China’s cutoff date advances to October 1, 2021. The category retrogresses from the current to January 1, 2025 for all other countries of chargeability, including Mexico and the Philippines.
EB-3: For EB3 skilled workers and professionals, the cutoff date retrogresses to May 15, 2024 for all countries of chargeability except China, India, and the Philippines. China’s date advances to January 8, 2022, India’s remains at.January 1, 2014, and the Philippines’ advances to August 15, 2023.
EB-5: The EB-5 unreserved category for India is again available, with a final action cutoff date of December 1, 2023. China’s unreserved cutoff date remains December 1, 2016. Unreserved EB5 is current for all other countries of chargeability. The rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure set-aside categories remain current for all countries.
Dates for Filing for October 2026
EB-1
China: July 1, 2024
India: July 1, 2024
All other countries: Current
EB-2
China: January 1, 2023
India: January 15, 2015
All other countries: March 15, 2026
EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers
China: April 1, 2024
India: January 15, 2015
Philippines: January 1, 2024
All other countries: August 1, 2024
EB-3 Other Workers
China: October 1, 2020
India: January 15, 2015
All other countries: June 1, 2022
EB-4
All countries: January 1, 2025
EB-5 Unreserved (Regional Center and Non-Regional Center)
China: March 1, 2021
India: May 1, 2024
All other countries: Current
EB-5 Set-Asides
Rural: Current for all countries
High Unemployment: Current for all countries
Infrastructure: Current for all countries
Final Action Dates for October 2026
EB-1
China: July 1, 2023
India: February 1, 2023
All other countries: Current
EB-2
China: October 1, 2021
India: November 1, 2013
All other countries: January 1, 2025
EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers
China: January 8, 2022
India: January 1, 2014
Philippines: August 15, 2023
All other countries: May 15, 2024
EB-3 Other Workers
China: October 1, 2019
India: January 1, 2014
All other countries: January 1, 2022
EB-4
All countries: December 15, 2022
EB-5 Unreserved (Regional Center and Non-Regional Center)
China: December 1, 2016
India: December 1, 2023
All other countries: Current
EB-5 Set-Asides
Rural: Current for all countries
High Unemployment: Current for all countries
Infrastructure: Current for all countries
The retrogression of EB-2 for all countries is a setback for Green Card applicants, experts said. The department said the move was necessary to stay within the Fiscal Year 2027 visa number limits. The EB-2 visa is a second-preference employment-based immigrant visa for professionals holding an advanced degree or those with exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, or business.
