October Visa Bulletin 2026: New Green Card Cutoff Dates You Need To Know

The U.S. Department of State has released its October 2026 Visa Bulletin, bringing new green card cutoff dates as fiscal year 2027 begins. The update includes important changes for employment-based applicants, particularly those from India, while some categories for applicants from other countries have moved backward.

The October bulletin is important because the new U.S. government fiscal year began Oct. 1, allowing new immigrant visa numbers to become available. As a result, categories that were unavailable in September have reopened, while others have advanced or retrogressed depending on demand and annual visa limits.

What changed for Indian green card applicants?

Some of the biggest changes in the October bulletin affect employment-based applicants from India.

India’s EB-2 category reopened after being unavailable in September. Its October Final Action Date is Nov. 1, 2013. This category generally covers professionals with advanced degrees and people with exceptional ability.

India’s unreserved EB-5 category also reopened. Its October Final Action Date is Dec. 1, 2023. The category had also been unavailable in September.

The EB-1 category for India also moved forward. Its Final Action Date advanced from Oct. 15, 2022, to Feb. 1, 2023. EB-1 covers certain priority workers, including people with extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and some multinational executives and managers.

These changes mean some Indian applicants who were previously blocked by unavailable categories may now have an opportunity to move their cases forward, depending on their priority dates and other eligibility requirements.

Which green card categories moved backward?

The October bulletin was not positive for every applicant. For most countries, including Mexico and the Philippines, the EB-2 Final Action Date moved from “Current” to Jan. 1, 2025. Applicants in those groups generally need a priority date earlier than that date to qualify for final approval.

The EB-3 Final Action Date for most countries and Mexico also moved backward, from Sept. 1, 2024, to May 15, 2024.

This backward movement is known as retrogression. It can mean that applicants who were previously close to approval may have to wait longer before their cases can receive final approval.

Adam Klein, a former Department of Homeland Security official and co-founder of Globali.ai, told Newsweek that the changes were uneven.

“What stands out is both how late it arrived and how uneven the movement is,” Klein said.

What happened to family-based green card dates?

Some family-sponsored categories also moved forward in October. The F2A category, which covers spouses and unmarried children under 21 of lawful permanent residents, advanced for most countries, including India and China. Its Final Action Date moved from Aug. 22 to Sept. 22, 2026. For Mexico, it moved from Aug. 22, 2025, to March 22, 2026.

The F2B category for Mexico also advanced, with its Final Action Date moving from Feb. 15, 2009, to May 15, 2010.

For the Philippines, the F4 category, covering brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens, advanced to May 15, 2008.

What do the new cutoff dates mean?

The Visa Bulletin contains two important charts: Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing.

A Final Action Date determines when an immigrant visa can be issued or when a green card application can receive final approval. An applicant’s priority date generally must be earlier than the listed cutoff date.

A Date for Filing can allow an applicant to submit documents before a visa number is available for final approval.

For people applying for adjustment of status from inside the U.S., USCIS separately determines which chart can be used each month. The State Department specifically directs applicants to check the USCIS Visa Bulletin page before filing.

A category marked “Current” means there is no cutoff date for qualified applicants. “Unavailable” means visa numbers are not authorized for issuance.

What should green card applicants do now?

Applicants should first identify their visa category, country of chargeability, and priority date. They can then compare that priority date with the October cutoff.

Ricky Murray, a former senior USCIS official, also criticized the timing of the bulletin’s release, saying affected applicants had very little time to act.

“That is unreasonable and in most cases impossible,” Murray told Newsweek, referring to the short period available for applicants to submit documents to USCIS.

Applicants should also remember that reaching a cutoff date does not automatically guarantee a green card. Other eligibility and processing requirements still apply, and cutoff dates can change again in future Visa Bulletins as the State Department receives new demand information.