Visa Bulletin / History / October 2026
October 2026 Visa Bulletin: what changed
Auto-summary Source: U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin
Compared with the September 2026 bulletin, 15 employment-based Final Action Dates changed: 8 moved forward and 7 moved back.
Biggest moves forward: EB-2 India (reopened); EB-5 unreserved India (reopened); EB-3 Other Workers China (+5 months); EB-1 India (+4 months).
Moved back: EB-2 Rest of world (retrogressed from Current); EB-2 Mexico (retrogressed from Current); EB-2 Philippines (retrogressed from Current); EB-3 Rest of world (−4 months); EB-3 Mexico (−4 months); EB-3 Other Workers Rest of world (−3 months); and more.
For the largest backlog, India: EB-2 India 01 Nov 2013, EB-3 India 01 Jan 2014.
Written automatically from the bulletin dates below; nothing here is a prediction. Not legal advice. Months marked Secondary come from a dataset scraped from the official bulletins and are being checked; the official bulletin always wins.
Released in September 2026. Official bulletin page.
Final Action Dates
| Category | India | China | Rest of world | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | 01 Feb 2023▲ 4 months | 01 Jul 2023 | Current | Current | Current |
| EB-2 | 01 Nov 2013reopened | 01 Oct 2021▲ 30 days | 01 Jan 2025retrogressed from Current | 01 Jan 2025retrogressed from Current | 01 Jan 2025retrogressed from Current |
| EB-3 | 01 Jan 2014 | 08 Jan 2022▲ 7 days | 15 May 2024▼ 4 months | 15 May 2024▼ 4 months | 15 Aug 2023▲ 14 days |
| EB-3 Other Workers | 01 Jan 2014 | 01 Oct 2019▲ 5 months | 01 Jan 2022▼ 3 months | 01 Jan 2022▼ 3 months | 01 Jan 2022▲ 31 days |
| EB-4 | 15 Dec 2022 | 15 Dec 2022 | 15 Dec 2022 | 15 Dec 2022 | 15 Dec 2022 |
| EB-5 unreserved | 01 Dec 2023reopened | 01 Dec 2016 | Current | Current | Current |
▲ ▼ movement since the Sep 2026 bulletin. Click a date for that category's full history.
Dates for Filing
| Category | India | China | Rest of world | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | 01 Jul 2024▲ 7 months | 01 Jul 2024▲ 7 months | Current | Current | Current |
| EB-2 | 15 Jan 2015 | 01 Jan 2023▲ 12 months | 15 Mar 2026retrogressed from Current | 15 Mar 2026retrogressed from Current | 15 Mar 2026retrogressed from Current |
| EB-3 | 15 Jan 2015 | 01 Apr 2024▲ 2.3 years | 01 Aug 2024retrogressed from Current | 01 Aug 2024retrogressed from Current | 01 Jan 2024 |
| EB-3 Other Workers | 15 Jan 2015 | 01 Oct 2020▲ 12 months | 01 Jun 2022▼ 2 months | 01 Jun 2022▼ 2 months | 01 Jun 2022▼ 2 months |
| EB-4 | 01 Jan 2025▲ 2 years | 01 Jan 2025▲ 2 years | 01 Jan 2025▲ 2 years | 01 Jan 2025▲ 2 years | 01 Jan 2025▲ 2 years |
| EB-5 unreserved | 01 May 2024 | 01 Mar 2021▲ 4 years | Current | Current | Current |
▲ ▼ movement since the Sep 2026 bulletin. Click a date for that category's full history.
Lawyers on the October 2026 bulletin
From independent law firms, newest first. Not reviewed by h1b-life, not legal advice and not an endorsement.
- October 2026 Adjustment of Status: Dates for Filing for Family and Employment CategoriesMurthy Law Firm · Sep 29, 2026
- October 2026 Visa BulletinMurthy Law Firm · Sep 29, 2026