Overview
- The October 2026 Visa Bulletin, released Tuesday with the start of fiscal year 2027, reopened EB‑2 India and unreserved EB‑5 India and advanced EB‑1 dates for India and China while several Rest‑of‑World EB‑2 and EB‑3 cutoff dates moved backward.
- USCIS confirmed that adjustment‑of‑status filers may use the Dates for Filing chart for October, which lets applicants file Form I‑485 and request interim employment authorization and advance parole even when Final Action dates are retrogressed.
- The Department of State said the ROW retrogressions were required to keep visa issuances within statutory quarterly and annual numerical limits, which is why fresh FY‑2027 numbers benefited oversubscribed India and China more than other countries.
- The Visa Bulletin omitted the Diversity Visa section and kept a single EB‑4/Religious Workers date consistent with a short congressional extension, leaving DV applicants uncertain and EB‑4 applicants temporarily governed by the extension.
- Applicants should act quickly to check USCIS filing guidance and secure timely receipts because chart selection is reviewed monthly, filing windows can be short, and filing now may be the only way to gain interim benefits while final approval waits.