September 2026 visa bulletin: India EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 movement
In the September 2026 visa bulletin, India EB-2 final action is Unavailable (still unavailable). EB-3 is Jan 1, 2014 (no movement). EB-1 is Oct 15, 2022 (no movement). This is the September 2026 bulletin archive. USCIS makes its adjustment-of-status chart determination month by month, and this page does not carry September 2026's — the determination tracked site-wide is for October 2026: Dates for Filing. Confirm September 2026 against uscis.gov/visabulletininfo before relying on it.
- EB-1 IndiaOct 15, 2022No movement
- EB-2 IndiaUnavailableStill unavailable
- EB-3 IndiaJan 1, 2014No movement
- Chart USCIS acceptsOctober 2026: Dates for Filing
Informational only, not legal advice. This page explains how a government process works and what the published rules say. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. For advice on your own facts, speak to a licensed immigration attorney — here is what one typically costs.
India EB movement, the last 24 bulletins
One month in isolation tells you very little. The shape of the trailing two years tells you whether a category is grinding forward, stalled, or being pulled back at the end of each fiscal year.
Which chart applies to you?
This is the single most common source of false hope and false panic in any bulletin month. The two charts answer different questions, and USCIS decides separately which one it will accept for filing.
- Start with your priority date — the day your PERM, or your I-140 where no PERM was needed, was filed.
- Dates for Filing is the earlier of the two charts. If your priority date falls before it, you may submit the I-485, and with it the EAD and advance parole applications. You cannot be approved on this chart.
- Final Action Dates is the later chart. If your priority date falls before it, a visa number is available and the green card can actually be approved.
- USCIS decides each month which chart it will accept for filing. For October 2026, employment-based filings use the Dates for Filing chart.
- “C” means current — no backlog, file and be approved. “U” means unavailable — no visa numbers at all that month, whatever your priority date is.
How to read a cell in the tables below
Three things can appear in a bulletin cell, and only one of them is a date. The other two are the ones that get misread.
| You see | It means | You may act if |
|---|---|---|
| A date | The cut-off. Only cases with a priority date earlier than this one are reached. | Your priority date is strictly earlier than the date shown. The same day is not earlier. |
| C — current | No cut-off at all this month. Every priority date in this category and country is reached. | Always, while it stays C. This can reverse in a later bulletin. |
| U — unavailable | No visa numbers are being issued in this category and country this month. It is not a very old date; it is a closed door. | Not at all this month, whatever your priority date is. |
Two more things a cell cannot tell you. A date moving forward is not a promise that it keeps moving — categories retrogress, and the change column below shows direction for one month only. And a date becoming current does not mean a decision is imminent; it means a visa number is available, which is the constraint, not the queue.
Check your own priority date against this bulletin
The same checker that runs on /tools/priority-date-checker, reading this month's cutoffs. Nothing is stored.
Priority Date Checker
Where does your priority date stand?
Compare your priority date against the October 2026 visa bulletin data.
Bulletin data last updated: 2026-09-29 · Source: official visa bulletin
Employment-based: every category and country
Change is measured against the August 2026 bulletin. India rows are highlighted.
| Category | Country | Final Action | Change | Dates for Filing | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | India | Oct 15, 2022 | No movement | Dec 1, 2023 | No movement |
| EB-1 | China (mainland) | Jul 1, 2023 | No movement | Dec 1, 2023 | No movement |
| EB-1 | Mexico | Current | Current — no backlog | Current | Current — no backlog |
| EB-1 | Philippines | Current | Current — no backlog | Current | Current — no backlog |
| EB-1 | All other countries | Current | Current — no backlog | Current | Current — no backlog |
| EB-2 | India | Unavailable | Still unavailable | Jan 15, 2015 | No movement |
| EB-2 | China (mainland) | Sep 1, 2021 | No movement | Jan 1, 2022 | No movement |
| EB-2 | Mexico | Current | Current — no backlog | Current | Current — no backlog |
| EB-2 | Philippines | Current | Current — no backlog | Current | Current — no backlog |
| EB-2 | All other countries | Current | Current — no backlog | Current | Current — no backlog |
| EB-3 | India | Jan 1, 2014 | No movement | Jan 15, 2015 | No movement |
| EB-3 | China (mainland) | Jan 1, 2022 | No movement | Jan 8, 2022 | No movement |
| EB-3 | Mexico | Sep 1, 2024 | No movement | Current | Current — no backlog |
| EB-3 | Philippines | Aug 1, 2023 | No movement | Jan 1, 2024 | No movement |
| EB-3 | All other countries | Sep 1, 2024 | No movement | Current | Current — no backlog |
| EB-3 Other Workers | India | Jan 1, 2014 | No movement | Jan 15, 2015 | No movement |
| EB-3 Other Workers | China (mainland) | May 1, 2019 | No movement | Oct 1, 2019 | No movement |
| EB-3 Other Workers | Mexico | Apr 1, 2022 | No movement | Aug 1, 2022 | No movement |
| EB-3 Other Workers | Philippines | Dec 1, 2021 | No movement | Aug 1, 2022 | No movement |
| EB-3 Other Workers | All other countries | Apr 1, 2022 | No movement | Aug 1, 2022 | No movement |
| EB-4 | India | Dec 15, 2022 | Advanced 2 months | Jan 1, 2023 | No movement |
| EB-4 | China (mainland) | Dec 15, 2022 | Advanced 2 months | Jan 1, 2023 | No movement |
| EB-4 | Mexico | Dec 15, 2022 | Advanced 2 months | Jan 1, 2023 | No movement |
| EB-4 | Philippines | Dec 15, 2022 | Advanced 2 months | Jan 1, 2023 | No movement |
| EB-4 | All other countries | Dec 15, 2022 | Advanced 2 months | Jan 1, 2023 | No movement |
| EB-5 Unreserved | India | Unavailable | Still unavailable | May 1, 2024 | No movement |
| EB-5 Unreserved | China (mainland) | Dec 1, 2016 | No movement | Mar 1, 2017 | No movement |
| EB-5 Unreserved | Mexico | Current | Current — no backlog | Current | Current — no backlog |
| EB-5 Unreserved | Philippines | Current | Current — no backlog | Current | Current — no backlog |
| EB-5 Unreserved | All other countries | Current | Current — no backlog | Current | Current — no backlog |
Family-sponsored: every category and country
Family-sponsored cases have their own USCIS chart determination, which is often different from the employment-based one.
| Category | Country | Final Action | Change | Dates for Filing | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | India | Jan 22, 2020 | Advanced 13 months | Feb 1, 2020 | Advanced 8 months |
| F1 | China (mainland) | Jan 22, 2020 | Advanced 13 months | Feb 1, 2020 | Advanced 8 months |
| F1 | Mexico | Jan 1, 2008 | Advanced 4 weeks | Dec 1, 2008 | No movement |
| F1 | Philippines | May 1, 2013 | No movement | Apr 22, 2015 | No movement |
| F1 | All other countries | Jan 22, 2020 | Advanced 13 months | Feb 1, 2020 | Advanced 8 months |
| F2A | India | Aug 22, 2026 | Advanced 4 weeks | Current | Current — no backlog |
| F2A | China (mainland) | Aug 22, 2026 | Advanced 4 weeks | Current | Current — no backlog |
| F2A | Mexico | Aug 22, 2025 | Advanced 4 weeks | Current | Current — no backlog |
| F2A | Philippines | Aug 22, 2026 | Advanced 4 weeks | Current | Current — no backlog |
| F2A | All other countries | Aug 22, 2026 | Advanced 4 weeks | Current | Current — no backlog |
| F2B | India | Aug 22, 2019 | Advanced 20 months | Sep 1, 2019 | Advanced 8 months |
| F2B | China (mainland) | Aug 22, 2019 | Advanced 20 months | Sep 1, 2019 | Advanced 8 months |
| F2B | Mexico | Feb 15, 2009 | No movement | May 15, 2010 | No movement |
| F2B | Philippines | Jun 1, 2013 | No movement | Oct 1, 2013 | No movement |
| F2B | All other countries | Aug 22, 2019 | Advanced 20 months | Sep 1, 2019 | Advanced 8 months |
| F3 | India | Oct 22, 2014 | Advanced 29 months | Nov 1, 2014 | Advanced 20 months |
| F3 | China (mainland) | Oct 22, 2014 | Advanced 29 months | Nov 1, 2014 | Advanced 20 months |
| F3 | Mexico | Jul 1, 2001 | No movement | Jul 15, 2001 | No movement |
| F3 | Philippines | Feb 22, 2006 | No movement | Aug 8, 2006 | No movement |
| F3 | All other countries | Oct 22, 2014 | Advanced 29 months | Nov 1, 2014 | Advanced 20 months |
| F4 | India | Nov 1, 2006 | No movement | Dec 15, 2006 | No movement |
| F4 | China (mainland) | Oct 22, 2011 | Advanced 26 months | Nov 1, 2011 | Advanced 16 months |
| F4 | Mexico | Apr 8, 2001 | No movement | Apr 30, 2001 | No movement |
| F4 | Philippines | Aug 22, 2007 | Advanced 3 weeks | Mar 22, 2008 | No movement |
| F4 | All other countries | Oct 22, 2011 | Advanced 26 months | Nov 1, 2011 | Advanced 16 months |
What this month means if you are Indian-born
The per-country limit is what makes an Indian-born applicant's experience different from everyone else's in the same category. No single country may take more than 7% of the annual total, and demand from India has run far above that share for years, so the queue behaves less like a line and more like a reservoir that drains at a fixed rate whatever flows in.
That is why the fiscal year matters so much. Annual numbers reset on 1 October, which is why categories that go Unavailable late in a fiscal year typically get a cutoff date back in the October bulletin. It is also why a big advance in one month is not a trend — the useful question is what the trailing two years look like, which is what the chart above is for.
Frequently asked questions
What are the India employment dates in the September 2026 visa bulletin?
EB-1 India final action is Oct 15, 2022 (no movement from August 2026), with a dates-for-filing cutoff of Dec 1, 2023. EB-2 India final action is Unavailable (still unavailable from August 2026), with a dates-for-filing cutoff of Jan 15, 2015. EB-3 India final action is Jan 1, 2014 (no movement from August 2026), with a dates-for-filing cutoff of Jan 15, 2015. All figures are read from the official September 2026 bulletin published by the Department of State.
Which chart do I use to file in September 2026?
This is the September 2026 bulletin archive. USCIS makes its adjustment-of-status chart determination month by month, and this page does not carry September 2026's — the determination tracked site-wide is for October 2026: Dates for Filing. Confirm September 2026 against uscis.gov/visabulletininfo before relying on it. USCIS makes this determination separately from the bulletin each month, and it can differ between employment-based and family-sponsored cases. Check it before you file — using the wrong chart gets an I-485 rejected, not held.
What does U mean in the visa bulletin?
U means unavailable: no visa numbers are being issued in that category and country that month, whatever your priority date is. It is not a date and it is not the same as a cutoff moving backwards. It usually means the annual per-country limit has been used up, and a cutoff date typically returns when the new fiscal year starts on 1 October.
What does C mean in the visa bulletin?
C means current: there is no backlog in that category and country, so anyone with an approved petition can file and be approved without waiting for a priority date.
What is the difference between final action dates and dates for filing?
Dates for Filing is the earlier of the two charts and controls when you may submit an I-485, along with the EAD and advance parole applications that go with it. Final Action Dates is the later chart and controls when a green card can actually be approved and a visa number issued. Being current on Dates for Filing gets you a work permit and travel document; only Final Action ends the wait.
When is the next visa bulletin after September 2026 published?
The Department of State usually publishes the next month's bulletin in the second week of the preceding month, though recent releases have slipped into the third week. We publish a page for each bulletin once it is actually released — never before, because a forecast is not a bulletin.
My priority date is current — what happens next?
If it is current on the chart USCIS is accepting this month, you can file the I-485 package. If it is current on Final Action Dates and your I-485 is already pending, your case becomes approvable — which is when medical exams, interviews and the final decision come into play. Neither is automatic; USCIS still has to reach your case.
Sources and last verified
Every cutoff on this page is read from the official September 2026 visa bulletin. Verify against the Department of State before acting on any date.
Informational only, not legal advice. This page explains how a government process works and what the published rules say. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. For advice on your own facts, speak to a licensed immigration attorney — here is what one typically costs.
Deepak Middha, CA, Series 65Founder & Author
Deepak has experience in cross-border finance, tax-aware planning, and immigrant money decisions. View full profile →
Educational content, not personalized tax, legal, immigration, or financial advice. Rules, fees, and processing times change — always verify with the official source before acting. See our full disclaimer.