Monitor this situation.
Unsubscribe anytime.
[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [INTERNATIONAL]
4 clusters · 10 sources · 61 days · First seen · Last updated
U.S. Visa Bulletin updates: 2026-2027 fiscal year shifts
Overview
The U.S. Department of State has released several Visa Bulletins marking the transition from the 2026 to the 2027 fiscal year, characterized by significant shifts in employment and family-sponsored categories.
In the final bulletin for the 2026 fiscal year (September), employment-based categories faced difficulties for Indian applicants. The EB-1 Final Action Date for India was October 15, 2022, while EB-2 and EB-5 unreserved categories remained unavailable. The State Department cautioned that EB-1 for India could become unavailable before the fiscal year ended. Conversely, the EB-4 category advanced two months to December 15, 2022, and EB-5 investor set-asides remained current for all countries.
With the start of the 2027 fiscal year in October, the EB-1 cutoff for India advanced to February 1, 2023, and the EB-2 category for India moved from unavailable to November 1, 2013. While China’s EB-2 date advanced to October 1, 2021, Mexico and the Philippines experienced retrogression to January 1, 2025. In the EB-3 category, China saw advancements, but the skilled worker category retrogressed by 3.6 months to May 15, 2024, for Mexico and worldwide.
In the November 2026 bulletin, family-sponsored categories saw broad movement, with F1, F2B, F3, and F4 categories each advancing by 12 months. For employment-based visas, the Philippines saw the EB-2 category advance three months to April 1, 2025, though EB-3 skilled worker dates showed no movement. USCIS confirmed that those adjusting status within the U.S. must use the ‘Dates for Filing’ chart.
Entities
U.S. Department of State · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services · Bureau of Consular Affairs · U.S. Embassy Abuja · US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The U.S. Department of State released the September 2026 Visa Bulletin.
- [● 2 SOURCES] EB-2 and EB-5 categories for Indian nationals remain unavailable.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The EB-4 category will advance two months to December 15, 2022.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The F2A category date moved to August 22, 2026, for most countries, while Mexico moved to August 22, 2025.
Timeline
-
[POLITICS] 2 sourcesUS State Department releases November 2026 Visa Bulletin
The November 2026 US Visa Bulletin shows a 12-month advancement in several family-sponsored visa categories and a three-month jump for Philippine EB-2 applicants.
-
[POLITICS] 4 sourcesU.S. Department of State releases October 2026 Visa Bulletin
The October 2026 Visa Bulletin shows advancements for China and India in several employment-based categories, alongside retrogression for many other countries in EB-2 and EB-3 classifications.
-
[INTERNATIONAL] 2 sourcesU.S. Department of State releases September 2026 Visa Bulletin
The September 2026 Visa Bulletin shows advancements in several family-sponsored categories and the EB-4 employment category, while EB-2 and EB-5 visas for India remain unavailable.
-
[INTERNATIONAL] 4 sourcesU.S. Department of State releases September 2026 Visa Bulletin
The September 2026 Visa Bulletin shows no movement in most employment-based categories, though some Indian family-sponsored visa categories saw advancement as the fiscal year concludes.
Sources
americanbazaaronline.com · astig.ph · cubaheadlines.com · eb5visainvestments.com · h1bvisalawyerblog.com · immigrationlawyerblog.com · mirchi9.com · murthy.com · prunderground.com · visalawyerblog.com
This summary has been updated 2 times: see revision history