October 2026 Visa Bulletin: New FY 2027 Filing Dates and Final Action Cutoffs
The U.S. Department of State has published the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, the first monthly bulletin of fiscal year 2027. It sets new cutoff dates for family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visa categories. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has separately confirmed that adjustment applicants may use the Dates for Filing chart for both family-sponsored and employment-based cases in October. The bulletin affects people following immigrant-visa availability through the firm’s immigration information, but it does not change the separate eligibility requirements for adjustment of status or consular processing.
The October bulletin contains two different charts for each preference system. The Final Action Dates chart controls when an immigrant visa may be issued or an adjustment application may be approved. The Dates for Filing chart identifies when certain applicants may assemble and submit documents, but only when USCIS authorizes that chart for adjustment filings. The USCIS filing-chart page is therefore a required companion to the State Department bulletin for cases filed inside the United States. General background on the adjustment process appears in the firm’s adjustment-of-status overview.
A new fiscal year, but not a universal reset
October starts the federal government’s 2027 fiscal year and a new annual allocation cycle. The Department of State stated that annual visa availability allowed forward movement in many categories. At the same time, several employment-based Rest of World dates moved backward so that issuances remain within quarterly and annual limits. Comparing the September 2026 bulletin with the October tables shows why the month must be read category by category rather than as a single across-the-board change. The firm’s international legal affairs page provides additional context for matters that cross U.S. and foreign procedures.
A cutoff date is not a filing deadline and is not a prediction that a case will finish during that month. It is a queue-control date. A case is generally current when its priority date is earlier than the listed cutoff, subject to the correct chart and country column. A “C” means current for all qualified applicants in that category, while “U” means unavailable. These definitions appear in the official October bulletin. Readers comparing procedural stages can also review the firm’s immigration interview article, which addresses a later part of many cases rather than visa-number availability.
Family-sponsored final action dates
In the October Final Action Dates chart, F1 is 22 January 2020 for most countries, China and India; 8 September 2008 for Mexico; and 1 November 2013 for the Philippines. F2A is 22 September 2026 for most countries and 22 March 2026 for Mexico. F2B is 22 August 2019 for most countries, China and India; 15 May 2010 for Mexico; and 1 October 2013 for the Philippines. These dates are published in the family-sponsored section of the bulletin and relate to categories commonly reviewed through immigration services.
The F3 final action date is 22 October 2014 for most countries, China and India; 1 July 2001 for Mexico; and 22 July 2006 for the Philippines. F4 is 22 October 2011 for most countries and China, 15 December 2006 for India, 22 April 2001 for Mexico, and 15 May 2008 for the Philippines. These are approval-stage dates, not the October filing dates. The distinction is relevant to the adjustment-of-status framework and to the State Department’s published table.
Family-sponsored dates for filing
For October filings, F1 is 1 February 2020 for most countries, China and India; 1 December 2008 for Mexico; and 22 April 2015 for the Philippines. F2A is current in every country column on the Dates for Filing chart. F2B is 1 September 2019 for most countries, China and India; 22 March 2011 for Mexico; and 1 October 2014 for the Philippines. USCIS’s October chart selection permits the Dates for Filing chart for family-sponsored adjustment cases. The firm’s immigration practice page describes the broader subject area without replacing the agency chart.
The family F3 filing date is 1 November 2014 for most countries, China and India; 1 December 2002 for Mexico; and 22 October 2006 for the Philippines. F4 is 1 November 2011 for most countries and China, 1 February 2007 for India, 30 April 2001 for Mexico, and 22 March 2009 for the Philippines. These dates determine chart eligibility for the month; the Form I-485 page identifies the form and current filing instructions. The firm also maintains an education-related legal services page for readers whose immigration history intersects with study in the United States.
Employment-based final action dates
In EB-1, final action remains current for most countries, Mexico and the Philippines. China is 1 July 2023 and India is 1 February 2023. EB-2 is 1 January 2025 for most countries, Mexico and the Philippines; 1 October 2021 for China; and 1 November 2013 for India. These figures come directly from the employment-based final action table. The firm’s international matters page is a related internal resource for cross-border legal questions.
EB-3 final action is 15 May 2024 for most countries and Mexico, 8 January 2022 for China, 1 January 2014 for India, and 15 August 2023 for the Philippines. The Other Workers category is 1 January 2022 for most countries, Mexico and the Philippines, 1 October 2019 for China, and 1 January 2014 for India. The October Visa Bulletin lists these subcategories separately. Readers seeking a general entry point to the firm’s site may use the English home page.
EB-4 and the Certain Religious Workers subcategory both show 15 December 2022 in every country column. In EB-5, the unreserved categories are current for most countries, Mexico and the Philippines; 1 December 2016 for China; and 1 December 2023 for India. All listed EB-5 set-aside categories remain current. The official employment tables are controlling for the month. The firm’s immigration information page groups related service information in one location.
Employment-based dates for filing
The October EB-1 filing date is 1 July 2024 for China and India and current elsewhere. EB-2 is 15 March 2026 for most countries, Mexico and the Philippines; 1 January 2023 for China; and 15 January 2015 for India. EB-3 is 1 August 2024 for most countries and Mexico, 1 April 2024 for China, 15 January 2015 for India, and 1 January 2024 for the Philippines. USCIS confirms on its filing-chart page that these Dates for Filing may be used for employment-based adjustment filings in October. Related process information appears in the firm’s adjustment article.
For Other Workers, the filing date is 1 June 2022 for most countries, Mexico and the Philippines, 1 October 2020 for China, and 15 January 2015 for India. EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers are 1 January 2025. EB-5 unreserved filing dates are current for most countries, Mexico and the Philippines, 1 March 2021 for China, and 1 May 2024 for India; set-asides remain current. The complete entries appear in the October bulletin. The firm’s contact page is included here only as a site-navigation resource.
The statutory structure behind the tables
The monthly system reflects annual numerical limits in federal law. 8 U.S.C. § 1151 establishes worldwide levels for family-sponsored and employment-based immigrants, while 8 U.S.C. § 1152 limits “the total number of immigrant visas made available to natives of any single foreign state.” Those limits help explain why the same preference category may carry different dates for different chargeability areas. The firm’s immigration page provides a broader practice overview.
Priority order is addressed in 8 U.S.C. § 1153(e), which states that visas “shall be issued to eligible immigrants in the order in which a petition in behalf of each such immigrant is filed.” The quoted language describes the statutory ordering rule; the monthly bulletin applies that structure to current demand and supply. The firm’s adjustment-status article discusses a separate eligibility issue under INA section 245.
Certain Religious Workers extension
The State Department notes that H.R. 6500, signed on 2 September 2026, extended the Certain Religious Workers category through 11 December 2026. The bulletin states that the category becomes unavailable after midnight on that date unless the law is extended again. The October tables therefore show dates for the category while also identifying the present statutory sunset. The official bulletin notice contains the exact implementation language, and the firm’s immigration resource page remains the relevant internal topic page.
What the October publication establishes
The October 2026 publication establishes the applicable monthly cutoffs and the first set of fiscal-year 2027 filing dates. USCIS’s separate chart announcement establishes which chart adjustment applicants may use during October. Neither publication changes the need to satisfy all other requirements of the selected benefit. The USCIS adjustment overview explains that adjustment of status is the process used by certain people already in the United States to apply for lawful permanent resident status. The firm’s immigration interview resource addresses one possible later procedural event.
Visa Bulletin dates can change again in the next monthly publication as agencies account for demand, issuance, and statutory limits. The October tables should therefore be read as October-specific government information. The State Department bulletin and the USCIS filing-chart page remain the authoritative sources for this update. Blumsack & Canzano’s English site provides access to the firm’s general legal-information pages.
Legal Disclaimer. Originally published: 10/11/2026. This article provides general information only and is not legal advice for any particular matter. Laws, policies, procedures, fees and agency practices may change; their application depends on the facts and jurisdiction. Consult a qualified attorney about your circumstances before acting on this information. Reading this article or contacting Blumsack & Canzano does not, by itself, create an attorney-client relationship. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. This material may be considered attorney advertising in some jurisdictions.
