The Department of State has released the September 2026 Visa Bulletin. D&S provides a monthly summary of the employment-based priority dates. In September 2026, USCIS will accept employment-based adjustment of status applications based on the Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Preference Cases chart.
| Employment-Based | All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed | China-mainland born | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | C | 01JUL23 | 15OCT22 | C | C |
| 2nd | C | 01SEP21 | U | C | C |
| 3rd | 01SEP24 | 01JAN22 | 01JAN14 | 01SEP24 | 01AUG23 |
| Other Workers | 01APR22 | 01MAY19 | 01JAN14 | 01APR22 | 01DEC21 |
| 4th | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 |
| Certain Religious Workers | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 | 15DEC22 |
| 5th Unreserved (including C5, T5, I5, R5, NU, RU) |
C | 01DEC16 | U | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: Rural (20%, including NR, RR) |
C | C | C | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: High Unemployment (10%, including NH, RH) |
C | C | C | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: Infrastructure (2%, including RI) |
C | C | C | C | C |
| Employment-Based | All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed | China-mainland born | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | C | 01DEC23 | 01DEC23 | C | C |
| 2nd | C | 01JAN22 | 15JAN15 | C | C |
| 3rd | C | 08JAN22 | 15JAN15 | C | 01JAN24 |
| Other Workers | 01AUG22 | 01OCT19 | 15JAN15 | 01AUG22 | 01AUG22 |
| 4th | 01JAN23 | 01JAN23 | 01JAN23 | 01JAN23 | 01JAN23 |
| Certain Religious Workers | 01JAN23 | 01JAN23 | 01JAN23 | 01JAN23 | 01JAN23 |
| 5th Unreserved (including C5, T5, I5, R5) |
C | 01MAR17 | 01MAY24 | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: (Rural: NR, RR - 20%) |
C | C | C | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: (High Unemployment: NH, RH - 10%) |
C | C | C | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: (Infrastructure: RI - 2%) |
C | C | C | C | C |
| Family-Sponsored | All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed | China-mainland born | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | 22JAN20 | 22JAN20 | 22JAN20 | 01JAN08 | 01MAY13 |
| F2A | 22AUG26 | 22AUG26 | 22AUG26 | 22AUG25 | 22AUG26 |
| F2B | 22AUG19 | 22AUG19 | 22AUG19 | 15FEB09 | 01JUN13 |
| F3 | 22OCT14 | 22OCT14 | 22OCT14 | 01JUL01 | 22FEB06 |
| F4 | 22OCT11 | 22OCT11 | 01NOV06 | 08APR01 | 22AUG07 |
| Family-Sponsored | All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed | China-mainland born | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | 01FEB20 | 01FEB20 | 01FEB20 | 01DEC08 | 22APR15 |
| F2A | C | C | C | C | C |
| F2B | 01SEP19 | 01SEP19 | 01SEP19 | 15MAY10 | 01OCT13 |
| F3 | 01NOV14 | 01NOV14 | 01NOV14 | 15JUL01 | 08AUG06 |
| F4 | 01NOV11 | 01NOV11 | 15DEC06 | 30APR01 | 22MAR08 |
To be eligible to file an adjustment of status application in September 2026, foreign nationals must have a priority date that is earlier than the applicable date listed on the Final Action Dates chart.
The EB-1 Final Action Dates will remain unchanged. The Final Action Date for India will remain October 15, 2022, and the Final Action Date for China will remain July 1, 2023. All other countries will remain current.
The EB-2 Final Action Date for India will remain unavailable, meaning that no immigrant visas are authorized for issuance in this category for nationals of India. The Final Action Date for China will remain September 1, 2021. All other countries will remain current.
The EB-3 Professional/Skilled Worker Final Action Dates will also remain unchanged. The Final Action Date for India will remain January 1, 2014, and the Final Action Date for China will remain January 1, 2022. The Final Action Date for the Philippines will remain August 1, 2023. The Final Action Date for all other countries, including Mexico, will remain September 1, 2024.
The EB-4 Final Action Date for all countries will advance by two months, from October 15, 2022, to December 15, 2022. The Certain Religious Workers category will likewise advance to December 15, 2022, for all countries.
With respect to the EB-5 Unreserved categories, India will remain unavailable and China will remain at December 1, 2016. All other countries will remain current. The EB-5 set-aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure) will also remain current for all countries.
Fiscal Year-End Visa Availability
The Department of State warns that high demand and visa number use may cause EB-1 India to become unavailable before the fiscal year ends on September 30, 2026. The Department of State also cautions that the EB-2 and EB-5 Unreserved categories may retrogress or become unavailable before the end of September if the applicable annual limits are reached.
More broadly, the Department of State notes that additional demand could require further retrogression or cause other categories to become unavailable before the end of the fiscal year. We will continue to monitor visa availability and provide updates regarding any changes.