The U.S. Department of State has released the September 2026 Visa Bulletin, setting the government’s cutoff dates for immigrant visa availability during the final month of fiscal year 2026. The bulletin is drawing attention because several family-sponsored categories moved forward, while some employment-based categories—especially for applicants chargeable to India—remain backlogged or face possible retrogression.
The bulletin is important to people waiting for a family-sponsored or employment-based green card. It can determine whether an applicant may receive an immigrant visa through a U.S. consulate or, if already in the United States, whether the person may be eligible to file or complete a Form I-485 adjustment-of-status application.
However, the bulletin does not approve a green card by itself. Applicants must still meet all other immigration requirements, and the relevant priority date must be earlier than the applicable cutoff date unless the category is listed as current.
What the September 2026 bulletin confirms
For September, the State Department lists the dates governing family-sponsored and employment-based preference visas. It also provides separate charts for Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing Visa Applications. The department says the figures reflect demand reported through August 10, 2026. Read the official September 2026 bulletin.
In the bulletin, “C” means a category is current, so visas may be available to all otherwise qualified applicants in that category. A listed date means that only applicants with priority dates earlier than the cutoff may move forward. “U” means visa numbers are unauthorized for that category and country during the month.
Family-sponsored categories show notable movement
The most visible change is in the family-sponsored preference categories. The F2A category—spouses and children of lawful permanent residents—is listed as current for all countries in the Final Action Dates chart.
Other family categories remain subject to country-specific cutoffs:
- F1: Unmarried adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. The cutoff is February 1, 2020 for most countries and India and China, December 1, 2008 for Mexico, and April 22, 2015 for the Philippines.
- F2B: Unmarried adult sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents. The cutoff is September 1, 2019 for most countries, India and China; May 15, 2010 for Mexico; and October 1, 2013 for the Philippines.
- F3: Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. The cutoff is November 1, 2014 for most countries, India and China; July 15, 2001 for Mexico; and August 8, 2006 for the Philippines.
- F4: Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens. The cutoff is November 1, 2011 for most countries, December 15, 2006 for India, April 30, 2001 for Mexico, and March 22, 2008 for the Philippines.
These categories are commonly described as “family preference” categories because Congress limits the number of visas available each year. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens—generally spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents—are not included in these numerical preference limits.
Employment-based applicants face a mixed picture
The employment-based charts contain both favorable developments and significant cautions.
For applicants from most countries, EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 are listed as current or relatively advanced. But country-specific limits continue to affect applicants chargeable to China and India.
- EB-1: Current for most countries, with a July 1, 2023 cutoff for China and an October 15, 2022 cutoff for India.
- EB-2: Current for most countries, with a September 1, 2021 cutoff for China. India is listed as unauthorized in the Final Action Dates chart.
- EB-3: The cutoff is September 1, 2024 for most countries, January 1, 2022 for China, January 1, 2014 for India, and August 1, 2023 for the Philippines.
- EB-5 unreserved: Current for most countries, with a December 1, 2016 cutoff for China. India is listed as unauthorized in the Final Action Dates chart.
The State Department specifically warns that high demand could cause the EB-1 category for India to become unavailable before the end of the fiscal year. It also warns that EB-2 and EB-5 unreserved dates may retrogress—move backward—or become unavailable if demand exceeds the remaining annual limits.
Those warnings are not predictions that a retrogression will definitely occur. They are official notices that the department is monitoring demand and may need to restrict numbers before September 30, 2026, which is the end of fiscal year 2026.
Why the bulletin is trending now
Visa bulletins often attract attention when they are released because applicants, employers and immigration attorneys compare the new dates with their priority dates. The September edition receives additional scrutiny because it is the final bulletin of the fiscal year, when agencies are working within the remaining annual visa limits.
Reports circulating online have emphasized possible “relief” for some Indian family-sponsored applicants and continued pressure in employment-based categories. The official bulletin supports the underlying distinction: family-sponsored dates for India moved ahead in several categories compared with heavily backlogged employment-based categories, but the bulletin does not promise faster processing for every applicant.
The State Department attributes some recent advances across categories to reduced immigrant visa issuance from certain countries following administration actions and related processing changes. It also cautions that dates could move backward if additional demand appears or if those circumstances change.
How to read the dates
Final Action Dates
A Final Action Date generally controls when an immigrant visa may be issued or when a green card application may be approved, subject to the applicant meeting all requirements. An applicant’s priority date must be earlier than the listed date. If the chart says “C,” the category is current.
Dates for Filing
The Dates for Filing chart identifies when certain applicants may begin submitting documents to the National Visa Center in consular-processing cases. For adjustment of status inside the United States, applicants must first check the monthly USCIS filing-chart announcement. USCIS—not the State Department alone—determines which chart eligible adjustment applicants may use.
The September bulletin’s employment-based Dates for Filing chart is generally more favorable than its Final Action Dates chart. For example, India’s EB-2 and EB-3 filing date is January 15, 2015, while India’s EB-2 Final Action Date is listed as unauthorized and its EB-3 Final Action Date is January 1, 2014.
Using a filing date does not mean a green card can be approved immediately. It may allow an eligible applicant to file Form I-485, but final approval generally requires a visa number to be available under the Final Action Dates rules.
What applicants should do next
- Confirm the category. Identify whether the case is family-sponsored, employment-based or a diversity visa case.
- Find the priority date. This date usually comes from the filing of the underlying immigrant petition or, where required, the date the Department of Labor accepted a labor certification application.
- Use the country of chargeability. The relevant country is generally based on the applicant’s country of birth, not necessarily citizenship or current residence. Cross-chargeability rules can apply in some family situations.
- Check the correct chart. Consular applicants should follow the State Department’s instructions. Applicants seeking adjustment of status should check USCIS’s adjustment-of-status filing chart page for September.
- Act before the month ends when appropriate. Visa availability can change, and the State Department warns that some categories could retrogress or become unavailable before the end of fiscal year 2026.
Applicants should not file Form I-485 solely because a date appears in a news report or third-party prediction. They should verify the current USCIS instructions, confirm eligibility, and consider qualified legal advice for complicated cases, including cases involving age-out concerns, prior immigration violations, derivative beneficiaries or a possible change in the underlying petition.
Diversity visa deadline remains September 30
The September bulletin also sets regional cutoff numbers for the DV-2026 diversity visa program. The State Department says DV-2026 eligibility ends on September 30, 2026. Diversity visas cannot be issued after that fiscal-year deadline, and availability may end earlier if the annual allocation is exhausted.
This deadline is different from the family- and employment-based preference system. A DV-2026 selectee must complete the required process and receive the visa or adjustment of status by the end of fiscal year 2026. Selection in the lottery does not by itself guarantee visa issuance.
What remains uncertain
The September 2026 bulletin is the official source for September cutoff dates, but it cannot establish what will happen in October or later. The State Department says demand may require retrogression or temporary unavailability in several employment-based categories. Future movement will depend on actual demand, annual numerical limits, country limits and agency processing.
For that reason, applicants should treat online forecasts as estimates rather than government announcements. The next major update will be the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, which begins fiscal year 2027 and may reflect a new allocation of visa numbers. Until that bulletin is issued, the September dates and USCIS’s September filing instructions are the controlling information for the month.
