Visa BulletinVerified 2026 Guide
October 2026 Visa Bulletin: EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 India Dates
Official October 2026 Visa Bulletin dates for EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 India. Compare final action and filing dates, the FY 2027 reset, and next steps for OPT workers.
Publication-status note
Updated October 10, 2026: the October bulletin has been published. This guide now uses its official employment-based dates. These are October dates; consult the bulletin for the month in which you plan to act and USCIS’s separate filing-chart selection.
Direct answer
The October 2026 Visa Bulletin lists India Final Action Dates of February 1, 2023 for EB-1, November 1, 2013 for EB-2, and January 1, 2014 for EB-3. Its Dates for Filing are July 1, 2024 for EB-1 India and January 15, 2015 for both EB-2 and EB-3 India. A priority date must be earlier than the applicable cutoff. For adjustment of status, first confirm which chart USCIS permits for October.
What You Should Know First
- October 2026 begins fiscal year 2027; the official bulletin is available.
- Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing serve different purposes.
- A fiscal-year reset does not erase the queue or make every category current.
- Visa availability does not extend an OPT or STEM OPT EAD.
October 2026 Final Action Dates for India
Final Action Dates are the visa-availability cutoffs used for final action on an otherwise eligible immigrant visa or adjustment case. Read the employment-based table, then match both the preference category and the country of chargeability. Do not use a family-sponsored row or assume country of chargeability is always the same as citizenship.
- EB-1 India: February 1, 2023 (01FEB23).
- EB-2 India: November 1, 2013 (01NOV13).
- EB-3 India, skilled workers and professionals: January 1, 2014 (01JAN14).
Vinay’s practical note
The priority date must be earlier than the printed cutoff. A priority date exactly equal to that cutoff does not meet this date requirement.
October 2026 Dates for Filing for India
The filing chart can allow document preparation or, when USCIS authorizes it for the month and category, an adjustment filing before the Final Action Date is reached. It is not an approval chart. The State Department directs adjustment applicants to check USCIS’s monthly chart-selection page before relying on it.
- EB-1 India: July 1, 2024 (01JUL24).
- EB-2 India: January 15, 2015 (15JAN15).
- EB-3 India, skilled workers and professionals: January 15, 2015 (15JAN15).
Vinay’s practical note
This guide reports both State Department charts. It does not independently confirm which chart USCIS permits for your adjustment filing.
How to Read the Two Charts: An EB-2 India Example
Suppose an EB-2 India applicant has a priority date of December 1, 2014. That date is earlier than the October Dates for Filing cutoff of January 15, 2015, but later than the Final Action Date of November 1, 2013. The applicant should check USCIS’s October chart selection and all other eligibility requirements with counsel before filing. The example does not establish eligibility for approval.
If the chart says C, the category is current for otherwise eligible applicants. If it says U, numbers are unavailable. A printed date is a cutoff, not a forecast of how many months an individual application will take.
What the FY 2027 Reset Changes
October opens a new annual allocation of immigrant visa numbers. Existing demand, category limits, and per-country limits still apply. The published October bulletin reports advances across various categories but also warns of retrogression in some employment-based categories for countries in the Rest of World grouping to manage quarterly and annual limits.
Do not carry an August unavailable designation into October without checking the new chart. Equally, do not treat the new annual supply as a promise that a category will keep moving forward in November. Review the actual bulletin for each month and retain the source used for your decision.
What OPT and STEM OPT Workers Should Do Next
Keep your green-card priority-date plan separate from your permission to work. An approved I-140, a current priority date, or a pending adjustment application does not by itself extend an OPT EAD. Track the authorization you actually hold and any extension for which you qualify.
If your date is within a potentially usable filing range, organize records with employer counsel early. Confirm the correct category, chargeability, USCIS chart, and other adjustment requirements before acting. Continue to track OPT unemployment limits, STEM reporting duties, and EAD expiration while that review is underway.
- Find the priority date and classification on the petition records.
- Compare the date against the correct October country and category row.
- Confirm USCIS’s October filing-chart choice if filing adjustment of status.
- Review eligibility and documents with qualified counsel.
- Maintain a separate calendar for OPT/STEM work authorization and reporting.
Preparing for November Without Guessing Cutoff Dates
As checked on October 10, the official State Department index lists October as current and the upcoming bulletin as coming soon. Until the November bulletin is published, October is the verified reference point, not a guarantee of November movement. Use our November outlook for planning questions and return to the official index for the published answer.
Your Action Checklist
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Continuing to use an unpublished-bulletin prediction after official dates are available.
- Treating Dates for Filing as permission for final approval.
- Assuming every category advances when the fiscal year resets.
- Letting work authorization lapse while waiting for a green-card filing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Has the October 2026 Visa Bulletin been released?
Yes. The State Department has published the October 2026 Visa Bulletin for the first month of fiscal year 2027. Use the official employment-based tables and check USCIS’s separate chart selection before relying on a cutoff for an adjustment filing.
What are the October 2026 EB-1 and EB-2 India dates?
The Final Action Dates are February 1, 2023 for EB-1 India and November 1, 2013 for EB-2 India. The Dates for Filing are July 1, 2024 and January 15, 2015, respectively. The applicable priority date must be earlier than the cutoff; also confirm USCIS’s filing-chart choice.
Does the October fiscal-year reset make India current?
No. The published October employment-based charts still show cutoff dates for EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 India. A new annual allocation does not eliminate existing demand or per-country and preference-category limits. Check the actual row rather than assuming the reset makes a case current.
Does a current priority date extend OPT work authorization?
No. A current priority date alone does not authorize employment or extend an EAD. You need an independent valid basis for work, such as current OPT authorization, a qualifying STEM extension, or another applicable authorization. Review any transition with your DSO and immigration counsel.
Official Sources
Rules can change. We checked this guide against the primary sources below; always open the current form instructions or agency page before acting.
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Written by Vinay Kumar
Vinay is a content writer at TrackMyOPT who specializes in immigration guidance for international students. All content is researched using official USCIS, SEVP, and Department of Labor sources and reviewed for accuracy by the TrackMyOPT team, which includes former F-1 students who navigated OPT, STEM OPT, and H-1B transitions firsthand.
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