US Visa Bulletin September 2026: EB-2 India Now Unavailable, EB-1 India at Risk — What It Means for the Green Card Queue

The US Visa Bulletin September 2026 landed with a warning attached. The State Department confirmed that final action dates for the employment-based categories are holding steady from August, but it flagged that EB-1 India, EB-2 for all countries, and the unreserved EB-5 category could become unavailable entirely before the fiscal year closes on September 30, 2026, if demand keeps pace with the numbers being used. For applicants tracking a green card priority date, that single sentence buried in the bulletin’s fine print matters more than almost anything else in this month’s release.

Family-sponsored applicants got better news. Several family categories moved forward meaningfully this month, with the F1 category advancing roughly seven and a half months, F2B moving about eight months, F3 jumping nearly 20 months, and F4 pushing forward more than 16 months for most countries. USCIS confirmed that family-sponsored applicants filing adjustment of status inside the United States should use the more generous Dates for Filing chart in September, while employment-based applicants must use the stricter Final Action Dates chart. We will be updating this article monthly as the Department of State and USCIS confirm new cutoff dates and category movement heading into fiscal year 2027. This guide breaks down every family-sponsored and employment-based category in this month’s bulletin, explains which chart applies to your case, walks through what the EB-1 India and EB-2 unavailability warning actually means for pending applicants, and covers how to apply, how long processing typically takes, and where to check your case status directly through official government resources.

US Visa Bulletin September 2026 Key Highlights

Which Chart Should You Use This Month

This is the single most important US Visa Bulletin September 2026 question, and it trips up more applicants than any other part of the bulletin. USCIS confirmed that for September 2026, all family-sponsored preference categories should use the Dates for Filing chart to determine when an adjustment of status application can be submitted, while all employment-based preference categories must use the stricter Final Action Dates chart instead. This distinction matters enormously. The Dates for Filing chart is generally more generous, allowing applicants to submit paperwork earlier even though final approval still depends on a visa number becoming available later. The Final Action Dates chart, by contrast, only allows filing once a visa number is actually ready to be issued. Applicants filing from outside the United States through consular processing always follow the Final Action Dates chart regardless of what USCIS decides for domestic adjustment of status filers.

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Family-Sponsored Final Action Dates for September 2026

The Final Action Dates chart determines when a family-based immigrant visa can actually be approved and issued, whether the applicant is filing through consular processing abroad or has already reached the final approval stage domestically.

For F2A specifically, numbers exempt from the per-country limit are authorized for applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than August 22, 2025, while F2A numbers subject to the per-country limit apply to applicants from every country except Mexico, with priority dates between August 22, 2025 and August 22, 2026.

Family-Sponsored Dates for Filing September 2026

This is the chart USCIS confirmed family-based applicants inside the United States should use this month to submit Form I-485.

Employment-Based Final Action Dates September 2026

Employment-based applicants filing adjustment of status inside the United States this month must use this Final Action Dates chart, since USCIS did not authorize the more generous Dates for Filing chart for employment categories in September.

Employment-Based Dates for Filing September 2026

Even though USCIS is not using this chart for domestic employment-based filings in September, it remains relevant for consular processing planning and for tracking how much room exists ahead of the Final Action Dates.

Why EB-1 India, EB-2 Worldwide, and EB-5 Unreserved Could Close Before September 30

This is the development driving most of this month’s attention, and it is worth explaining plainly rather than burying it in legal language. The State Department’s own bulletin text warns that high demand and heavy number use in the EB-1 India category may force it to become entirely unavailable in the coming weeks if India’s prorated annual limit is reached before the fiscal year ends on September 30, 2026. If that happens, no further EB-1 India approvals would occur until new numbers open up under the FY2027 allocation on October 1, 2026.

The same warning applies to EB-2 across all countries, not just India, where sufficient demand and increased number use could force the category to retrogress its final action date or become unavailable entirely before year end. EB-2 India is already marked unavailable this month, a status that has persisted for some time, and the bulletin notes that increased demand elsewhere could tighten availability further for other countries in EB-2 as well.

The unreserved portion of EB-5, the investor visa category, carries an identical warning. Sufficient demand and number use could force retrogression or full unavailability before the fiscal year closes. The State Department attributes part of this year’s tighter movement to reduced immigrant visa issuance rates for nationals of certain countries, tied to recent presidential proclamations restricting entry for national security and public safety reasons, along with processing slowdowns tied to those same policy changes. To offset that reduced usage elsewhere, dates for filing and final action dates were advanced across several categories earlier in the fiscal year, which is part of why some categories now face a real risk of hitting their annual ceiling before September 30.

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Diversity Visa (DV-2026) Deadline

September marks the final month of eligibility for the DV-2026 diversity visa lottery. All DV-2026 status, including for spouses and children accompanying or following to join a principal applicant, expires permanently on September 30, 2026, regardless of whether visa numbers remain available. The annual DV-2026 limit was reduced to approximately 52,101 after required deductions tied to the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act and the National Defense Authorization Act. Applicants should not assume their allocation cutoff number guarantees a visa through the end of the month, since regional numbers can be exhausted before September 30.

How to Apply Based on the Visa Bulletin

Applicants already inside the United States who are eligible to adjust status file Form I-485 with USCIS once their priority date meets the applicable chart described above. Family-sponsored filers use the Dates for Filing chart this month, while employment-based filers must use the Final Action Dates chart. Applicants outside the United States go through consular processing instead, working with the National Visa Center once their priority date becomes current on the Final Action Dates chart, regardless of which chart USCIS is using domestically that month. The National Visa Center will contact documentarily qualified applicants directly to begin assembling required civil documents once their case is ready to move forward.

Processing Time After Filing

Once a Form I-485 adjustment of status application or an immigrant visa application through the National Visa Center is filed, processing timelines vary widely by service center, consulate, and category, typically ranging from several months to well over a year for high demand categories like EB-2 and EB-3 India and China. Employment authorization and advance parole applications filed alongside a pending I-485 are generally processed faster and provide interim work and travel authorization while the underlying green card case remains pending. Because visa numbers are allocated monthly and category by category, an application that was properly filed while a chart date was current can still face delays if the category later retrogresses, though a properly filed and accepted case is not automatically rejected simply because the cutoff date moves backward in a later month.

Payment Schedule and Fees

There is no recurring monthly payment tied to the Visa Bulletin itself, but applicants should budget for USCIS filing fees tied to Form I-485 and any accompanying applications for employment authorization or advance parole, along with National Visa Center processing fees for consular cases. Fee amounts and any applicable waivers should always be confirmed directly on the official USCIS fee schedule before filing, since amounts are periodically updated and vary depending on the specific combination of forms submitted together.

How the Visa Bulletin Categories Actually Work

Understanding the structure behind the US Visa Bulletin September 2026 makes the monthly numbers far less confusing. Family-sponsored preference visas are capped at 226,000 worldwide per fiscal year, split across four numbered categories. F1 covers unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens, F2A and F2B together cover spouses, children, and unmarried adult sons and daughters of permanent residents, F3 covers married sons and daughters of US citizens, and F4 covers siblings of adult US citizens. Employment-based preference visas are capped at 186,317 worldwide, split across five numbered categories ranging from EB-1 priority workers to EB-5 investors, with EB-5 further divided into reserved set-asides for rural areas, high unemployment areas, and infrastructure projects, plus an unreserved pool for everyone else.

Every country is also subject to a per-country limit, set at seven percent of the combined annual family and employment totals, which works out to 28,862 for fiscal year 2026 before accounting for certain carryover provisions. This per-country cap is exactly why applicants born in China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines, the four countries that consistently exceed their share of demand, see separate and often much older cutoff dates than applicants from every other country combined. A citizen of, say, Brazil or Nigeria with the same priority date as an applicant born in India will often see their case move forward years earlier, simply because Brazil and Nigeria are not oversubscribed chargeability areas this year.

What Drove This Month’s Family Category Movement

The scale of forward movement in the family-sponsored Dates for Filing chart this month is unusually large, and the State Department’s own bulletin text explains why. Immigrant visa issuance rates for nationals of certain countries have declined this year because of recent presidential proclamations restricting entry on national security and public safety grounds, along with related processing slowdowns at some diplomatic posts. To keep total visa usage within the annual worldwide limits Congress sets each year, the Department of State has been advancing dates for filing and final action dates in other categories throughout the year to make sure the full allotment of visas gets used rather than left on the table when the fiscal year closes. That is the direct cause behind F3 jumping nearly 20 months and F4 advancing more than 16 months in a single monthly bulletin, a pace that would be highly unusual in an ordinary year. The bulletin is explicit that this advancement could reverse in future months if demand from qualified applicants increases or if the underlying policies driving reduced issuance in certain countries are changed or rescinded.

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FAQs About US Visa Bulletin September 2026

People Also Ask

What is a priority date in the Visa Bulletin?

A priority date is generally the date a relative or employer properly filed an immigrant visa petition on an applicant’s behalf, or the date a required labor certification was accepted for processing by the Department of Labor.

Why did some family categories move forward so much this month?

The State Department advanced several dates for filing and final action dates earlier in the fiscal year to help offset reduced visa issuance for nationals of certain countries tied to recent immigration policy changes, which created room for faster movement in categories like F3 and F4.

What does Current mean on the Visa Bulletin?

Current, shown as C on the chart, means visa numbers are authorized for issuance to all qualified applicants in that category and country regardless of priority date.

What does Unavailable mean on the Visa Bulletin?

Unavailable, shown as U, means no visa numbers are currently authorized for issuance in that category for that country, and applicants must wait until availability resumes in a future month or fiscal year.

Can EB-3 be faster than EB-2 for some applicants?

Yes, in certain months and countries EB-3 final action dates can actually be more current than EB-2 for the same country, which is why some applicants strategically consider downgrading a pending EB-2 petition to EB-3 when it works in their favor.

Conclusion

The US Visa Bulletin September 2026 closes out fiscal year 2026 with a mixed picture. Family-sponsored applicants are seeing genuinely encouraging forward movement across the Dates for Filing chart, while employment-based final action dates held flat from August, all under the shadow of a formal State Department warning that EB-1 India, EB-2 across all countries, and EB-5 Unreserved could still become unavailable before the fiscal year ends on September 30. Applicants with a pending case in any of those three categories should watch official channels closely through the end of the month, since a retrogression or full unavailability could arrive with little additional notice once annual limits are reached. As always, the safest way to confirm exactly where a specific case stands is checking USCIS Case Status Online or contacting the National Visa Center directly rather than relying on general category trends. We will keep updating this bulletin breakdown every month as new final action dates, filing dates, and USCIS chart guidance are confirmed for fiscal year 2027.

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