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October 2026 Visa Bulletin: What Changed for EB-1A Applicants
The State Department’s October 2026 Visa Bulletin is the first of fiscal year 2027, and it brings mixed news for green card seekers. For EB-1A “extraordinary ability” applicants, it is mostly reassuring. Rest-of-World applicants stay current, China holds its position, and India moves forward. The biggest change may be an administrative one at USCIS.
As always our EB-1A consultants have analyzed and presented a detailed breakdown of this month’s much anticipated visa bulletin.
A new fiscal year resets the clock
The bulletin sets the first employment-based preference at 28.6% of the worldwide level, plus any numbers not needed for the fourth and fifth preferences. This is the pool that EB-1A, EB-1B (outstanding professors and researchers) and EB-1C (multinational managers) all draw from. The per-country limit is 7% of the total annual family and employment-based limits, or 25,620, and China, India, Mexico and the Philippines are the oversubscribed areas. The State Department earlier reported a fiscal year 2026 worldwide employment-based limit of 186,317.
EB-1 then and now
Final Action Dates (when a green card can be approved):
- Rest of World, Mexico, Philippines: Current. This is unchanged from September, when EB-1 was current for every country except China and India.
- China: Unchanged at July 1, 2023.
- India: Moved forward about 3.5 months, from October 15, 2022 to February 1, 2023.
India’s gain is more meaningful than it looks. In September, the State Department warned that EB-1 India might become unavailable in the coming weeks because of heavy demand. The October reset removed that risk.
Dates for Filing (when an application can be submitted):
- China and India: Both advanced seven months, from December 1, 2023 to July 1, 2024.
- Everyone else: Remain current.
The most important change of the bulletin
The date movements are only part of the story. In September, USCIS required the Final Action Dates chart for all employment-based adjustment filings. For October, it requires the Dates for Filing chart instead.
This is a big deal for Indian and Chinese EB-1A applicants inside the United States. Under the Final Action chart, an Indian applicant needed a priority date before February 2023 to file Form I-485. Under the Filing chart, anyone with a priority date before July 1, 2024 can file. That is roughly seventeen months of additional eligibility for India and twelve for China.
Filing is not approval. The application is filed now, but the green card is issued only when the priority date falls within the Final Action Date. Still, filing early can bring work and travel permissions while the case waits, and it locks in a place in the adjudication line.
Where EB-1A sits in a turbulent month
EB-1’s stability stands out because other categories were less fortunate. The bulletin says some employment-based categories for “Rest of World” countries have retrogressed to keep issuances within FY 2027 quarterly and annual limits.
- EB-2 (Rest of World): Final action date fell from current to January 1, 2025.
- EB-3 (Rest of World): Final action date is May 15, 2024.
- EB-2 India: Unavailable since July 2026 after the FY 2026 per-country limit was reached, it reopens with a November 1, 2013 final action date.
- EB-5 India (unreserved): Available again with a December 1, 2023 final action date.
Law firms differ on how to read the month. One firm called the employment landscape “largely static,” while others stressed reopened categories and Rest-of-World retrogression. Both readings are fair. It depends on which category and country you are looking at.
What this means for EB-1A petitioners
- Rest-of-World applicants face no waiting line. Once the I-140 is approved, or filed with premium processing, the priority date is not a barrier. Since EB-2 and EB-3 have now regressed to fixed cutoffs, EB-1A is even more attractive for people who qualify, because it avoids a queue that others have just joined.
- Indian applicants have new options. The Filing chart opens I-485 eligibility to more people, and the Final Action Date is moving in the right direction.
- Chinese applicants see no change in the Final Action Date, but filing eligibility widens by a year.
- Mexico and Philippines applicants remain current in EB-1.
The outlook
The State Department is not promising stability. The bulletin says the situation is being continually monitored, and “any necessary adjustments will be made accordingly.” Note that the same bulletin describes retrogression as a tool to stay within quarterly and annual limits, so movement can reverse. Applicants should file when eligible rather than wait for a better bulletin.
At GCEB1, our EB-1A experts are constantly staying eagle-eyed on all the immigration updates and their impact on the applicants. Get in touch with us to get the best personalized mentorship for EB-1A and other merit based pathways. We wish you a safe and stress free immigration journey ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What happened to EB-1A in the October 2026 bulletin compared with September?
Rest of World, Mexico and the Philippines stayed current. China stayed at July 1, 2023, and India advanced to February 1, 2023. Filing dates for China and India moved seven months to July 1, 2024.
2. Does EB-1A have its own line in the bulletin?
No. EB-1A, EB-1B and EB-1C share the “1st” row. A person’s category does not change their cutoff date.
3. What is the difference between the two charts?
The Final Action Date chart shows when a green card can be approved. The Dates for Filing chart shows when you may submit your application. USCIS says which chart to use each month.
4. Which chart applies in October?
USCIS requires the Dates for Filing chart for employment-based filings in October 2026.
5. I was born in India. Can I file my I-485 now?
If you are otherwise eligible and your priority date is earlier than July 1, 2024, yes. Approval will require the date to fall within the Final Action Date, now February 1, 2023.
6. Is there any waiting time for Rest-of-World EB-1A applicants?
Not on the bulletin. The category is current, though USCIS and consular processing times still apply.
7. Why did EB-2 and EB-3 move backward while EB-1 did not?
The State Department said the retrogressions are needed to stay within FY 2027 limits. It has not tied EB-1’s stability to any single cause.
8. Could EB-1 retrogress later in the year?
Yes. The bulletin warns that adjustments may be made, and India’s EB-1 came close to becoming unavailable in September.
9. What is a priority date for an EB-1A self-petitioner?
It is generally the date USCIS receives the I-140 petition. It is compared against the cutoff date for your country.
