The U.S. Department of State released the September 2026 Visa Bulletin and warned that EB-1 India, EB-2 and unreserved EB-5 could face additional restrictions before September 30. For applicants watching the last month of fiscal year 2026, the bulletin is the latest signal that cutoff dates can still move before the year closes.
It also leaves one practical question in place for adjustment-of-status applicants: USCIS had not posted its September chart selection as of August 22. That choice decides whether applicants can rely on the Final Action Dates chart or the Dates for Filing chart, and each chart uses a cutoff that must be earlier than the applicant’s priority date.
F2A Holds A Better Position
F2A remains one of the most favorable family-sponsored categories. Its September final-action date is August 22, 2026, for most countries including China, India and the Philippines, while Mexico’s F2A cutoff is August 22, 2025.
On the Dates for Filing chart, F2A is Current worldwide. That gives family-based applicants a cleaner path than the employment-based categories now under pressure, even as the bulletin keeps both charts in play for September.
EB-1 India Faces Pressure
EB-1 remains Current for most countries, but the country-specific dates are much tighter. China’s final-action date is July 1, 2023, and India’s is October 15, 2022.
The State Department said high demand could force EB-1 India to become unavailable before the fiscal year ends. That is the sharpest warning in the bulletin, because an unavailable category would stop movement entirely until numbers reopen.
EB-2 And EB-5 Could Back Up
EB-2 is current for most countries, yet China’s final-action date is September 1, 2021 and India is Unavailable in EB-2. Unreserved EB-5 shows the same split: most countries remain current, China’s final-action date is December 1, 2016, and India is unavailable in unreserved EB-5.
The department said EB-2 final-action dates may have to move backward if visa use reaches the fiscal year 2026 limits, and the same could happen for unreserved EB-5. It also said both categories may become temporarily unavailable if usage reaches those limits before September 30.
For readers with a case in one of those categories, the immediate issue is chart selection and cutoff timing, not a new filing window. USCIS still has to choose the September chart, and until that happens, applicants cannot know whether the more flexible Dates for Filing chart or the stricter Final Action Dates chart will control movement in September 2026.
