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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFor Indian applicants, the October 2026 Visa Bulletin sets new cutoff dates for family- and employment-based green cards as federal fiscal year 2027 begins on October 1. The dates depend on your preference category and country of chargeability. They do not make every case current or, by themselves, establish that you can file Form I-485.
What changed for Indian green card applicants in October?
The U.S. Department of State’s October 2026 Visa Bulletin, published September 4, lists India-specific dates for family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories. The bulletin says that availability of fiscal year 2027 numbers advanced dates in various preference categories. It also reports retrogression in some employment-based categories for other chargeability areas to keep number use within limits, and says the Department will monitor availability. Those statements do not establish that every Indian category advanced.
October 1 began fiscal year 2027. A fiscal-year reset can affect visa-number availability, but it does not make all preference categories current, guarantee that a cutoff will move again, or guarantee an individual applicant’s approval. The dates below are from the October bulletin and should be checked against the latest bulletin before acting.
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What are the October 2026 cutoff dates for India?
These are the India dates in the Department of State’s October 2026 Visa Bulletin. “Current” means numbers are authorized for all qualified applicants in that category; it does not waive the category’s other eligibility requirements.
Employment-based preferences
| Category | Final Action Date | Date for Filing |
|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | February 1, 2023 | July 1, 2024 |
| EB-2 | November 1, 2013 | January 15, 2015 |
| EB-3 | January 1, 2014 | January 15, 2015 |
| EB-3 Other Workers | January 1, 2014 | January 15, 2015 |
| EB-4 | December 15, 2022 | January 1, 2025 |
| Certain Religious Workers (SR) | December 15, 2022 | January 1, 2025 |
| EB-5 Unreserved | December 1, 2023 | May 1, 2024 |
| EB-5 Rural set-aside | Current | Current |
| EB-5 High Unemployment set-aside | Current | Current |
| EB-5 Infrastructure set-aside | Current | Current |
Family-sponsored preferences
| Category | Final Action Date | Date for Filing |
|---|---|---|
| F1: unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens | January 22, 2020 | February 1, 2020 |
| F2A: spouses and children of permanent residents | September 22, 2026 | Current |
| F2B: unmarried sons and daughters age 21 or older of permanent residents | August 22, 2019 | September 1, 2019 |
| F3: married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens | October 22, 2014 | November 1, 2014 |
| F4: brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens | December 15, 2006 | February 1, 2007 |
For any listed cutoff, the priority date must be earlier than the date—not the same date—to be within it. For example, a priority date of February 1, 2023 is not earlier than an EB-1 Final Action Date of February 1, 2023.
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How do Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing differ?
The two columns mark different stages. A Final Action Date indicates when a visa number is authorized for issuance in a preference category. A Date for Filing is used in the consular process to determine when applicants may submit documents to the National Visa Center. For applicants in the United States seeking adjustment of status, a Date for Filing is usable for Form I-485 only when USCIS designates that chart for the month.
In an oversubscribed category, the Department of State defines the Final Action Date as “the priority date of the first applicant who could not be reached within the numerical limits.” In practical terms, the cutoff is a queue marker: a priority date earlier than the listed date is within the cutoff, while an equal or later date is not.
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Can you file Form I-485 in October 2026?
It depends on your category, priority date, chargeability, and whether you are applying from inside the United States. The Department of State’s October bulletin tells adjustment-of-status applicants to use Final Action Dates unless USCIS says otherwise, and directs them to USCIS for the monthly chart designation. The October 2026 USCIS chart choice is not established here, so check USCIS’s October 2026 adjustment-of-status filing-chart notice directly before submitting Form I-485. Do not assume that the later Dates for Filing cutoff is available for an I-485 just because it appears in the bulletin.
- Identify your route. If you are applying from inside the United States, you may be seeking adjustment of status with Form I-485. If you are applying through a U.S. consulate abroad, follow the consular process and National Visa Center instructions; the USCIS I-485 chart designation does not govern that filing.
- Confirm your preference category and priority date. Use the category tied to your petition or visa case, not a different category whose date is more favorable.
- Confirm your chargeability area. India is listed separately in the bulletin, but chargeability generally follows country of birth, with exceptions. Indian citizenship alone does not necessarily place a case in the India column.
- Use the right chart for your route. For consular cases, use the bulletin’s chart relevant to the step you are taking and NVC instructions. For an I-485, check USCIS’s monthly designation and compare your priority date to the chart USCIS permits.
- Check the date carefully. A priority date must be earlier than a cutoff. Being within a cutoff means the date criterion is met; it does not establish that every other requirement for filing or approval is satisfied.
What does the fiscal-year reset mean—and what does it not mean?
The October bulletin states the statutory annual framework as a minimum of 226,000 family-sponsored preference numbers, at least 140,000 worldwide employment-based preference numbers, and a per-country preference limit of 25,620. These figures are not an individual applicant’s allotment, a category-specific India quota, or a forecast of future cutoff movement. Actual availability is subject to the numerical limits and the applicable category rules.
Visa Bulletin dates can change from month to month as the Department of State monitors demand and number use. A date shown in October is not a promise about the next bulletin, and the start of the new fiscal year is not itself evidence that an individual case will move forward.
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What is the October change for certain religious workers?
The October bulletin reports that H.R. 6500, signed September 2, 2026, extends the Employment Fourth Preference Certain Religious Workers (SR) category through December 11, 2026. For the applicable chargeability area, SR uses the same filing and final action dates as other EB-4 cases. This is a temporary extension for that subcategory, not a general change to green card eligibility for Indian applicants.
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