EB-3 Retrogression October 2026: New Visa Bulletin Cuts Filing Dates for FY2027

The U.S. Department of State has released the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, marking the start of fiscal year 2027 and introducing notable retrogression across several employment-based categories. USCIS has confirmed it will use the Dates for Filing chart for employment-based adjustment of status applications in October 2026, which governs when applicants may submit their I-485 filings rather than when approvals may be granted. For EB-3 applicants in All Chargeability Areas and Mexico, the Dates for Filing cutoff is now August 1, 2024. China EB-3 applicants face a cutoff of April 1, 2024, while Philippines EB-3 applicants must have a priority date before January 1, 2024. India EB-3 remains severely backlogged with a cutoff of January 15, 2015, reflecting the ongoing per-country demand disparity. EB-2 retrogression also affects All Chargeability Areas, Mexico, and the Philippines, with a cutoff of March 15, 2026. India EB-2 shares the same January 15, 2015 cutoff as EB-3, while China EB-2 is set at January 1, 2023. EB-1 remains current for most chargeability areas, with China and India EB-1 capped at July 1, 2024. For EB-3 applicants, the key action item is to verify your priority date against the Dates for Filing chart before submitting an I-485. Those with priority dates after the listed cutoffs must wait until a future bulletin advances the date before they can file. Applicants should also monitor whether USCIS switches to the Final Action Dates chart in subsequent months, which would further restrict eligibility.