November 2026 Visa Bulletin: EB-3 Advances & Major F1-F4 Family Priority Date Movement

The U.S. Department of State has published the November 2026 Visa Bulletin, offering incremental progress for employment-based applicants and notable one-year leaps for several family-sponsored preference categories. USCIS has confirmed it will use the Dates for Filing chart for both employment-based and family-sponsored preference categories in November, allowing eligible applicants to file Form I-485 earlier than the Final Action Dates would otherwise permit. For EB-3 applicants, the bulletin delivers measured but meaningful movement. EB-3 Worldwide and Mexico Final Action Dates advance one month to June 15, 2024, while EB-3 China moves forward two weeks to January 22, 2022. EB-3 India sees a three-week gain to January 22, 2014. EB-3 Other Workers Worldwide and Mexico gains five months on the Final Action chart, reaching June 1, 2022. EB-5 set-aside categories—Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure—remain current, and EB-1 remains current for all countries except China and India. Family-sponsored categories are the headline story for November 2026. Worldwide, China, and India chargeability countries see one-year advances in F1 (to January 22, 2021), F2B (to August 22, 2020), F3 (to October 22, 2015), and F4 (to October 22, 2012). These are unusually large single-month gains. Mexico experienced smaller advancements across F1, F2A, and F3. All F2A Dates for Filing remain current across all countries of chargeability. For EB-3 applicants planning their adjustment of status, the use of the Dates for Filing chart is especially important—it allows many applicants to file I-485 concurrently with their immigrant visa petition before their Final Action Date becomes current. Applicants should verify their priority date against the appropriate chart for their visa category and country of chargeability to determine filing eligibility for November.