November 2026 Visa Bulletin: EB-3 Other Workers Jump 5 Months, Family Categories Surge

The November 2026 Visa Bulletin delivers notable movement across both employment-based and family-sponsored preference categories. The most significant employment-based gain is a five-month advance in the EB-3 Other Workers Final Action Date for ROW and Mexico, moving from January 1, 2022 to June 1, 2022. EB-2 applicants chargeable to ROW, Mexico, and the Philippines also see a meaningful three-month advance, moving to April 1, 2025. For EB-3 Skilled Workers and Professionals, progress is more modest. ROW and Mexico advance one month to June 15, 2024, while China and India see only two-to-three-week gains. India and China employment-based categories continue to face severe backlogs, with EB-3 India remaining at a January 2014 cutoff. The family-sponsored categories show the most dramatic movement this bulletin. F1 (unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens), F2B (unmarried adult children of permanent residents), F3 (married children of U.S. citizens), and F4 (siblings of U.S. citizens) all advance by one full year for ROW, China, and India chargeability areas. F2A (spouses and children of permanent residents) advances one month across all chargeability areas. USCIS continues to allow use of Chart B Dates for Filing for adjustment-of-status applications, which means some applicants whose priority dates fall short of the Final Action Date cutoff may still be eligible to file Form I-485. Applicants should consult with an immigration attorney to determine their eligibility under the applicable chart. It is important to note that bulletin advances — especially the five-month EB-3 Other Workers jump — do not indicate a corresponding reduction in actual processing time, nor do they predict the pace of future advances. Applicants should monitor upcoming bulletins closely.