- India’s EB-1 Final Action Date advanced to February 1, 2023, creating earlier eligibility for some applicants.
- EB-2 India returned to availability with a November 1, 2013 cutoff after being unavailable in September.
- USCIS expanded public-charge review on September 18, 2026, considering more personal, financial, education, and employment factors.
The October 2026 Visa Bulletin moved several India-linked categories toward a Green Card, while USCIS began a broader public-charge review for certain adjustment cases on September 18, 2026. The changes affect different parts of the process.
Three employment-based categories moved. Family-sponsored F2A also advanced, and the fiscal year changed on October 1.
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The cutoff shifts offer some Indian applicants earlier eligibility. The review adds factors officers may weigh in certain applications.
India’s employment cutoffs moved in three categories
EB-1 India’s Final Action Date advanced from October 15, 2022 to February 1, 2023. Some India-born priority workers with earlier priority dates can become eligible sooner.
| India | China | ROW | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Feb 01, 2023 ▲109d | Jul 01, 2023 | Current |
| EB-2 | Nov 01, 2013 | Oct 01, 2021 ▲30d | Jan 01, 2025 |
| EB-3 | Jan 01, 2014 | Jan 08, 2022 ▲7d | May 15, 2024 ▼109d |
| F-1 | Jan 22, 2020 | Jan 22, 2020 | Jan 22, 2020 |
| F-2A | Sep 22, 2026 ▲31d | Sep 22, 2026 ▲31d | Sep 22, 2026 ▲31d |
EB-2 India returned to availability with a Final Action Date of November 1, 2013, after being unavailable in September. Applicants with priority dates before that cutoff can move ahead again.
Unreserved EB-5 India also reopened. Its Final Action Date is December 1, 2023, creating a filing window for some Indian investors.
Those are the employment-based movements. They do not erase the long queues facing applicants in these categories.
F2A advanced as the new fiscal year began
The family-sponsored F2A cutoff moved to September 22, 2026 for most countries, including India. The category covers spouses and unmarried children under 21 of lawful permanent residents.
The new fiscal year began October 1, 2026, when the October bulletin took effect. Updated FY 2027 visa allocations also shift availability across categories.
The change affects the distribution of visas among categories. The reported changes include no allocation figures, so the category-specific cutoff dates provide the clearest measure of movement for Indian applicants.
USCIS now weighs a wider range of personal and financial factors
USCIS began applying the expanded assessment on September 18, 2026, to certain Form I-485 adjustment-of-status filings. Officers can consider an applicant’s age, health and family status, as well as assets, resources and financial status.
Education and skills also enter the review. In some cases, officers may weigh employment history and prospects.
The assessment can include a wider range of means-tested public benefits, including cash aid, housing aid and food assistance. Using a benefit, by itself, does not automatically lead to denial.
That review reaches Indians filing adjustment-of-status applications after September 18, 2026. Officers may assess both applicants’ resources and their prospects for employment.
