The September 2026 Visa Bulletin is out, and it is the mirror image of what India-based employment applicants were bracing for. There are zero retrogressions anywhere in the bulletin. Instead, the State Department poured its remaining fiscal-year numbers into the family-sponsored charts: F3 leapt 890 days (May 15, 2012 → Oct 22, 2014), F4 for most countries gained 781 days, and F2B advanced 598 days. The employment-based side barely moved. The entire employment Dates for Filing chart is frozen cell-for-cell at its August 2026 values, only EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers advanced on Final Action, and EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India remain Unavailable for a second straight month. September is also the last month of FY 2026 and the last month DV-2026 visas can ever be issued. This side-by-side comparison covers every category and every country with exact movement calculations.
The Headline Story: A Family Surge, an Employment Freeze, and India Still Shut Out
September 2026 contains no retrogressions at all, which is the first thing worth saying after months of India cutbacks. But the forward movement is lopsided. Every meaningful advance landed in the family-sponsored charts, where F3, F4, F2B and F1 each jumped by more than a year. On the employment side, the entire Dates for Filing chart is unchanged from August, every EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 and Other Workers Final Action Date held flat, and only EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers moved (+61 days for all countries). EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India stay “U” for Unavailable, exactly as they were in August. Both categories have been shut since the July 2026 bulletin. The September bulletin also adds a warning August did not carry: new Section G states that demand in the EB-5 unreserved category “may make it necessary to retrogress the final action date or make the category unavailable before the end of the fiscal year.” Separately, the FY 2026 employment-based annual limit is now finalized at 186,317 after USCIS delivered its data on July 24, replacing August’s placeholder of “at least 140,000.”
Free toolI-94 Expiration Calculator OnlineEmployment-Based Final Action Dates: Side-by-Side Comparison
The employment-based Final Action chart is almost a carbon copy of August. EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 and Other Workers did not move a single day for any country. The only movement anywhere on this chart is EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers, which advanced 61 days from Oct 15, 2022 to Dec 15, 2022 across all five columns. EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India remain Unavailable, and all four EB-5 set-aside categories stay Current for every country.
| Category | Country | Aug 2026 | Sep 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | All Other / Mexico / Phil | Current | Current | – |
| China | Jul 1, 2023 | Jul 1, 2023 | 0 days | |
| India | Oct 15, 2022 | Oct 15, 2022 | 0 days (flagged) | |
| EB-2 | All Other / Mexico / Phil | Current | Current | – |
| China | Sep 1, 2021 | Sep 1, 2021 | 0 days (flagged) | |
| India | Unavailable | Unavailable | Still “U” | |
| EB-3 | All Other | Sep 1, 2024 | Sep 1, 2024 | 0 days |
| China | Jan 1, 2022 | Jan 1, 2022 | 0 days | |
| India | Jan 1, 2014 | Jan 1, 2014 | 0 days | |
| Mexico | Sep 1, 2024 | Sep 1, 2024 | 0 days | |
| Philippines | Aug 1, 2023 | Aug 1, 2023 | 0 days | |
| Other Workers | All Other | Apr 1, 2022 | Apr 1, 2022 | 0 days |
| China | May 1, 2019 | May 1, 2019 | 0 days | |
| India | Jan 1, 2014 | Jan 1, 2014 | 0 days | |
| Mexico | Apr 1, 2022 | Apr 1, 2022 | 0 days | |
| Philippines | Dec 1, 2021 | Dec 1, 2021 | 0 days | |
| EB-4 | All countries | Oct 15, 2022 | Dec 15, 2022 | +61d |
| Certain Religious Workers | All countries | Oct 15, 2022 | Dec 15, 2022 | +61d |
| EB-5 Unreserved | All Other / Mexico / Phil | Current | Current | – |
| China | Dec 1, 2016 | Dec 1, 2016 | 0 days (flagged) | |
| India | Unavailable | Unavailable | Still “U” | |
| EB-5 Rural (20%) | All countries | Current | Current | – |
| EB-5 High Unemployment (10%) | All countries | Current | Current | – |
| EB-5 Infrastructure (2%) | All countries | Current | Current | – |
New in September: An EB-5 Unreserved Retrogression Warning
August carried warnings for EB-1 India (Section E) and EB-2 generally (Section F). September keeps both and adds a third, Section G, covering the EB-5 unreserved category: “Sufficient demand and number use in the EB-5 unreserved visa category may make it necessary to retrogress the final action date or make the category unavailable before the end of the fiscal year.” Note also that the EB-2 and EB-1 warnings tightened their language from August’s “in the coming months” to September’s “before the end of the fiscal year,” which is now a matter of weeks. See our earlier report on the EB-2 retrogression warning ahead of September 30.
Employment-Based Dates for Filing: Side-by-Side Comparison
This is the shortest section of the comparison, because there is nothing to report. Every single cell of the employment-based Dates for Filing chart in September 2026 is identical to August 2026. All 40 category-and-country combinations held, including EB-5 Unreserved India at May 1, 2024, which remains open for filing even though its Final Action Date is Unavailable.
| Category | Country | Aug 2026 | Sep 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | All Other / Mexico / Phil | Current | Current | – |
| China / India | Dec 1, 2023 | Dec 1, 2023 | 0 days | |
| EB-2 | All Other / Mexico / Phil | Current | Current | – |
| China | Jan 1, 2022 | Jan 1, 2022 | 0 days | |
| India | Jan 15, 2015 | Jan 15, 2015 | 0 days | |
| EB-3 | All Other / Mexico | Current | Current | – |
| China | Jan 8, 2022 | Jan 8, 2022 | 0 days | |
| India | Jan 15, 2015 | Jan 15, 2015 | 0 days | |
| Philippines | Jan 1, 2024 | Jan 1, 2024 | 0 days | |
| Other Workers | All Other / Mexico / Phil | Aug 1, 2022 | Aug 1, 2022 | 0 days |
| China | Oct 1, 2019 | Oct 1, 2019 | 0 days | |
| India | Jan 15, 2015 | Jan 15, 2015 | 0 days | |
| EB-4 | All countries | Jan 1, 2023 | Jan 1, 2023 | 0 days |
| Certain Religious Workers | All countries | Jan 1, 2023 | Jan 1, 2023 | 0 days |
| EB-5 Unreserved | All Other / Mexico / Phil | Current | Current | – |
| China | Mar 1, 2017 | Mar 1, 2017 | 0 days | |
| India | May 1, 2024 | May 1, 2024 | 0 days | |
| EB-5 Set-Asides (Rural / High Unemployment / Infrastructure) | All countries | Current | Current | – |
Why a Frozen Filing Chart Still Matters
USCIS decides each month whether adjustment-of-status applicants may use the Dates for Filing chart instead of Final Action Dates. Check uscis.gov/visabulletininfo before filing, because that decision, not the chart itself, determines which set of dates applies to your I-485. An unchanged filing chart means no new filing eligibility opened in September, but it also means nobody lost filing eligibility they had in August.
India & China: Country-Level Comparison
For the two most oversubscribed chargeability areas, September is a story of employment stasis alongside large family-sponsored gains. Neither country saw a single employment-based date move except the worldwide EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers advance. Both, however, picked up the full family-sponsored surge in F1, F2A, F2B and F3, and China also gained in F4.
India – What Changed (Aug → Sep 2026)
China – What Changed (Aug → Sep 2026)
The EB-2 to EB-3 Downgrade Math for India Has Not Changed
With EB-2 India still Unavailable and EB-3 India holding at Jan 1, 2014, EB-3 remains the only employment-based route with a usable Final Action Date for most Indian applicants outside EB-1. That is the same picture as August, so nobody who evaluated a downgrade last month needs to redo the analysis. What did change is timing pressure: with the fiscal year ending September 30, any EB-3 India number not used this month rolls into the FY 2027 allocation, and the October 2026 bulletin will reset the entire chart.
Family-Sponsored Final Action Dates: Side-by-Side Comparison
This is where September 2026 does all of its work. Four of the five family preference categories posted gains measured in years rather than weeks. F3 for All Other Areas, China and India advanced 890 days. F4 for All Other Areas and China advanced 781 days. F2B advanced 598 days and F1 advanced 403 days. F2A moved forward a clean month for every country, and Mexico and the Philippines each picked up smaller gains in their own columns.
| Category | Country | Aug 2026 | Sep 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | All Other / China / India | Dec 15, 2018 | Jan 22, 2020 | +403d |
| Mexico | Dec 1, 2007 | Jan 1, 2008 | +31d | |
| Philippines | May 1, 2013 | May 1, 2013 | 0 days | |
| F2A | All Other / China / India / Phil | Jul 22, 2026 | Aug 22, 2026 | +31d |
| Mexico | Jul 22, 2025 | Aug 22, 2025 | +31d | |
| F2B | All Other / China / India | Jan 1, 2018 | Aug 22, 2019 | +598d |
| Mexico | Feb 15, 2009 | Feb 15, 2009 | 0 days | |
| Philippines | Jun 1, 2013 | Jun 1, 2013 | 0 days | |
| F3 | All Other / China / India | May 15, 2012 | Oct 22, 2014 | +890d |
| Mexico | Jul 1, 2001 | Jul 1, 2001 | 0 days | |
| Philippines | Feb 22, 2006 | Feb 22, 2006 | 0 days | |
| F4 | All Other / China | Sep 1, 2009 | Oct 22, 2011 | +781d |
| India | Nov 1, 2006 | Nov 1, 2006 | 0 days | |
| Mexico | Apr 8, 2001 | Apr 8, 2001 | 0 days | |
| Philippines | Aug 1, 2007 | Aug 22, 2007 | +21d |
F2A Per-Country Exemption Threshold Also Moved
In August, F2A numbers exempt from the per-country limit went to applicants with priority dates earlier than Jul 22, 2025. For September that threshold advances one month to Aug 22, 2025. F2A numbers subject to the per-country limit are authorized for every country except Mexico with priority dates from Aug 22, 2025 up to Aug 22, 2026. All F2A numbers for Mexico remain exempt from the per-country limit.
Family-Sponsored Dates for Filing: Side-by-Side Comparison
Unlike the employment filing chart, the family filing chart did move. F3 advanced 610 days, F4 for All Other Areas and China gained 497 days, F2B added 243 days and F1 added 231 days. F2A stays Current for every country, as it has been throughout recent months. Mexico and the Philippines held flat in every category on this chart.
| Category | Country | Aug 2026 | Sep 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | All Other / China / India | Jun 15, 2019 | Feb 1, 2020 | +231d |
| Mexico | Dec 1, 2008 | Dec 1, 2008 | 0 days | |
| Philippines | Apr 22, 2015 | Apr 22, 2015 | 0 days | |
| F2A | All countries | Current | Current | – |
| F2B | All Other / China / India | Jan 1, 2019 | Sep 1, 2019 | +243d |
| Mexico | May 15, 2010 | May 15, 2010 | 0 days | |
| Philippines | Oct 1, 2013 | Oct 1, 2013 | 0 days | |
| F3 | All Other / China / India | Mar 1, 2013 | Nov 1, 2014 | +610d |
| Mexico | Jul 15, 2001 | Jul 15, 2001 | 0 days | |
| Philippines | Aug 8, 2006 | Aug 8, 2006 | 0 days | |
| F4 | All Other / China | Jun 22, 2010 | Nov 1, 2011 | +497d |
| India | Dec 15, 2006 | Dec 15, 2006 | 0 days | |
| Mexico | Apr 30, 2001 | Apr 30, 2001 | 0 days | |
| Philippines | Mar 22, 2008 | Mar 22, 2008 | 0 days |
Diversity Visa (DV) Cut-Offs: August vs September
September DV rank cut-offs jumped sharply, which is what happens in the final month of a DV year as the State Department clears remaining numbers. Africa gained 41,250 rank numbers and Europe gained 18,500. Asia is the exception and held completely flat, including the Nepal sub-limit. The August bulletin had already pre-announced these September numbers in its Section C, and the September bulletin honors them exactly.
| Region | Scope | Aug 2026 | Sep 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | All except those listed | 60,000 | 101,250 | +41,250 |
| Except: Algeria | 51,250 | 85,000 | +33,750 | |
| Except: Egypt | 36,000 | 50,000 | +14,000 | |
| Asia | All except those listed | 40,000 | 40,000 | 0 |
| Except: Nepal | 13,500 | 13,500 | 0 | |
| Europe | All chargeability areas | 29,000 | 47,500 | +18,500 |
| North America (Bahamas) | All chargeability areas | Current | Current | – |
| Oceania | All chargeability areas | 2,050 | 3,000 | +950 |
| South America & Caribbean | All chargeability areas | 4,000 | 4,750 | +750 |
DV-2026 Ends September 30, 2026 – No Extensions
Both bulletins carry the same hard stop, but September is the month it bites. Entitlement to DV status ends with the fiscal year: no DV-2026 visa may be issued after September 30, 2026, and derivative spouses and children lose their entitlement on the same date. The bulletin adds that “DV availability through the end of FY-2026 cannot be taken for granted” and numbers “could be exhausted prior to September 30.” One more difference worth noting: August described the DV-2026 annual limit as “approximately 54,850” and then “approximately 52,000” after the NDAA deduction. September firms both figures up to exactly 54,883 and 52,101.
What Stayed Frozen and What Advanced: September Movement at a Glance
Sorted into three buckets, September 2026 is unusually clean: nothing retrogressed, 45 cells advanced, and everything else held. The forward movement is concentrated almost entirely in family-sponsored categories and the DV chart.
Retrogressions (Aug → Sep 2026)
Forward Movement (Aug → Sep 2026)
Frozen (Aug → Sep 2026)
Key Takeaways: What the Changes Mean
Action Items Based on These Changes
1. F3 applicants worldwide, China and India (PD before Oct 22, 2014): A 890-day advance is the largest single movement in this bulletin. If your priority date is now reached, act this month. The fiscal year ends September 30 and October resets the chart.
2. F4 applicants worldwide and China (PD before Oct 22, 2011): +781 days opens a large new pool. India is not included; F4 India stays at Nov 1, 2006.
3. F2B applicants worldwide, China and India (PD before Aug 22, 2019): +598 days on Final Action and +243 days on Filing. Both charts moved, so check which one USCIS has authorized for adjustment filings this month.
4. F1 applicants worldwide, China and India (PD before Jan 22, 2020): +403 days on Final Action and +231 days on Filing.
5. F2A applicants (PD before Aug 22, 2026): The one-month advance continues the steady pattern. Filing stays Current for all countries, so eligible applicants can file regardless of priority date if USCIS authorizes the Filing chart.
6. EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India applicants: Both remain Unavailable, meaning no visa numbers can be issued in September. This has been the case since the July 2026 bulletin, and it means the category will not reopen before FY 2026 closes. The October 2026 bulletin is the next realistic chance.
7. EB-1 India applicants (PD before Oct 15, 2022): Your date held, but Section E warns the category may become unavailable “in the coming weeks” if India’s pro-rated limit is hit. If you are eligible and your case is ready, this is a use-it-now month.
8. EB-5 Unreserved investors outside India: New Section G warns of possible retrogression or unavailability before the fiscal year ends. All Other Areas, Mexico and the Philippines remain Current for now, and the set-aside categories are Current for everyone.
9. EB-4 and Certain Religious Worker applicants (PD before Dec 15, 2022): The only employment Final Action advance in this bulletin, +61 days for all five country columns.
10. DV-2026 selectees: This is your last month. Rank cut-offs rose sharply for Africa, Europe, Oceania and South America, but no DV-2026 visa can be issued after September 30, 2026, and numbers may run out before then.
One Structural Change: The FY 2026 Employment Limit Is Now Final
August’s bulletin listed the worldwide employment-based preference level as “at least 140,000” with a per-country limit of 25,620 and a dependent area limit of 7,320, because USCIS had not yet supplied its adjustment and parole data. September reports that USCIS delivered that data on July 24, and sets the final FY 2026 figures: an employment-based limit of 186,317, a per-country limit of 28,862, and a dependent area limit of 8,247. Including carryover under INA 203(b)(5)(B), the per-country limit is 29,136 and the dependent area limit is 8,325. The family-sponsored limit is unchanged at 226,000. The larger employment pool is the most likely explanation for why the State Department felt able to advance so aggressively elsewhere while holding the employment charts steady.
Official Sources
- August 2026 Visa Bulletin: Number 17, Volume XI (CA/VO: July 15, 2026) – VisaVerge Analysis
- September 2026 Visa Bulletin: Number 18, Volume XI (CA/VO: August 10, 2026)
- VisaVerge: August vs July 2026 Key Differences
- VisaVerge: July 2026 Bulletin – EB-2 and EB-5 India Unavailable
- VisaVerge: EB-2 Retrogression Warning Before September 30, 2026
- U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin (Official)
- USCIS: Adjustment of Status Filing Charts
- USCIS Visa Availability and Priority Dates
Disclaimer: This comparison is based on the official August 2026 Visa Bulletin (Number 17, Volume XI, CA/VO: July 15, 2026) and September 2026 Visa Bulletin (Number 18, Volume XI, CA/VO: August 10, 2026). Day-count movements are exact calculations between the two published date values. The September 2026 bulletin contains no retrogressions, but explicitly warns that EB-1 India may become unavailable, and that EB-2 and EB-5 Unreserved may retrogress or become unavailable before the fiscal year ends on September 30, 2026. This analysis is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Always verify dates on the official State Department website.
