October marks the start of a new fiscal year (FY-2026), and that always reshuffles the math behind visa availability. In September (the last month of FY-2025), the employment-based (EB) worldwide limit benefited from carryover and sat at 150,037, with a per-country cap of 26,323 (even higher when including carryover mechanics). In October, those figures reset to the statutory floor—at least 140,000 EB numbers worldwide and a 25,620 per-country cap. Despite that tighter ceiling, October still delivers meaningful forward movement in several key categories, plus a major structural change: EB-4 reopens from “Unavailable” to dated.

Below is a category-by-category narrative comparing October 2025 to September 2025, using exactly the dates you supplied.

Family-Sponsored (Final Action): F2A steals the show

The headline in Family-Sponsored is simple: F2A (spouses and children of green card holders) jumps sharply. For most countries, Final Action advances from 01SEP22 to 01FEB24—a leap of about 17 months. Mexico also improves by a full year (from 01FEB22 to 01FEB23). This is the single most consequential family movement between the two bulletins and signals that NVC and consular pipelines may be ready to clear more long-pending F2A demand.

Beyond F2A, F1 (unmarried adult sons/daughters of U.S. citizens) nudges forward across the board: the worldwide date shifts from 15JUL16 to 08NOV16; Mexico moves from 22APR05 to 22NOV05; and the Philippines improves from 15JUL12 to 22JAN13. F2B (unmarried adult sons/daughters of LPRs) also inches ahead, with small but real gains—worldwide from 15OCT16 to 22NOV16; Mexico from 01APR07 to 15DEC07; Philippines from 01MAY12 to 01OCT12.

F3 (married sons/daughters of U.S. citizens) registers modest forward motion: worldwide from 01AUG11 to 08SEP11; Mexico advances to 15APR01; and the Philippines edges up to 22SEP04. F4 (siblings of U.S. citizens) barely moves worldwide (01JAN08 to 08JAN08), with Mexico up to 08APR01 and the Philippines to 22MAR06. India’s F4 remains stuck at 01NOV06.

A technical—but important—footnote: the F2A per-country exemption note shifts forward in October. In September, exempt numbers were authorized before 01FEB22; in October, that threshold becomes 01FEB23, and the “subject to per-country limit” window extends up to 01FEB24 (Mexico continues to receive exempt allocations). This tracks with the large headline advancement you see in F2A.

Family-Sponsored (Dates for Filing): F2A filing jumps; a few helpful nudges elsewhere

On the filing side, F2A again stands out. Dates for Filing move from 01JUN25 in September to 22SEP25 in October—roughly a 3.5-month gain for all chargeability areas, including Mexico and the Philippines. Elsewhere, movement is selective: F1 Mexico improves to 08OCT06 (from 01JUN06), F2B Mexico to 15DEC08 (from 01APR08), and F4 worldwide to 01MAR09 (from 01JAN09). Most other family DF rows hold steady.

Employment-Based (Final Action): broad EB-2 gains, EB-3 targeted progress, EB-4 reopens, and EB-5 India jumps

EB-1 is calm. The worldwide, Mexico, and Philippines rows remain Current. China inches from 15NOV22 to 22DEC22, while India holds at 15FEB22.

EB-2 is where October delivers across the board. The worldwide/Mexico/Philippines Final Action date advances three months to 01DEC23 (from 01SEP23). China pushes to 01APR21 (from 15DEC20), and India climbs to 01APR13 (from 01JAN13). These are meaningful steps that should help unlock adjudications in the near term, especially for ROW applicants and late-2023 filings.

EB-3 shows targeted progress. Worldwide ROW stays at 01APR23, but the bottleneck regions advance: China moves to 01MAR21 (from 01DEC20), India to 22AUG13 (from 22MAY13), and the Philippines to 01APR23 (from 08FEB23). The Other Workers subcategory also ticks forward slightly worldwide (to 15JUL21), with China up to 01DEC17 and India mirroring its EB-3 pro date at 22AUG13.

The big structural change is EB-4. In September, EB-4 (and SR) were Unavailable. In October, EB-4 reopens with a Final Action date of 01JUL20 for all chargeability areas. However, the non-minister “SR” subcategory remains Unavailable because the statutory authorization lapsed on September 29, 2025. The Department of State notes that if Congress extends SR, it would immediately adopt the same EB-4 dates published for October.

Finally, EB-5 Unreserved shows a significant India gain. India leaps from 15NOV19 in September to 01FEB21 in October, while China holds at 08DEC15. Worldwide, Mexico, and the Philippines remain Current. Set-asides (Rural, High Unemployment, Infrastructure) remain Current across all chargeability areas.

Employment-Based (Dates for Filing): strong EB-2/EB-3 filing gains; a key EB-5 China DF pullback

On the filing chart, EB-1 stays Current for most, with China improving to 15MAY23 (from 01JAN23) and India to 15APR23 (from 15APR22).

EB-2 filing dates jump noticeably. Worldwide/Mexico/Philippines rise to 15JUL24 (from 15NOV23), China to 01DEC21 (from 01JAN21), and India to 01DEC13 (from 01FEB13). This opens the door for additional AOS filings where USCIS designates Chart B use.

EB-3 filing advances as well. Worldwide/Mexico/Philippines move to 01JUL23 (from 01MAY23), China to 01JAN22 (from 22DEC20), and India to 15AUG14 (from 08JUN13). Other Workers DF follows suit, with worldwide up to 01DEC21.

EB-4 DF inches ahead by about two weeks to 15FEB21 (from 01FEB21) across all areas—modest progress, but important given the category’s reopening on the Final Action side.

One notable negative: EB-5 China Unreserved DF retrogresses to 01JUL16 (down from 01OCT16). India’s EB-5 DF remains 01APR22; all set-asides stay Current for filing.

Diversity Visas: end-of-year vs. fresh start

The September bulletin reflects the tail-end of DV-2025 with high regional rank cut-offs typical for a closing fiscal year. October flips the page to DV-2026, with early-year regional cut-offs and an effective annual DV cap of ~52,000 (reduced from the nominal 55,000 by NACARA/NDAA adjustments). Practically speaking, October is a reset for DV with new rank cut-offs and a new year of validity running through September 30, 2026.

What this means for applicants right now

1. F2A families should see the most immediate benefit. If your priority date is at or before 01FEB24 (Mexico: 01FEB23), October’s Final Action chart signals adjudications can resume or pick up speed. Also note the improved Dates for Filing to 22SEP25—useful if USCIS designates Chart B for filing in October.
2. EB-2 worldwide and key backlogged countries get breathing room. ROW/Mexico/Philippines push to 01DEC23; China climbs to 01APR21; India to 01APR13. Many applicants with late-2023 priority dates (ROW) or early-2013 (India) now sit inside the action window.
3. EB-3 India/China/Philippines inch forward. The gains aren’t massive, but they’re meaningful, especially when paired with the larger DF advances that could enable additional AOS filings (if USCIS uses Chart B).
4. EB-4 reopening is a big procedural win after September’s “U.” While the Final Action date (01JUL20) is still conservative, it’s materially better than a shutdown category. SR remains Unavailable unless Congress acts; if it does, SR should mirror EB-4’s dates immediately.
5. EB-5 India (Unreserved) enjoys a large Final Action jump to 01FEB21, potentially unlocking long-pending approvals. China Unreserved DF takes a step back to 01JUL16, which signals DOS is calibrating demand vs. supply early in the new fiscal year.
6. Always check USCIS’s monthly chart-use announcement. Even if DOS’s October Chart B is favorable, you can only use it for adjustment of status if USCIS authorizes the filing chart for that month.

Bottom line

• Winners: F2A (biggest family advance), EB-2 (broad improvements), EB-5 India Unreserved (large FA jump), and EB-4 (category reopens after being Unavailable).
• Mixed bag: EB-3 (selective progress, especially for India/China/PH), EB-5 China (Final Action flat; Dates for Filing retrogression).
• Cautious optimism for FY-2026: Despite the reset to lower statutory EB ceilings, October manages to push several categories forward. The next few months will reveal whether DOS can sustain this momentum as real demand data rolls in and per-country caps bite.