October 2026 Visa Bulletin: What to Check First
Quick answer: The October 2026 Visa Bulletin hasn't been published yet, but you can still get ready by knowing exactly where to look once it lands: the Final Action Dates chart, the Dates for Filing chart, and the note at the top of the bulletin telling you which chart USCIS is using for adjustment of status that month. October matters more than most months because it opens a new fiscal year, which sometimes means category dates move differently than they did all fiscal year 2026. This post has no predicted dates or numbers — the U.S. Department of State hasn't released them, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing.
Key takeaways
- The U.S. Department of State typically releases the Visa Bulletin in the second half of the month before it takes effect, so the October 2026 bulletin should appear sometime in mid-to-late September 2026.
- October is a fiscal year rollover month, meaning annual visa number limits reset, which is one reason category movement can look different than it did in August or September.
- USCIS decides monthly whether applicants filing I-485 use the Final Action Dates chart or the Dates for Filing chart — this notice appears on the USCIS Visa Bulletin Information page, not in the bulletin itself.
- Your priority date, found on your I-797 receipt notice, is the only number that determines your place in line — not your receipt number and not your filing date with USCIS.
Why does October matter more than other months?
October is the start of a new federal fiscal year, and that resets the annual numerical limits Congress sets for green cards in each category. Per the Immigration and Nationality Act, family-sponsored and employment-based categories each get a fresh yearly allocation starting October 1, according to the U.S. Department of State's Visa Bulletin methodology.
That reset can cause unusual movement in October compared to the months right before it. Categories that were stuck or moving slowly in July, August, and September sometimes jump ahead once new visa numbers become available — though the opposite can also happen if a category was already oversubscribed going into the new year. Neither direction is guaranteed, and the only way to know is to read the actual chart when it's published.
If you're new to reading these charts at all, our earlier post on how to read the visa bulletin charts each month walks through the layout row by row.
What should I check on the Final Action Dates chart?
Find your visa category and country of chargeability, then compare the date listed to your priority date. The Final Action Dates chart tells you when a visa number can actually be issued — this is the chart that governs whether your green card can be approved, whether you're filing at a U.S. consulate abroad or adjusting status inside the country.
When the October bulletin drops, do this:
- Locate your exact category row (for example, F2A, F1, EB-2, EB-3) — don't assume it moves the same as a similar-sounding category.
- Match the correct country column. Most applicants use the "All Chargeability Areas" column, but India, China, Mexico, and the Philippines often have separate, slower-moving columns because of high demand.
- Compare your priority date to the listed date. If your priority date is earlier than the chart date, you're current for that category.
- Note whether the date moved forward, stayed the same, or retrogressed (moved backward) compared to September — retrogression is rare but not unheard of, especially right after a fiscal year reset.
Don't skip this: a category being "current" on the Final Action Dates chart is what actually allows a visa to be issued or a green card to be approved — the Dates for Filing chart only tells you when you're allowed to submit paperwork early.
What should I check on the Dates for Filing chart?
The Dates for Filing chart tells you the earliest date you may submit your green card application, but only if USCIS says you can use it that month. This chart tends to show later, more generous dates than Final Action Dates, because it's meant to let USCIS accept a pipeline of applications before every visa number is technically available.
Here's what trips people up: USCIS — not the State Department — decides every month which of the two charts applicants can use for filing Form I-485 inside the United States. That decision is posted separately on the USCIS Visa Bulletin Information page around the same time the bulletin itself is released. You have to check both.
- Read the bulletin release from the Department of State for the actual dates.
- Read the USCIS Visa Bulletin Information page for which chart applies to I-485 filers that month.
- Confirm the chart choice hasn't changed from the prior month — it does shift periodically.
- If you're filing from abroad through consular processing, only the Final Action Dates chart applies to you; the Dates for Filing distinction is specifically for USCIS's domestic adjustment of status decision.
Final Action Dates vs. Dates for Filing — the difference at a glance
| Final Action Dates | Dates for Filing | |
|---|---|---|
| What it controls | When a visa/green card can actually be approved | When you may submit your application, if USCIS permits |
| Who decides which applies to you | Applies to everyone, always, for final approval | USCIS chooses monthly whether I-485 filers may use it |
| Typically moves | Slower, more conservative | Faster, more generous |
| Applies to consular processing | Yes, always | No — consular applicants use Final Action Dates only |
| Where to check | Department of State Visa Bulletin | USCIS Visa Bulletin Information page |
Where should I go once the bulletin is actually published?
Go directly to the Department of State's Visa Bulletin page for the primary release, then to the USCIS Visa Bulletin Information page to confirm the filing chart decision — don't rely on secondhand summaries as your only source. Both agencies publish their own pages, and cross-checking takes less than five minutes.
A few habits worth building into that five minutes:
- Screenshot or save the exact chart for your category the day it's published — bulletins are updated monthly and older versions become harder to find.
- Recalculate your position using your actual priority date, not a rough guess from memory.
- Check whether your category's date changed direction (forward, flat, or backward) compared to the September bulletin.
- Read any notes at the bottom of the bulletin — the Department of State sometimes flags categories expected to retrogress or become unavailable later in the fiscal year.
If you want more on why bulletin movement is inherently uncertain and why no outlet — including this one — publishes specific predicted dates, we covered that directly in Visa Bulletin Predictions: What They Can and Can't Tell You. The short version: category movement depends on real-time demand, consular capacity, and annual limits that shift monthly, so even the Department of State doesn't set future dates in advance.
What should I do while I'm waiting for October's numbers?
Get your documents and case status in order now, so you're ready to act the moment the bulletin drops instead of scrambling. Waiting on a bulletin release is genuinely stressful, especially if you've been watching a category move slowly for months — being organized ahead of time at least puts you in control of the parts you can control.
A short pre-bulletin checklist:
- Confirm your priority date from your I-797 Notice of Action for the underlying petition (I-130 or I-140).
- Check your current USCIS case status message and understand what it means — for example, case is being actively reviewed by USCIS simply means it's in processing, not that a decision is imminent.
- Verify your I-485 or supporting forms are complete and signed, so you're not assembling paperwork last-minute if your category becomes current.
- Review current USCIS processing times for your form and service center, since bulletin movement and actual processing speed aren't the same thing.
- If you've filed and are waiting on evidence, note whether you're in RFE response received, no update yet territory — that's normal, and doesn't mean your case is stalled.
This is exactly the gap MyCheck was built to close. The app pulls your case status directly from USCIS roughly every ten minutes and sends a push notification the moment something changes, so you're not refreshing the USCIS website manually while you also wait on the bulletin. It also translates confusing status messages into plain English and builds an AI checklist specific to your visa type, so you know what's actually next instead of guessing.
We'll publish a full breakdown once the October 2026 bulletin is actually released, similar to how we covered the September 2026 Visa Bulletin the day it dropped. Until then, the most useful thing you can do is know exactly where to look — not guess what the numbers will say.
Waiting on a priority date to become current is one of the hardest parts of this process, and it's normal to feel anxious about it. MyCheck won't make the bulletin move faster, but it will make sure you know the moment your own case status changes, and it'll keep your documents and next steps organized while you wait. Download the app to track your case in real time and get checklists built for exactly where you are in the process.