The September 2026 Visa Bulletin: What to Do When It Drops
Quick answer: The September 2026 Visa Bulletin, expected from the U.S. Department of State around August 16, matters more than most because it's the last bulletin of fiscal year 2026 — the month when annual visa number limits are closest to running out. Expect little to no forward movement in most family and employment categories, and watch for possible retrogression (dates moving backward) in high-demand categories. The moment it posts, check both the Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates charts for your category, confirm which chart USCIS says it's using for adjustment-of-status filings that month, and hold off on mailing an I-485 until you've verified your priority date against the correct chart.
Key takeaways
- September is the final month of the U.S. government's fiscal year, which runs October 1 through September 30, so it's when the State Department has allocated nearly all the visa numbers Congress set for that year.
- The State Department publishes two charts each month — Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates — and USCIS decides monthly which one adjustment-of-status applicants may use.
- Retrogression (a priority date moving backward or a category becoming "Unavailable") happens most often in September and typically corrects itself in October when new fiscal-year numbers become available.
- USCIS announces which chart applies for the coming month on its own Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page, usually a few days before or right around when the Visa Bulletin posts.
Step 1: Understand Why September Bulletins Behave Differently
September is different because the annual visa supply is almost gone. The U.S. government's fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30, and Congress sets an annual limit on family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visas that the State Department has to track all year long.
By the time September rolls around, the State Department has already issued most of the visas allotted for that fiscal year. That means:
- Categories that had steady forward movement all year can stall.
- High-demand categories may retrogress — the cutoff date moves backward instead of forward, or the category shows "Unavailable" entirely.
- Categories close to their annual cap get the tightest treatment, since the government cannot legally issue more visas than Congress authorized for that category and country.
This pattern isn't unique to 2026. It shows up almost every year, because it's a function of how the annual visa count works, not a one-time policy shift. If you've watched your category creep forward for months only to freeze or reverse in September, this is very likely why — and it's worth confirming your own category's recent movement using MyCheck's monthly visa bulletin analysis so you're not guessing from memory.
Step 2: Know the Difference Between the Two Charts
Each Visa Bulletin, published by the U.S. Department of State, contains two separate charts, and knowing which one applies to you changes what you're allowed to do right now.
- Dates for Filing shows the earliest date you can submit your adjustment-of-status application (Form I-485) without USCIS having fully processed a visa number for you yet. It's designed to let applicants get paperwork moving sooner.
- Final Action Dates shows the date USCIS actually uses to approve your case and issue a green card. Your priority date must be earlier than the listed date for USCIS to finalize your case.
Here's the part that trips people up: you don't get to pick which chart applies to you. USCIS — not the State Department — decides each month whether adjustment applicants can use the more generous Dates for Filing chart or must use the stricter Final Action Dates chart. That decision gets posted on USCIS's Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page, and it can change from month to month, including in September.
| Chart | What it tells you | Can you file I-485 using it? |
|---|---|---|
| Dates for Filing | Earliest date USCIS expects a visa number to become available | Only if USCIS announces this chart applies that month |
| Final Action Dates | Date USCIS uses to actually approve your case | Always the chart used for final approval, regardless of which one applies to filing |
If you've never filed before, our guide on what adjustment of status actually is walks through the I-485 process from the beginning, including where the priority date fits in.
Step 3: Figure Out Which Chart Governs Your Filing Decision
The chart USCIS selects for September determines whether you can mail your I-485 this month or need to wait until October. This is the single most consequential piece of information in the whole bulletin cycle, because filing under the wrong chart — or filing when your category isn't current on the applicable chart — gets your case rejected or delayed.
Don't skip this: USCIS publishes its own instructions for which chart to use for adjustment-of-status filing, and that instruction is separate from the Visa Bulletin itself. Always check the USCIS Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page directly rather than assuming last month's chart choice still applies.
In September specifically, USCIS has historically been more conservative about which chart it permits, precisely because visa numbers are scarce. Even if Dates for Filing shows a favorable date, USCIS may require Final Action Dates for that final month of the fiscal year — which can mean a category that looked "current" for filing purposes suddenly isn't usable for an actual I-485 submission.
Step 4: What to Do the Day the Bulletin Drops (August 16)
The day the bulletin posts, work through it in this order rather than skimming the headlines:
- Find your category and country of chargeability. Family-sponsored and employment-based categories are listed separately, and China and India often have different dates than the rest of the world.
- Check your priority date against Final Action Dates first. This tells you where your case actually stands for approval purposes.
- Check the same category against Dates for Filing. This tells you the best-case scenario if USCIS allows the more generous chart.
- Confirm which chart USCIS has designated for September filings on the USCIS Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page — don't assume it's the same as August.
- Compare this month's dates to last month's. Did your date move forward, stay flat, retrogress, or disappear into "Unavailable"? Each outcome means something different for your timing.
- Decide your next move — file now if you're current and USCIS allows it, gather documents and wait if you're close but not current, or hold steady if your category retrogressed and plan to recheck in October.
If your category shows no movement at all, or hasn't moved for several bulletin cycles, that's a separate question worth digging into — we cover what it usually means and when to be concerned in what to do if your USCIS case status hasn't changed in months.
Step 5: Prepare Your Filing While You Wait
If your category isn't current yet, use the waiting period productively instead of just refreshing the bulletin page. An I-485 filing package involves multiple supporting documents, and assembling them takes time regardless of when your priority date clears.
A solid I-485 checklist to have ready includes:
- Gather your I-797 receipt or approval notice from your underlying petition (I-130, I-140, or similar).
- Confirm your priority date exactly as it's listed on that notice.
- Collect your birth certificate, passport biographic page, and any prior visa records.
- Assemble your Form I-693 medical exam, completed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon, within the validity window USCIS accepts.
- Prepare your Form I-864 Affidavit of Support if you're filing based on a family or employment petition requiring one.
- Confirm the current I-485 filing fee on the USCIS fee schedule, since fees have changed more than once in recent years.
- Set aside your two passport-style photos and any prior immigration documents like I-94 records.
Having this ready means that the moment your category clears — whether that's this cycle or in October — you can file within days instead of scrambling for weeks.
Step 6: Watch October for the Fiscal Year Reset
October 1 starts a new fiscal year, and with it, a fresh full allocation of visa numbers under the annual limits Congress has set. This is why categories that retrogressed or froze in September very often reopen or jump forward in the October bulletin — the government isn't reversing a decision, it's simply operating with a new year's worth of numbers.
This doesn't happen automatically for every category, and the size of any October movement varies by category and country each year, so it's worth checking the actual October bulletin rather than assuming your exact September date will be restored. But the historical pattern is consistent enough that immigration attorneys and applicants alike treat October as the month to watch most closely if September brought bad news.
While you wait, it also helps to understand what your case status messages actually mean once your I-485 is filed and moving through USCIS. If you're new to reading those updates, our breakdown of what "Case Status: Received" really means explains the early-stage language, and our step-by-step guide to checking your case status covers what to expect at each later stage.
What to Do Next
Don't wait for someone to explain the bulletin to you after the fact — check it yourself the moment it posts on August 16, compare both charts against your own priority date, and confirm USCIS's chart designation before you file anything. Every 2026 bulletin is in our Visa Bulletin archive, both charts laid out month by month, so you can see exactly how your category has moved. If tracking two charts, a filed I-485, and monthly bulletin shifts feels like a lot to hold in your head, MyCheck is built for exactly this: real-time USCIS case status alerts, monthly visa bulletin analysis, and an AI-generated checklist for your specific visa type, all in one place. Track your case, prep your documents, and stop guessing which month is the one that matters.