U.S. Visa Bulletin for September 2026

What the final bulletin of fiscal year 2026 means for family-sponsored and employment-based applicants

Each month, the U.S. Department of State releases its Visa Bulletin, a document that, for hundreds of thousands of people around the world, determines whether they can take the next step toward a U.S. green card. The September 2026 edition (Bulletin No. 18, Volume XI) is the last bulletin of fiscal year 2026, and it delivers a striking mix: family-sponsored dates jumping forward for a second month in a row, employment-based categories holding steady rather than retrogressing, and a much larger employment-based numerical limit for the year than the Department had been working with all along.

To read the bulletin correctly, it helps to understand its two key charts. The Final Action Dates chart tells you when a green card can actually be approved, when your priority date is earlier than the date listed, you may receive your visa. The Dates for Filing chart, when authorized by USCIS, allows applicants to submit their adjustment of status paperwork ahead of final approval, getting into the queue before the final action date is technically reached. USCIS announces monthly at uscis.gov/visabulletininfo which chart applies for adjustment of status filings that month.

As of this bulletin’s release, USCIS had not yet posted its September chart-selection notice. Based on the Department of State’s default rule and USCIS practice in recent months, at the time of publication, applicants should check USCIS’s monthly chart selection before filing, as USCIS determines whether Final Action Dates or Dates for Filing applies for adjustment of status.

Family-Sponsored Categories

The family preference categories cover several distinct relationships: unmarried adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens (F1), spouses and children of permanent residents (F2A), unmarried adult sons and daughters of permanent residents (F2B), married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens (F3), and brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens (F4). These categories carry annual numerical limits, which is why priority dates exist in the first place.

September marks the second consecutive month of sharp forward movement on the family side. F1 advanced by roughly five weeks, F2B by four weeks, F3 by more than two months, and F4 by nearly three weeks, all for most chargeability areas. F2A held essentially flat, continuing to track just behind the current date. No family-based category retrogressed this month.

Final Action Dates: Family-Sponsored

The F2A category, covering spouses and children of lawful permanent residents, again deserves a closer look. Under the Final Action Dates chart, F2A stands at August 22, 2026 for most countries, essentially current with the calendar. Under the Dates for Filing chart, F2A remains Current for every country, meaning spouses and children of green card holders with any priority date may file adjustment of status paperwork immediately, once USCIS confirms use of that chart for family-sponsored categories this month.

The bulletin further notes that F2A numbers exempt from the per-country limit are authorized for applicants worldwide with priority dates earlier than August 22, 2025. F2A numbers subject to the per-country limit are available to applicants from all countries except Mexico with priority dates between August 22, 2025 and August 22, 2026. All Mexico F2A numbers remain exempt from the per-country limit this month.

Dates for Filing: Family-Sponsored

Employment-Based Categories

The employment-based story this month is stability rather than movement. EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 Final Action Dates are unchanged from August across every chargeability area, a notable pause after a summer of retrogressions and warnings. The reason behind that pause is buried in the numbers section of the bulletin: the Department of State has recalculated the FY 2026 employment-based annual limit sharply upward.

The broader context still matters. Presidential Proclamation 10949 and Presidential Proclamation 10998, along with updated immigrant visa processing guidance for certain nationalities, have reduced consular visa issuances for applicants from certain countries throughout the year. To ensure that annually available numbers are not left unused, the Department of State has been advancing priority dates across categories in recent months. The bulletin repeats its now-familiar caution: as additional demand materializes, retrogression may still be necessary in the coming weeks, and some categories may become Unavailable before the fiscal year ends on September 30.

A Bigger Employment-Based Pool for FY 2026

This month’s bulletin confirms a significant recalculation. USCIS provided the Department of State with final adjustment and parole data on July 24, and the worldwide employment-based preference limit for FY 2026 has been set at 186,317. That pushes the per-country limit up to 28,862 (7% of the combined family and employment totals) and the dependent area limit to 8,247. Including carryover numbers under INA 203(b)(5)(B), the per-country limit rises further to 29,136 and the dependent area limit to 8,325. In plain terms, there is meaningfully more room in the employment-based system this year than applicants had been planning around, which helps explain why EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 held steady this month instead of retrogressing further.

Final Action Dates: Employment-Based

EB-1 India: Down to the Wire

India’s EB-1 Final Action Date holds at October 15, 2022 for a second straight month. With September being the last month of the fiscal year, the Department of State’s warning carries more weight than usual: high demand and number use by India-born EB-1 applicants may force the category to Unavailable in the coming weeks if India’s pro-rated annual limit is reached before September 30. Applicants who are current this month should not assume the window stays open through the end of the fiscal year.

EB-2: A Broader Warning This Month

Rather than singling out one country, this month’s EB-2 warning applies to the category as a whole. The Department of State states that sufficient demand and increased number use in EB-2 may make it necessary to retrogress the Final Action Date, or make the category Unavailable, before the fiscal year ends. India’s EB-2 remains Unavailable, unchanged since earlier in the summer, with the Department indicating that number use will likely resume once the FY 2027 limits take effect on October 1.

EB-5 Unreserved: Also Under Pressure

The EB-5 Unreserved category carries a similarly broad warning this month. Sufficient demand and increased number use in EB-5 Unreserved may require retrogression of the Final Action Date, or a shift to Unavailable, before September 30. India’s EB-5 Unreserved category remains Unavailable, a status it has held since earlier in the fiscal year, while China’s Final Action Date sits at December 1, 2016. Investors in the unreserved category, regardless of country, should treat this as an active risk rather than a formality.

Dates for Filing: Employment-Based

EB-5 Set-Aside Categories: Still a Bright Spot

Amid the warnings elsewhere, the EB-5 set-aside categories remain a consistently available option. The Rural (20% reserve), High Unemployment Area (10% reserve), and Infrastructure (2% reserve) sub-categories within EB-5 are all listed as Current for every country, including India and China, under both the Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing charts. For investors who qualify under these targeted employment area designations, September closes out the fiscal year with the window still open.

Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery: September 2026, the Final Month

The Diversity Immigrant Visa program, commonly known as the green card lottery, makes visas available each fiscal year to nationals of countries with historically low immigration to the United States. The FY 2026 annual limit has been finalized at 54,883 before NDAA deductions, and 52,101 after those deductions, following USCIS’s July 24 data submission to the Visa Office.

September is the last month DV-2026 selectees can be issued a visa. For September, the DV category cutoff numbers are as follows:

There is no October preview this time. Entitlement to immigrant status in the DV-2026 category expires on September 30, 2026, the end of the fiscal year, and visas cannot be issued to DV-2026 selectees, or their accompanying spouses and children, after that date. The Department of State is explicit that DV availability through the very end of FY 2026 cannot be taken for granted and that numbers could be exhausted before September 30. Any DV-2026 selectee who has not yet completed processing should treat this month as the final opportunity to do so.

Annual Limits and the FY 2026 Backdrop

The fiscal year 2026 family-sponsored preference limit remains 226,000 under Section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The worldwide employment-based preference limit has now been finalized at 186,317, based on USCIS’s July 24 data on immediate relative adjustments and parolees. The per-country limit, fixed at 7% of the combined family and employment totals, is 28,862 (29,136 including carryover numbers), and the dependent area limit is 2%, or 8,247 (8,325 including carryover).

Allocations in both charts were made, to the extent possible, in chronological order of reported priority dates based on demand received through August 10, 2026. When demand in a particular country and category exceeded what could be satisfied within the numerical limits, that category was deemed oversubscribed, and the Final Action Date was set to the priority date of the first applicant who could not be accommodated.

What to Watch Going Forward

Because this is the final bulletin of fiscal year 2026, the warnings it carries are unusually time-sensitive. EB-1 India, EB-2 broadly, and EB-5 Unreserved broadly could all shift to Unavailable in the final days of September if their pro-rated or annual limits are reached. Applicants in those categories who are currently eligible should not wait to file.

For family-based applicants, the picture remains encouraging, with two consecutive months of meaningful forward movement, though Mexico and Philippines F3 and F4 applicants still carry priority dates from the early 2000s, a reminder of how long these queues can run even in a favorable month.

The next bulletin, for October 2026, opens fiscal year 2027 with a fresh set of annual limits. Categories that are Unavailable this month, including India EB-2 and India EB-5 Unreserved, typically reopen with the new fiscal year, though the pace of movement will again depend on demand. Anyone affected by this month’s warnings should check the October bulletin as soon as it is released.

Take the Next Step with Confidence

Knowing what the visa bulletin says is just the first step; knowing what to do with that information is where it really counts.

AgoraVisa works with professionals and families to make sense of priority dates, weigh their options, and build well-prepared applications from start to finish.

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Disclaimer

AgoraVisa is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. This article is for general informational purposes based on the U.S. Department of State’s published Visa Bulletin and does not guarantee any visa outcome, processing time, or category status, all of which can change monthly. For advice specific to your case, consult a licensed immigration attorney.

Ademide Kolawole

Hi! I’m Ademide, a content strategist and digital marketer who loves helping brands grow through better storytelling, smarter SEO, and impactful content.

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