You did everything right. You built your profile, filed your petition, and waited for your turn. Then the October 2026 visa bulletin pushed EB-2 for most countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, from “current” back to January 1, 2025.
If that date just landed on your plans, you still have options. The same October 2026 visa bulletin opened a filing window that many applicants will miss, and it could close as soon as November. This guide shows you which column applies to you, what you can file right now, and what to do next.
Read Also: Visa Bulletin September 2026 Is Your Golden Chance to File
What the October 2026 Visa Bulletin Is
Every month, the U.S. Department of State publishes a visa bulletin that tells green card applicants whose turn it is.
Your place in line is called your priority date. For EB-2 NIW and EB-1A self-petitions, it is generally the date USCIS accepts your Form I-140. If your employer went through labor certification (PERM), it is the date the Department of Labor received that application.
October matters more than most months because it starts the new U.S. fiscal year. Fiscal year 2027 began on October 1, 2026, and a fresh supply of visa numbers came with it.
The Two Charts in Plain Words
Each category has two dates in the bulletin.
- Final Action Date. If your priority date is earlier than this date, the government can approve your green card.
- Date for Filing. If your priority date is earlier than this date, you can start your paperwork early.
For October, USCIS allows employment-based applicants inside the U.S. to use the Dates for Filing chart. USCIS confirms its choice every month on its adjustment of status filing charts page.
Think of it like a bank. The Date for Filing lets you join the queue. The Final Action Date is when you get served.
Find Your Column First
The bulletin has five columns: China (mainland born), India, Mexico, the Philippines, and “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed.”
If you were born in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, the UK, Canada or most other countries, you use that last column. Your column generally depends on your country of birth, not your passport or where you live.
This is what your column shows in the October 2026 visa bulletin.
| Category | Final Action Date | Date for Filing |
|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Current | Current |
| EB-2 | January 1, 2025 | March 15, 2026 |
| EB-3 | May 15, 2024 | August 1, 2024 |
Source: U.S. Department of State, Visa Bulletin for October 2026
“Current” means everyone in that category can move forward, whatever their priority date.
What Changed and Why
In September 2026, EB-2 was current for your column. In October, the Final Action Date moved back to January 1, 2025. This backward move is called retrogression.
The State Department says it made these cuts to keep visa use within fiscal year 2027 quarterly and annual limits, and that it will keep watching demand. Put simply, more people are in line than there are visas to give out this year.
EB-1 did not move. It stays current for your column on both charts, and that shapes your strategy later in this guide.
What This Means for You, Case by Case
Find the situation that fits you.
You Already Have a Pending Green Card Application
Retrogression does not cancel or deny your application. USCIS states that retrogression does not affect your priority date or your place in line. Your case stays open until your priority date is earlier than the Final Action Date again.
While you wait, keep your work permit (EAD) and travel document (advance parole) current. File renewals early so you don’t face a gap.
You Are in the U.S. With an EB-2 Priority Date Before March 15, 2026
This is the window many people will miss. Your priority date may be too late for approval, yet early enough to file your green card application (Form I-485) this month.
Filing now lets you apply for a work permit and travel document while your case waits. If you hold an O-1 or H-1B, that gives you a backup if your job or status changes.
Take Tolu, a Nigerian founder in Austin on an O-1. USCIS accepted her EB-2 NIW petition in June 2025. June 2025 is later than January 1, 2025, so USCIS cannot approve her green card yet. It is earlier than March 15, 2026, so she can file her I-485 in October.
There is a catch. USCIS picks the chart each month, and nothing guarantees the Dates for Filing chart will apply in November. If you qualify, plan to file in October.
Use the current Form I-485. Since September 18, 2026, USCIS rejects older editions, and its new public charge guidance applies to applications filed from that date.
You Live Outside the U.S.
Most coverage of the October 2026 visa bulletin skips you. If you live in Lagos, Accra or Nairobi, you get your green card through the National Visa Center (NVC) and an interview at a U.S. embassy. This is called consular processing.
For you, the Date for Filing tells you when NVC will ask you to gather and submit your documents. If your priority date is earlier than March 15, 2026, watch your email for NVC instructions and start collecting civil documents such as birth certificates and police certificates.
Your interview and visa depend on the Final Action Date. With EB-2 at January 1, 2025, a 2025 or 2026 priority date means your interview will wait. You also don’t get a U.S. work permit while you wait abroad.
You Have Not Filed Yet
If you file an EB-2 NIW petition today, your priority date will fall in October 2026. That is later than both EB-2 dates for your column, so you will wait before you can apply for the green card itself.
That is no reason to delay your petition. Your priority date only starts when USCIS accepts your I-140, and every month you wait puts more people ahead of you.
You Have a Child Close to 21
Since August 15, 2025, USCIS uses the Final Action Dates chart, not the Dates for Filing chart, to calculate a child’s age under the Child Status Protection Act. Retrogression pushes the Final Action Date back, so your child can turn 21 and lose eligibility while you wait. If you have a child aged 18 to 21, ask an immigration lawyer to check their timeline now.
EB-1A vs EB-2 NIW After This Bulletin
This is where retrogression turns into a decision.
EB-2 NIW now has a waiting line for your column, while EB-1A has none. If you qualify for EB-1A and you are in the U.S., you can file your petition and green card application together and skip the EB-2 queue.
EB-1A has a higher bar. You must show extraordinary ability with sustained national or international acclaim, usually by meeting at least three of ten criteria. Examples include major awards, published material about you, judging others’ work, and high pay. (Internal link: EB-1A Visa Requirements)
You have three options.
- Move to EB-1A. If your profile has grown since you filed your NIW, consider EB-1A. Under 8 CFR 204.5(e), once your EB-2 I-140 is approved, you keep that earlier priority date for a later EB-1, EB-2 or EB-3 petition. The exception is if USCIS revokes the approval for fraud, misrepresentation or material error.
- File both. Some applicants file EB-1A while their EB-2 NIW stays in place. If the EB-1A fails, the NIW still stands.
- Stay with EB-2 NIW. If your EB-1A evidence is thin, a strong NIW in the queue is safer than a weak EB-1A that gets denied. A denial costs you time and filing fees. (Internal link: EB-2 NIW guide)
Your evidence should drive this choice, not the bulletin alone.
What to Expect in November
No one can predict the next bulletin with certainty, so be wary of anyone who claims to. Watch two things.
- The dates. The State Department says it will adjust dates as needed. EB-2 can move forward, hold, or move back further.
- The chart. USCIS decides each month which chart applies. The October filing window could close in November.
Check the State Department’s visa bulletin page and the USCIS chart page as soon as the November bulletin comes out. (Internal link: August 2026 Visa Bulletin)
Your October Checklist
- Confirm your column and your priority date, which appears on your I-140 receipt or approval notice.
- Compare your priority date to both EB-2 dates.
- If you’re in the U.S. and your date is before March 15, 2026, file your I-485 this month on the current form edition.
- If your I-485 is pending, renew your work permit and travel document early.
- If you live abroad, watch for NVC instructions and gather your civil documents.
- If you haven’t filed your petition, file it soon to set your priority date.
- If you have a child aged 18 to 21, get a CSPA age check.
- Review your profile against the EB-1A criteria.
When the U.S. Line Is Too Slow
The visa bulletin only covers U.S. green cards. Other countries run talent routes with no priority-date queue at all.
- UK Global Talent visa. For leaders and emerging leaders in academia and research, arts and culture, and digital technology. You don’t need a job offer. You need an endorsement or an eligible prize, and the route can lead to settlement after three or five years.
- Canada Global Talent Stream. An employer-led route for skilled roles, mostly in tech. Canada targets two-week processing for the work permit once the employer has an approved labor market assessment.
- Canada C10 work permit. Lets you work in Canada without a labor market assessment if your work brings significant economic, social or cultural benefit to Canada.
- Australia National Innovation visa (subclass 858). A permanent visa for people with an internationally recognized record of exceptional achievement. You apply by invitation after submitting an expression of interest.
Many founders run a U.S. case and a case in a second country at the same time. That way, one slow bulletin doesn’t freeze their plans.
How Veripass Helps You Act This Month
Reading the bulletin is the easy part. Building a case that gets approved, and choosing the right route, is where most applicants lose time.
Veripass works with founders, executives and skilled professionals on O-1, EB-1A, EB-2 NIW, UK Global Talent, Canada C10, the Global Talent Stream and Australia’s National Innovation visa. This is how we help.
- Route strategy. We review your profile against EB-1A, EB-2 NIW and non-U.S. options, then tell you which route your evidence supports today.
- Case building from start to finish. We shape how your case is presented, organize your evidence, and guide you through every stage.
- Filling evidence gaps. If your profile is light on published work, we help you write and publish articles under your name to build proof of your expertise.
- Timing. We help you file at the right moment so a window like October’s doesn’t pass you by.
Book Your Free Discovery Call
The October filing window could close as soon as November. If you’re not sure where you stand, a 30-minute call will tell you.
Book your free discovery call with Veripass and leave with a clear next step for your case.
Is the October Visa Bulletin out?
Yes. The State Department published the October 2026 visa bulletin in late September 2026, and it applies from October 1, the first day of fiscal year 2027. For most countries, including Nigeria, EB-1 stays current, while the EB-2 Final Action Date moved back to January 1, 2025, and the EB-2 Date for Filing is March 15, 2026. You can read it on the State Department’s visa bulletin page.
What is the latest news on U.S. visa applications?
These are the updates most relevant to you right now.
1. EB-2 and EB-3 moved back for most countries in October, while EB-1 stayed current.
2. USCIS allows employment-based applicants in the U.S. to file their green card applications using the Dates for Filing chart this month.
3. Since September 18, 2026, USCIS only accepts the new edition of Form I-485, and the new public charge rule applies to those applications.
4. From October 1, the State Department extended its social media screening to I, TN and TD visa applicants.
5. DHS has proposed a $103,265 fee for new cap-subject H-1B petitions. It is a proposal and is not in effect yet.
What are the predictions for the Visa Bulletin for October 2026?
The October bulletin is already out, so the actual dates have replaced any predictions. The September bulletin had warned that some employment-based categories could move back or become unavailable as the fiscal year ended, and October confirmed EB-2 retrogression for most countries. For November, the State Department has given no forecast. It says it will keep watching demand and adjust dates as needed, so EB-2 can move forward, hold, or move back further.
Why is the Visa Bulletin delayed this month?
The October bulletin was not delayed. It came out in late September, before the month began. The one that ran late was the September 2026 bulletin, which had still not been posted by August 21. The State Department does not usually explain late releases. One thing is missing from the October bulletin, though. The Diversity Visa section does not appear this month, and the State Department has not said why.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice, so speak with a qualified immigration professional about your case.
