Visa Bulletin for November 2026

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Attorney Remzi Guvenc Kulen, founder and managing attorney of Kulen Law Firm, New York City immigration law firm
Remzi G. Kulen, Esq.
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The short answer

For November 2026, USCIS has designated the Dates for Filing chart for both family-sponsored and employment-based adjustment of status applications. That is confirmed on the USCIS adjustment of status filing charts page.

This matters more than any single date in the bulletin. The Final Action Dates chart moved forward in three employment-based categories this month. The Dates for Filing chart, which is the one that governs whether you can file Form I-485 in November, barely moved at all.

If you are filing adjustment of status inside the United States, read the Dates for Filing chart. If you are waiting for a visa number to become available so your case can be approved, read the Final Action Dates chart.

What changed from October to November

October 2026 brought broad retrogression across the employment-based categories. November recovers part of it, but only on one chart.

Category (All Chargeability Areas)October Final ActionNovember Final ActionMovement
EB-21 January 20251 April 2025Advanced 3 months
EB-3 Skilled Workers and Professionals15 May 202415 June 2024Advanced 1 month
EB-3 Other Workers1 January 20221 June 2022Advanced 5 months
F2A Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents22 September 202622 October 2026Advanced 1 month
Category (All Chargeability Areas)October Dates for FilingNovember Dates for FilingMovement
EB-215 March 202615 March 2026No movement
EB-3 Skilled Workers and Professionals1 August 20241 August 2024No movement
EB-3 Other Workers1 June 20221 July 2022Advanced 1 month

Read those two tables together. The three-month EB-2 advance is real, and it is good news for applicants waiting on final approval. But because USCIS is using the Dates for Filing chart in November, an EB-2 applicant deciding whether to file I-485 this month is governed by a date that did not move.

Employment-based categories, November 2026

Final Action Dates

Employment-BasedAll Chargeability AreasChina (mainland born)IndiaMexicoPhilippines
EB-1Current1 August 20231 February 2023CurrentCurrent
EB-21 April 20251 October 20211 November 20131 April 20251 April 2025
EB-315 June 202422 January 202222 January 201415 June 202415 August 2023
Other Workers1 June 20221 October 201922 January 20141 June 20221 January 2022
EB-415 December 202215 December 202215 December 202215 December 202215 December 2022
Certain Religious Workers15 December 202215 December 202215 December 202215 December 202215 December 2022
EB-5 UnreservedCurrent1 December 20161 December 2023CurrentCurrent
EB-5 Rural (20%)CurrentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrent
EB-5 High Unemployment (10%)CurrentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrent
EB-5 Infrastructure (2%)CurrentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrent

Dates for Filing, the chart USCIS is using in November

Employment-BasedAll Chargeability AreasChina (mainland born)IndiaMexicoPhilippines
EB-1Current1 July 20241 July 2024CurrentCurrent
EB-215 March 20261 January 202315 January 201515 March 202615 March 2026
EB-31 August 20241 April 202415 January 20151 August 20241 January 2024
Other Workers1 July 20221 October 202015 January 20151 July 20221 June 2022
EB-41 January 20251 January 20251 January 20251 January 20251 January 2025
Certain Religious Workers1 January 20251 January 20251 January 20251 January 20251 January 2025
EB-5 UnreservedCurrent1 March 20211 May 2024CurrentCurrent
EB-5 Rural, High Unemployment, InfrastructureCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrent

Three things worth noting in the employment chart

EB-1 is current for everyone except China and India. Indian nationals face a 1 February 2023 final action date and Chinese nationals 1 August 2023. On the filing chart both sit at 1 July 2024.

EB-2 India remains at 1 November 2013. That is a backlog of close to thirteen years from today's date, and it is the single widest gap in the employment chart. EB-3 India is only marginally better at 22 January 2014.

All three EB-5 set-aside categories are current for every country, including China and India. The unreserved category is where the backlog sits: 1 December 2016 for China and 1 December 2023 for India.

Family-sponsored categories, November 2026

Final Action Dates

Family-SponsoredAll Chargeability AreasChina (mainland born)IndiaMexicoPhilippines
F122 January 202122 January 202122 January 202122 September 20081 November 2013
F2A22 October 202622 October 202622 October 202622 April 202622 October 2026
F2B22 August 202022 August 202022 August 202015 May 20101 October 2013
F322 October 201522 October 201522 October 201515 July 200122 July 2006
F422 October 201222 October 201215 December 200622 April 200115 May 2008

The F2A per-country rule for November. Numbers exempt from the per-country limit are authorized for applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than 22 April 2026. Numbers subject to the per-country limit are authorized for all countries except Mexico with priority dates from 22 April 2026 up to 22 October 2026. All F2A numbers provided for Mexico are exempt from the per-country limit.

Dates for Filing, the chart USCIS is using in November

Family-SponsoredAll Chargeability AreasChina (mainland born)IndiaMexicoPhilippines
F11 February 20211 February 20211 February 20211 December 200822 April 2015
F2ACurrentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrent
F2B1 September 20201 September 20201 September 202022 March 20111 October 2014
F31 November 20151 November 20151 November 20151 December 200222 October 2006
F41 November 20121 November 20121 February 200730 April 200122 March 2009

F2A is current on the filing chart for every country. A spouse or child of a permanent resident can file adjustment of status in November regardless of priority date, provided they are otherwise eligible.

What this means for your case

You are in the United States and want to file Form I-485 in November. Use the Dates for Filing chart. Your priority date must be earlier than the date listed for your category and country of chargeability. F2A applicants may file regardless of priority date.

You already filed I-485 and are waiting for approval. Use the Final Action Dates chart. A visa number has to be available under that chart before USCIS can approve your case, no matter how long your application has been pending.

You are being processed at a consulate abroad. The National Visa Center will contact you when your priority date is reached under the Dates for Filing chart. Do not send documents before you receive that notification.

You hold an approved I-140 and are weighing EB-2 against EB-3. The two categories are closer together on the filing chart than people assume. For All Chargeability Areas the gap is 15 March 2026 for EB-2 against 1 August 2024 for EB-3. For India the two are identical on the filing chart at 15 January 2015, which is why downgrade decisions for Indian nationals turn on the final action dates and on processing posture rather than on filing eligibility.

Your priority date is close to the cutoff. Retrogression can take back movement at any time, as October 2026 demonstrated across three employment categories at once. If you are eligible to file this month, filing this month is almost always the conservative choice.

Frequently asked questions

Which chart do I use for November 2026? The Dates for Filing chart, for both family-sponsored and employment-based adjustment of status applications. USCIS designates the chart each month and publishes it on its adjustment of status filing charts page, usually within one week of the Department of State publishing the bulletin.

Did EB-2 become current in November 2026? No. EB-2 is not current for any country. For All Chargeability Areas the final action date is 1 April 2025 and the filing date is 15 March 2026.

Why did my category advance on one chart and not the other? The two charts answer different questions. Dates for Filing controls when documentation can be submitted. Final Action Dates control when a visa number can actually be issued and a case approved. The Department of State moves them independently based on reported demand, which for this bulletin was measured as of 5 October 2026.

How far behind is EB-2 for India right now? The November 2026 final action date for EB-2 India is 1 November 2013, which is approximately thirteen years behind the current date. EB-3 India is 22 January 2014.

Can a spouse of a green card holder file in November 2026? Yes. F2A is current on the Dates for Filing chart for every country of chargeability, so an otherwise eligible applicant may file regardless of priority date.

Does a priority date that passes the cutoff guarantee approval? No. Visa availability is one requirement among several. Eligibility, admissibility and a correctly documented record all still have to be established.

Related guides

Earlier Visa Bulletins

Month-by-month coverage of prior bulletins:

Sources

  • U.S. Department of State, Visa Bulletin for November 2026, Number 20, Volume XI. Dates reflect demand reported as of 5 October 2026 (CA/VO: October 5, 2026).
  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin, confirming the Dates for Filing designation for November 2026 for both family-sponsored and employment-based categories.
  • Immigration and Nationality Act sections 201, 202, 203(a), 203(b), 203(d) and 203(e).

This article explains published government charts and is not legal advice. Visa Bulletin dates change monthly and can retrogress without notice. Confirm your category and priority date before acting.

Written by Remzi G. Kulen, Esq., founder of Kulen Law Firm, P.C. in New York, admitted to the New York Bar in 2001 and a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 2004.

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