Short answer: EB-2 retrogression is now official in the October 2026 Visa Bulletin. In the worldwide column, the one applicants born in Turkey follow, the EB-2 final action date moved from “C” for current in September 2026 to January 1, 2025 in October. Anyone with a priority date on or after that day is back in line.
The same bulletin pushed EB-3 worldwide from September 1, 2024 to May 15, 2024, and Other Workers from April 1, 2022 to January 1, 2022. EB-1 and unreserved EB-5 stayed current worldwide. The State Department gave its own reason in the bulletin: these moves are needed to keep issuances inside the fiscal year 2027 quarterly and annual limits.
What you will find in this article
- September and October 2026 worldwide dates side by side
- The reason the bulletin itself gives
- How to place your priority date on the new timeline
- What changes for pending I-485 cases and consular files
- Why an EB-3 downgrade does not help this month
- The full October 2026 charts
Quick overview
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| What happened to EB-2 worldwide? | It left current status. The final action date is January 1, 2025. |
| Which column applies to applicants born in Turkey? | All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, the worldwide column. |
| My priority date is in 2024. | The final action date is still open for you. |
| Does an EB-3 downgrade help? | No. EB-3 worldwide sits further back at May 15, 2024. |
| Is my approved I-140 at risk? | No. The approval and your priority date stand. |
| What about dates for filing? | EB-2 worldwide is March 15, 2026, a very recent cutoff. |
What EB-2 retrogression means in the October 2026 charts
A final action date marks the point in line where an immigrant visa number can actually be issued. When a category is current, there is no line. October 2026 ended that for EB-2 worldwide and put a cutoff back in place. Only priority dates before January 1, 2025 can reach a number right now.
Here is the month over month movement in the worldwide column.
| Category | September 2026 | October 2026 | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | C | C | No change |
| EB-2 | C | January 1, 2025 | Retrogressed |
| EB-3 | September 1, 2024 | May 15, 2024 | About 3.5 months back |
| Other Workers | April 1, 2022 | January 1, 2022 | 3 months back |
| EB-4 | December 15, 2022 | December 15, 2022 | No change |
| EB-5 unreserved | C | C | No change |
The dates for filing chart moved too. Worldwide EB-2 went from current to March 15, 2026, EB-3 from current to August 1, 2024, and Other Workers from August 1, 2022 to June 1, 2022. We covered how the two charts work and how to read the bulletin line by line in an earlier guide.
Why EB-2 retrogression hit the worldwide column
Federal law sets the employment based annual ceiling at no fewer than 140,000 immigrant visas. No country may take more than 7 percent of that total, or 25,620. October 1 opens fresh numbers, but the Department must spread them over twelve months.
That is the reasoning the bulletin offers. Fiscal year 2027 numbers let many categories advance, while some employment based categories for rest of world countries retrogressed. The bulletin calls those moves necessary to stay inside quarterly and annual limits, and says it is monitoring the situation.
India moved the other way. EB-2 India came off “U” for unavailable and reopened at November 1, 2013. Unreserved EB-5 India also reopened, at December 1, 2023. EB-1 India advanced from October 15, 2022 to February 1, 2023.
Where your priority date falls after EB-2 retrogression
In employment based cases, your priority date is the day USCIS received the Form I-140. Where PERM labor certification applies, the date the application reached the Department of Labor controls instead. National interest waiver cases skip PERM, so the I-140 receipt date governs.
Look for the Priority Date field on your Form I-797 approval notice. The math is short:
- Before January 1, 2025: the EB-2 worldwide final action date is open for you.
- On or after January 1, 2025: you wait for a number.
- Before March 15, 2026: you qualify under the dates for filing chart.
The worldwide dates for filing cutoff of March 15, 2026 clears nearly every EB-2 applicant. In months when that chart governs, filing stays open even though approvals do not. A filing date is a place in the queue, not an approval.
What EB-2 retrogression changes for I-485 and consular cases
Adjustment of status raises two questions. First, can you file a new Form I-485? Regulations allow an adjustment application only when a visa number is available at the time of filing. USCIS posts the chart it accepts each month, so confirm October before you mail anything.
Second, what about a case already pending? Retrogression does not cause a denial. The file waits while USCIS holds the approval until a number frees up, and work permit and advance parole renewals continue. If the wait stretches for years, the options for a long pending I-485 are a separate question.
On the consular side, the National Visa Center schedules documentarily qualified cases whose priority dates fall before the final action date. An EB-2 file dated after January 1, 2025 cannot get a slot this month. Scheduling is uneven for other reasons too, as we covered in immigrant visa interviews after CLINIC v. Rubio.
EB-3 downgrade or wait out EB-2 retrogression?
When EB-2 slows, applicants ask whether EB-3 shortens the wait. Not in this bulletin. EB-2 worldwide stands at January 1, 2025 and EB-3 worldwide at May 15, 2024, so a downgrade moves you backward.
Applicants born in the Philippines face a wider gap, with EB-3 at August 15, 2023. A downgrade also means a fresh PERM process for most employers, which adds years rather than months. October 1 brought several other changes worth reading alongside this one.
The full October 2026 charts
Employment based final action dates:
| Category | Worldwide | China | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | C | Jul 1, 2023 | Feb 1, 2023 | C | C |
| EB-2 | Jan 1, 2025 | Oct 1, 2021 | Nov 1, 2013 | Jan 1, 2025 | Jan 1, 2025 |
| EB-3 | May 15, 2024 | Jan 8, 2022 | Jan 1, 2014 | May 15, 2024 | Aug 15, 2023 |
| Other Workers | Jan 1, 2022 | Oct 1, 2019 | Jan 1, 2014 | Jan 1, 2022 | Jan 1, 2022 |
| EB-4 and SR | Dec 15, 2022 | Dec 15, 2022 | Dec 15, 2022 | Dec 15, 2022 | Dec 15, 2022 |
| EB-5 unreserved | C | Dec 1, 2016 | Dec 1, 2023 | C | C |
| EB-5 set aside | C | C | C | C | C |
October 2026 dates for filing
| Category | Worldwide | China | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | C | Jul 1, 2024 | Jul 1, 2024 | C | C |
| EB-2 | Mar 15, 2026 | Jan 1, 2023 | Jan 15, 2015 | Mar 15, 2026 | Mar 15, 2026 |
| EB-3 | Aug 1, 2024 | Apr 1, 2024 | Jan 15, 2015 | Aug 1, 2024 | Jan 1, 2024 |
| Other Workers | Jun 1, 2022 | Oct 1, 2020 | Jan 15, 2015 | Jun 1, 2022 | Jun 1, 2022 |
| EB-4 and SR | Jan 1, 2025 | Jan 1, 2025 | Jan 1, 2025 | Jan 1, 2025 | Jan 1, 2025 |
| EB-5 unreserved | C | Mar 1, 2021 | May 1, 2024 | C | C |
| EB-5 set aside | C | C | C | C | C |
All three EB-5 set aside categories, rural, high unemployment and infrastructure, remain current in every column. H.R. 6500, signed on September 2, 2026, extends the Certain Religious Workers category through December 11, 2026, under the same dates as the rest of EB-4.
On the family side, worldwide final action dates are January 22, 2020 for F1, September 22, 2026 for F2A, August 22, 2019 for F2B, October 22, 2014 for F3 and October 22, 2011 for F4. F2A is current on the dates for filing chart.
Will EB-2 retrogression reverse later in the year?
The bulletin says it is monitoring the situation and will adjust if needed. That is not a promise. Dates can advance, hold or retrogress again as the year runs. EB-2 worldwide has swung both ways inside a single fiscal year, as it did when EB-2 NIW turned current in May 2026.
Plan around the date you hold, not the date you hope for. An early priority date is the only real lever, and a finished I-140 package loses nothing by being filed today.
Common mistakes
- Treating a current category as permanent and postponing a filing
- Assuming an EB-3 downgrade always shortens the wait
- Reading a dates for filing cutoff as an approval date
- Checking the India or China column when the worldwide column applies
- Confusing the priority date with the date the I-485 was filed
- Expecting premium processing to shorten the visa number queue
Short checklist
- Have you written down the priority date on your I-797 notice?
- Is it before or after January 1, 2025?
- Have you confirmed which chart USCIS accepts in October?
- If you are consular processing, is your NVC document set complete?
- Is a ready I-140 package still sitting on your desk?
Frequently asked questions
Does EB-2 retrogression affect an approved I-140?
No. The approval remains valid and your priority date stays with you. Retrogression only controls when a visa number can be issued.
Does EB-2 retrogression apply to NIW cases?
Yes. The national interest waiver has no separate line in the bulletin and falls within EB-2. The January 1, 2025 worldwide date applies to NIW files too.
Will my pending I-485 be denied?
No. It waits in the queue until a number becomes available. Keep renewing your work permit and travel document in the meantime.
Which column applies if I was born in Turkey?
The bulletin lists only China, India, Mexico and the Philippines separately. Everyone else, including applicants born in Turkey, follows the worldwide column.
Can I use my spouse’s country of birth?
Cross chargeability may be available through a spouse. It can move a case into a better column or a worse one, so run the comparison before you rely on it.
Should I wait for the dates to advance before filing an I-140?
No. An I-140 can be filed whether or not a number is available. Waiting only pushes your priority date later.
Conclusion: read the line, not the headline
The October 2026 bulletin closed the no wait window for EB-2 applicants in the worldwide column. Your priority date decides what follows. Dates before January 1, 2025 stay open for final action, later ones are back in the queue. An EB-3 downgrade does not fix that, and a finished petition has no reason to sit.
To review where your priority date lands and which chart governs your case, contact Clinch Law Firm.
Legal information notice
This content is general information only. It is not legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and does not guarantee any outcome. Visa bulletin dates change every month, and the chart USCIS accepts can change mid month. Check the current bulletin and the USCIS notice before you act on your case. Legal information checked on: September 29, 2026.
