November 2026 Visa Bulletin: What Green Card Applicants Should Know

The U.S. Department of State released the November 2026 Visa Bulletin on October 22, 2026. The new dates apply from November 1, 2026, so anyone waiting for a green card should check their category now. For November, USCIS has chosen the Dates for Filing chart for both family-based and job-based green card cases. That choice decides which chart you can use to file Form I-485, the application to adjust status inside the United States. These two charts do different jobs, and it is easy to mix them up. The Dates for Filing chart shows when you may submit your application to USCIS. Being able to file does not mean your green card can be approved. Approval usually depends on your priority date becoming current on the Final Action Dates chart. Family categories moved forward this month. Four categories, F1, F2B, F3 and F4, advanced by a full year for most countries. F2A final action dates moved to October 22, 2026 for most countries, and to April 22, 2026 for Mexico. The F2A Dates for Filing chart stays current for every country. Job-based categories moved more slowly. EB-1 for most countries remains current. EB-2 for most countries advanced three months to April 1, 2025, and EB-3 for most countries moved up one month to June 15, 2024. EB-2 for India did not move and stays at November 1, 2013. On the filing side, most employment dates held steady. The one notable change is EB-3 Other Workers, whose Dates for Filing moved from June 1 to July 1, 2022 for most countries. Worldwide EB-2 filing dates remain at March 15, 2026. Some law firm summaries list slightly different figures for certain categories, especially for China and India. For that reason, please compare any date you plan to use with the official State Department chart before you make a decision. What this means for you: If your family or job category moved, you may now be able to file earlier than you could last month, depending on your priority date and country. If your category did not move, your timeline may stay the same. Please do not assume you are ready to file just because a date changed. Your priority date, your eligibility to adjust status, and your other documents all matter. Here is a simple way to check. Find your category and country on the State Department's Visa Bulletin page and on the USCIS chart page. Your priority date generally needs to be earlier than the cut-off date listed for your category. If the date is close, or your case has special issues such as past status problems, talk to an immigration attorney before you file. The USCIS case status tools on this site can help you follow your case after you file. Bulletin dates change every month, so keep checking before each filing decision. This article is general information, not legal advice. Sources: Visa Bulletin for November 2026 - U.S. Department of State: https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Bulletins/visabulletin_November2026.pdf When to File Your Adjustment of Status Application: November 2026 - USCIS: https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-processes-and-procedures/visa-availability-priority-dates/when-to-file-your-adjustment-of-status-application-for-family-sponsored-or-employment-based-130 Visa Bulletin for November 2026 - AILA: https://www.aila.org/library/visa-bulletin-for-november-2026 November 2026 Visa Bulletin: Key Changes for Employment-Based and Family-Sponsored Categories - Visa Lawyer Blog: https://www.visalawyerblog.com/november-2026-visa-bulletin-key-changes-for-employment-based-and-family-sponsored-categories/ Photo: Katerina Shkribey on Unsplash