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The State Department’s November 2026 visa bulletin advances several employment-based green card dates for most of the world. Applicants from India and China, though, face yet another month with almost no movement in their categories.
What Changed in the November 2026 Visa Bulletin
The new dates are based on visa demand reported through October 5, 2026, according to Newsweek. For most countries, Mexico and the Philippines, EB-1 remains current. EB-2’s final action date advances three months to April 1, 2025. EB-3 advances one month to June 15, 2024. EB-3 Other Workers jumps five months to June 1, 2022, for the same group of countries. That is the single largest move in this month’s bulletin.
Why India and China Barely Moved
India’s EB-2 final action date stays frozen at November 1, 2013. China’s EB-2 holds at October 1, 2021. China’s EB-1 advances a single month, to August 1, 2023, while India’s EB-1 stays put at February 1, 2023. Both countries’ EB-3 Other Worker categories edge forward by just 14 days, to January 22, 2014, according to Erickson Immigration Group. China’s EB-3 moves separately to January 22, 2022. EB-4 holds at December 15, 2022 across the board. EB-5’s unreserved category stays current for most countries, with China fixed at December 1, 2016 and India at December 1, 2023.
What This Means for H-1B Workers Waiting on Green Cards
Douglas S. Pierce, a former USCIS supervisor who retired in late 2025, told Newsweek the lack of movement is especially significant for Indian and Chinese H-1B workers. “The biggest things that stand out are the lack of movement forward on India employment preference categories,” Pierce said. He added that H-1B workers from both countries are being “profoundly impacted by the lack of movement on these numbers.” Pierce linked the bulletin’s limited progress to other changes this year, including higher H-1B filing fees and changes to the PERM labor certification program and H-4 work authorization.
Filing Dates and What USCIS Will Accept
Separate from the final action dates, the bulletin’s Dates for Filing chart sets a later, more generous cut-off. That date determines when applicants can submit paperwork. For November 2026, the EB-2 filing date sits at March 15, 2026 for most countries, including Mexico and the Philippines. For India, it’s January 15, 2015. USCIS has confirmed it will accept adjustment-of-status applications using the Dates for Filing chart for November. That gives many applicants a few extra months to file before their final action date actually arrives.
How Priority Dates and the Visa Bulletin Fit Together
The visa bulletin’s dates matter because of how the US caps green cards each year. Congress sets an annual limit for each employment-based category. Demand from countries like India and China regularly exceeds that limit, since both countries have large numbers of pending petitions. When demand outstrips supply, the State Department sets a cut-off date. Only applicants whose priority date falls before that cut-off can move forward that month. A priority date is simply the date an employer first filed a petition on the worker’s behalf. India and China send far more petitions than the per-country limits were built to handle. That is why workers from those two countries tend to wait years longer than applicants from almost anywhere else. The imbalance is structural, not the result of any single policy change. It’s the main reason the same two countries land at the back of the queue nearly every month. That is also why India and China are listed as separate columns rather than folded into the “all other countries” category used for most of the world on the same chart. Most other countries move through their categories far faster as a result, since they share a single, much larger pool of available visa numbers each year.
The Caveat Every Applicant Should Know
The State Department routinely warns that cut-off dates can move backward. That happens if demand in a category exceeds the visas available for the rest of the fiscal year. Categories can also become temporarily unavailable altogether. Reaching your priority date on the bulletin isn’t the same as approval. It only means your case becomes eligible for the next stage of processing, which can still take months depending on USCIS workload.
Related Coverage on Tamara News
For more on the policy backdrop shaping these numbers, see our coverage of the DHS proposal to end deference on work visa extensions, the PERM suspension affecting major employers, and the $750 expedited visa interview pilot program.
November 2026 Visa Bulletin: Reader Questions
What is the November 2026 visa bulletin?
The State Department’s monthly update on employment and family-based green card cut-off dates, released in late October 2026 based on demand through October 5.
Did India’s EB-2 category move this month?
No. India’s EB-2 final action date remains at November 1, 2013.
Which category saw the biggest advance?
EB-3 Other Workers for most countries and Mexico, which advanced five months to June 1, 2022.
Can applicants file paperwork before their final action date arrives?
Yes, if their priority date is earlier than the Dates for Filing chart’s cut-off, which USCIS has confirmed it will accept for November 2026.
Why are H-1B workers particularly affected by this bulletin?
Former USCIS supervisor Douglas Pierce says the lack of movement in India’s categories compounds other recent changes, including higher H-1B fees and PERM program restrictions.
Can a visa bulletin cut-off date move backward?
Yes. The State Department can retrogress a date if demand exceeds the visas available for the rest of the fiscal year.
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