October 2026 Visa Bulletin: China EB-3 Filing Date Jumps 27 Months, EB-5 Leaps Four Years

Reviewed by Jinwen Liu, Esq. · Last updated: October 2026

Say your name is Lin. You write backend code for a hardware company in San Jose, and your EB-3 priority date is March 12, 2024.

On September 1, the Visa Bulletin told you that date was more than two years away from mattering. You read it on your phone in the parking lot, did the subtraction, and put the phone face-down on the passenger seat.

On October 1, the same bulletin says you can file your green card application.

Nothing about your case changed in those thirty days. The calendar did. October 1 is the start of the government's new fiscal year, a fresh batch of green card numbers opens up, and the October 2026 Visa Bulletin moved China's employment-based filing dates by margins measured in years, not weeks.

What moved, and by how much

Every Visa Bulletin has two charts. Chart A, "Final Action Dates," decides when a green card can actually be approved. Chart B, "Dates for Filing," decides when you can submit the application. For people born in mainland China, October's movement happened almost entirely on Chart B:

• EB-3: from January 8, 2022 to April 1, 2024 — 814 days, about 27 months.
• EB-3 Other Workers: from October 1, 2019 to October 1, 2020 — twelve months.
• EB-2: from January 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023 — a full year.
• EB-1: from December 1, 2023 to July 1, 2024 — seven months.
• EB-5 (unreserved): from March 1, 2017 to March 1, 2021 — four years in a single bulletin. The rural, high-unemployment and infrastructure set-aside categories remain "Current" on both charts.

Chart A barely moved. EB-2 advanced one month, to October 1, 2021. EB-3 advanced seven days, to January 8, 2022, and EB-3 Other Workers moved five months, to October 1, 2019. EB-1 stayed at July 1, 2023, and EB-5 unreserved stayed at December 1, 2016.

On the family side, F2A (spouses and children of green card holders) moved its Final Action Date from August 22 to September 22, 2026, and remains "Current" on the filing chart.

One more line matters if you were born anywhere else: for the rest of the world, EB-2 and EB-3 moved backward this month. The worldwide EB-2 Final Action Date went from Current to January 1, 2025, and EB-3 slipped from September 1, 2024 to May 15, 2024. The bulletin charges you by country of birth, not citizenship, so make sure you are reading the right row.

Chart B is a door, not the finish line

This is the part that gets lost in the excitement. Reaching Chart B lets you file Form I-485 to adjust status. It does not mean your green card is about to be approved. Approval waits until your priority date is also earlier than the Chart A date — and for China EB-2 and EB-3, Chart A is still sitting in late 2021 and early 2022.

So why file now? Because a properly filed I-485 unlocks real benefits while you wait. You can apply for a work permit (Form I-765) and a travel document called advance parole (Form I-131). Once your I-485 has been pending 180 days, the portability rules under INA § 204(j) may let you change to a same or similar job without restarting the process. And your case is sitting in USCIS's queue, ready to be approved the month Chart A catches up, instead of starting from zero then.

There is also a strategic wrinkle. China EB-3's filing date (April 1, 2024) is now fifteen months ahead of EB-2's (January 1, 2023). For some EB-2 applicants, filing a second I-140 in EB-3 — the so-called downgrade — is worth a hard look. It is not right for everyone, and it depends on your employer, your job requirements and your timeline.

If your date is now current on Chart B

Here is the checklist we are walking clients through this week.

• Confirm your priority date. It is printed on your I-140 or I-526E approval notice. It must be earlier than the Chart B date for your category and country of birth.
• Confirm which chart USCIS is using. Each month USCIS separately announces whether it will accept employment-based filings under Chart A or Chart B. For October 2026, it has indicated Chart B for employment-based cases. Check the USCIS "Adjustment of Status Filing Charts" page the week you file — this can change month to month.
• Confirm you can adjust status. Generally you need to be in the U.S. and have maintained lawful status. Gaps, overstays or unauthorized work can complicate eligibility and need an attorney's review before filing.
• Book the medical exam now. Since December 2, 2024, USCIS requires the Form I-693 medical exam to be submitted with the I-485. Civil surgeon appointments fill quickly in months like this one.
• Do not travel without advance parole. If you leave the U.S. while your I-485 is pending and do not have advance parole (or, in limited cases, valid H-1B or L-1 status), USCIS may treat your application as abandoned under 8 C.F.R. § 245.2(a)(4)(ii).

Lin's version of this list takes about three weeks: pull the I-140 approval notice, update employment verification, schedule the medical, gather birth certificate and status records, then file the I-485 with the I-765 and I-131. The hardest part is usually the medical appointment.

How long will this last?

Nobody can promise that. Filing dates that jump this far at the start of a fiscal year can hold, and they can also retrogress later in the year if demand outpaces supply. USCIS can also switch back to Chart A in any month. If your date is current today and you are otherwise ready, waiting to see what November looks like is a gamble with no upside.

Frequently asked questions

My date is current on Chart B. Will I get my green card this year?

Not necessarily. Approval requires your priority date to be earlier than the Chart A date. Chart B only lets you file.

I'm abroad. Does Chart B help me?

For consular processing, the Dates for Filing chart tells the National Visa Center when to start collecting your documents. It does not schedule an interview by itself.

Should I file I-131 advance parole with my I-485?

If there is any chance you will need to travel before the green card is approved, usually yes. It can go in the same package as the I-485, but it carries its own filing fee.

Sources & References

• U.S. Department of State, Visa Bulletin for October 2026 — travel.state.gov
• 8 U.S.C. § 1153(b) / INA § 203(b) — Employment-based preference categories
• 8 C.F.R. § 245.1(g)(1) — Visa availability requirement for adjustment of status
• 8 C.F.R. § 245.2(a)(4)(ii) — Abandonment of adjustment application upon departure without advance parole
• USCIS, Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin — uscis.gov

Related services

• EB-5 Investor Visa — set-aside categories remain current
• NIW National Interest Waiver — EB-2 without a job offer
• Is the EB-2 to EB-3 downgrade right for you?

If your priority date just crossed Chart B and you want a second set of eyes before you file, we can review your timeline and paperwork with you.

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This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney for your specific situation.