U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has provided the filing-chart determination that adjustment-of-status applicants need for September 2026, adding an important procedural layer to the State Department’s September Visa Bulletin.
For September, employment-based adjustment applicants must use the Final Action Dates chart, while family-sponsored adjustment applicants may use the Dates for Filing chart to determine when they can submit Form I-485, assuming they otherwise qualify.
For Indian employment-based applicants, the distinction is particularly important. The September State Department bulletin lists India EB-2 as unavailable, EB-1 with a Final Action Date of October 15, 2022, and EB-3 at January 1, 2014. That means Indian employment-based applicants should not look at the more favorable September Dates for Filing chart and assume those dates control I-485 filing with USCIS.
What does this mean for Indian employment-based applicants?
Here are India’s principal employment-based dates in the September 2026 Visa Bulletin:
| Category | Final Action Date | Dates for Filing | Chart employment applicants use for September |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 India | Oct. 15, 2022 | Dec. 1, 2023 | Oct. 15, 2022 |
| EB-2 India | Unavailable | Jan. 15, 2015 | Unavailable |
| EB-3 India | Jan. 1, 2014 | Jan. 15, 2015 | Jan. 1, 2014 |
| Other Workers | Jan. 1, 2014 | Jan. 15, 2015 | Jan. 1, 2014 |
| EB-4 | Dec. 15, 2022 | Jan. 1, 2023 | Dec. 15, 2022 |
| EB-5 Unreserved | Unavailable | May 1, 2024 | Unavailable |
| EB-5 Rural | Current | Current | Current |
| EB-5 High Unemployment | Current | Current | Current |
| EB-5 Infrastructure | Current | Current | Current |
What does this mean for India EB-2?
The impact is especially clear for India EB-2.
The State Department’s Dates for Filing chart shows January 15, 2015. But the Final Action chart lists India EB-2 as Unavailable. Because employment-based adjustment applicants are using Final Action Dates for September, the January 15, 2015 filing date does not provide a September I-485 filing window under this monthly chart determination.
This is consistent with a major development earlier in FY2026: the State Department announced in May that all available India EB-2 immigrant visas under the applicable FY2026 limit had been used. It said annual limits reset with the beginning of FY2027 on October 1, 2026. That makes the October 2026 Visa Bulletin particularly important for India EB-2 applicants.
What about India EB-1 and EB-3?
For EB-1 India, the September Final Action Date is October 15, 2022. The Dates for Filing chart is considerably later, at December 1, 2023 but employment-based applicants cannot rely on that later chart for September adjustment filing under USCIS’s monthly selection.
There is another important warning. The State Department says high India EB-1 demand could require the category to become unavailable before the fiscal year ends if India’s prorated EB-1 limit is reached. India EB-3 has a Final Action Date of January 1, 2014, compared with January 15, 2015 under Dates for Filing. Again, September’s relevant employment chart is the earlier Final Action date.
Family-sponsored applicants get a different answer
September is different for family-sponsored preference applicants because USCIS is allowing that group to use the Dates for Filing chart. For India, those September filing dates are:
F1: February 1, 2020
F2A: Current
F2B: September 1, 2019
F3: November 1, 2014
F4: December 15, 2006.
What Indian applicants should do now
Applicants considering adjustment of status should identify their preference category and priority date, confirm their country of chargeability, and then use the chart USCIS has designated for their category. Employment-based applicants should use Final Action Dates for September. Family-sponsored preference applicants may use Dates for Filing.
Applicants should also check the USCIS page again immediately before filing. Visa availability can change, and a priority date being eligible under the applicable chart does not by itself establish eligibility for adjustment of status.
Check USCIS Adjustment of Status Filing Charts
Official September 2026 Visa Bulletin
The September 2026 USCIS filing-chart determination is particularly consequential for Indian employment-based green-card applicants.
Employment-based applicants must use Final Action Dates, leaving India EB-2 and EB-5 unreserved unavailable for September, India EB-1 at October 15, 2022, and India EB-3 at January 1, 2014. Family-sponsored preference applicants, by contrast, may use the Dates for Filing chart. For India EB-2 applicants in particular, attention now turns toward October 1 and the beginning of FY2027, when annual visa limits reset.
