EB2-NIW visa bulletin dates, October 2026
| Country | Final action | Dates for filing | Final action in September |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rest of world | Jan 1, 2025 | Mar 15, 2026 | was Current |
| China | Oct 1, 2021 | Jan 1, 2023 | was Sep 1, 2021 |
| India | Nov 1, 2013 | Jan 15, 2015 | was Unavailable |
| Mexico | Jan 1, 2025 | Mar 15, 2026 | was Current |
| Philippines | Jan 1, 2025 | Mar 15, 2026 | was Current |
Rest of world is every country not listed separately (China means mainland-born). Final action: a green card can be approved if your priority date is before this date. Dates for filing: you can submit the I-485 before then, in months USCIS accepts that chart.
Can I file my EB2-NIW I-485 in October 2026?
For October 2026, USCIS accepts the Dates for Filing chart for employment-based I-485 filings: rest-of-world applicants with priority dates before March 15, 2026 can file.
Your priority date is the received date on your I-140's I-797 receipt notice. NIW petitions skip PERM, so there's no earlier date.
The I-140 comes first
The bulletin only matters once USCIS approves the I-140. In the cases NIWStats tracks, premium cases get USCIS's first action at a median of ~43 business days (decisions from roughly the past 6 weeks). Half of the pending regular cases have waited 18+ months so far.
Recent EB2-NIW approvals, by priority date
The filing month is the priority date. 5 of these 6 were filed on or after January 1, 2025: for a rest-of-world applicant, that priority date is past October 2026's final action date.
Decision week and filing month shown, not exact dates. Every decision, as it lands →
EB2-NIW priority dates, bulletin by bulletin
| Bulletin | Final action | Dates for filing | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2026 | Jan 1, 2025 ↓ | Mar 15, 2026 | Sep 29 |
| Sep 2026 | Current | Current | Aug 21 |
| Aug 2026 | Current | Current | Jul 20 |
| Jul 2026 | Current | Current | Jun 16 |
| Jun 2026 | Current | Current | May 13 |
| May 2026 | Current | Current | Apr 14 |
| Apr 2026 | Current ↑ | Current | Mar 17 |
| Mar 2026 | Oct 15, 2024 ↑ | Current | Feb 19 |
| Feb 2026 | Apr 1, 2024 | Oct 15, 2024 | Jan 12 |
| Jan 2026 | Apr 1, 2024 ↑ | Oct 15, 2024 | Dec 18 |
| Dec 2025 | Feb 1, 2024 ↑ | Jul 15, 2024 | Nov 14 |
| Nov 2025 | Dec 1, 2023 | Jul 15, 2024 | Oct 15 |
| Oct 2025 | Dec 1, 2023 | Jul 15, 2024 | Sep 12 |
Rest of world. ↑ advanced · ↓ retrogressed, vs the bulletin before. Mexico and the Philippines had the same dates in every bulletin shown.
When is the next visa bulletin?
The November 2026 bulletin had not been published as of September 29, 2026. Over the previous 12 bulletins, publication fell between the 12th and 21st of the prior month. The October 2026 bulletin was published September 29, 2026.
EB2-NIW visa bulletin FAQ
Does EB2-NIW have its own visa bulletin line?
No. NIW petitions use the EB-2 dates for your country of chargeability, the same as PERM-based EB-2 cases.
Is EB2-NIW current in October 2026?
Only for priority dates before January 1, 2025, for most applicants: that is the rest-of-world EB-2 final action date in the October 2026 Visa Bulletin (back from current in September). India is November 1, 2013 and China is October 1, 2021. A green card can be approved only when your priority date is before the final action date for your country of chargeability.
Can I file the I-140 and I-485 together?
Only if the chart USCIS accepts that month is current for your country, or its cutoff is later than the filing date: a concurrent filing's priority date is the day USCIS receives the I-140.
Cutoff dates are from the U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin. NIWStats tracks I-140 outcomes, not the green-card stage. Not legal advice. How we track cases →
Waiting on your I-140?
NIWStats reads each shared case from USCIS every day and shows approvals, denials and RFEs as they land, by field and profile.
See where NIW cases stand