September Visa Bulletin: Family Green Card Dates Jump Years as Fiscal Year Closes
The Department of State's final visa bulletin for fiscal year 2026 brought extraordinary forward movement in family-sponsored green card categories, with some dates advancing by more than two years, while employment-based categories remained largely frozen.
Historic Movement in Final Fiscal Year Bulletin
The State Department's September 2026 Visa Bulletin — the final bulletin of Fiscal Year 2026 — delivers historic forward movement in family-sponsored categories, with F3 advancing approximately 29 months and F4 jumping about 26 months. Employment-based categories remain largely frozen, EB-2 India is listed as unavailable, and DOS warns that additional categories could become unavailable before September 30.
What Changed This Month
F3 final action dates for China, India, and all other chargeability areas surged forward by roughly 29 months, to October 22, 2014. F4 final action dates for China and all other areas advanced by approximately 26 months, to October 22, 2011. The F2A category remains one of the friendliest for applicants with a final action date of August 22, 2026, which is only one month behind the current date.
This surge reflects a rare fiscal-year-end push by the Department of State to use up allocated visa numbers. Section C of the bulletin says immigrant visa issuance rates dropped in FY 2026 because of policies in place since January 2025 and because some posts have had limited or suspended visa operations. In other words, because fewer visas were actually being issued at overseas consular posts, DOS pushed dates forward aggressively to try to use up allotted visa numbers before the fiscal year expires.
Family vs. Employment Gap
Family-based final action dates jumped more than two years in the September 2026 Visa Bulletin, while nearly every employment-based category stood still. For employment-based applicants, especially from India, the news was far bleaker: The EB-2 India final action date remains "unavailable" (marked "U") for September, meaning no immigrant visa numbers are authorized for issuance in this category during the final month of the fiscal year.
What This Means for Foreigners
If you have a family-based green card petition pending in the F3 or F4 category, September's movement may bring your priority date current by October when the fiscal year resets. Check your priority date against the new cutoff dates on travel.state.gov and file promptly if eligible—this is the last bulletin of the fiscal year. Employment-based applicants should prepare for slower movement in FY 2027 and consider alternative visa pathways if your category remains stalled.
Sources
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