The Visa Bulletin for November 2026 is out — the second bulletin of fiscal year 2027 — and this month the family side gets the good news. The worldwide Final Action Dates for F1, F2B, F3, and F4 each jump a full year. On the employment side, EB-2 and EB-3 claw back some of October’s retrogression for most countries, and Other Workers moves five months. USCIS is sticking with the Dates for Filing chart for both family-sponsored and employment-based adjustment filings. Here is what moved, and what to do about it.
Two charts, quickly
Every bulletin has two charts. Final Action Dates control when an immigrant visa can be issued or an adjustment of status application approved. Dates for Filing control when immigrant visa applicants can send documents to the National Visa Center and, when USCIS allows it, when people in the United States can file Form I-485. A “C” means current. A listed date means your priority date has to be earlier than that date. Not the same day. Earlier.
November’s numbers were allocated in priority-date order for demand received by October 5, 2026. The bulletin restates the framework under INA §§ 201, 202, and 203: at least 226,000 family-sponsored preference numbers a year, at least 140,000 employment-based, a 7 percent per-country limit (25,620), and a 2 percent dependent-area limit (7,320). China-mainland born, India, Mexico, and the Philippines are still oversubscribed, so the prorating rules of INA § 202(e) apply to them.
Which chart USCIS is using in November
Start here. Seriously. The USCIS Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page says that for November 2026, all family-sponsored categories use the Dates for Filing chart, and all employment-based categories use the Dates for Filing chart too. Same as October.
USCIS decides this every month. Check it again before you file anything in December.
Family-sponsored: a full year, worldwide
For the worldwide column, China-mainland born, and India, November’s Final Action Dates are:
- F1 (unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens): January 22, 2021. Last month it was January 22, 2020.
- F2A (spouses and children of permanent residents): October 22, 2026, up one month from September 22, 2026.
- F2B (unmarried sons and daughters 21 or older of permanent residents): August 22, 2020, up from August 22, 2019.
- F3 (married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens): October 22, 2015, up from October 22, 2014.
- F4 (brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens): October 22, 2012, up from October 22, 2011, for the worldwide column and China. F4 India stays at December 15, 2006.
The Dates for Filing chart moves in step for those same columns. F1 goes to February 1, 2021. F2B to September 1, 2020. F3 to November 1, 2015. F4 to November 1, 2012, though F4 India holds at February 1, 2007. And F2A stays current on the filing chart for every country.
Family-sponsored: Mexico and the Philippines
Mexico moves, but in days and weeks rather than years. F1 goes from September 8, 2008, to September 22, 2008. F2A goes from March 22, 2026, to April 22, 2026. F3 goes from July 1, 2001, to July 15, 2001. F2B holds at May 15, 2010, and F4 at April 22, 2001.
The Philippines gets the worldwide F2A date of October 22, 2026. Everything else holds: F1 at November 1, 2013; F2B at October 1, 2013; F3 at July 22, 2006; F4 at May 15, 2008.
Mexico and Philippines Dates for Filing? Unchanged from October.
The usual F2A fine print: numbers exempt from the per-country limit go to applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than April 22, 2026. Numbers subject to the per-country limit go to applicants from all countries except Mexico with priority dates beginning April 22, 2026, and earlier than October 22, 2026. Every F2A number for Mexico is exempt from the per-country limit.
Employment-based: EB-2 and EB-3 move forward
October retrogressed EB-2 and EB-3 for most countries. November gives some of it back on the Final Action chart:
- EB-2: April 1, 2025, up from January 1, 2025. That applies to the worldwide column, Mexico, and the Philippines.
- EB-3: June 15, 2024, up from May 15, 2024, for the worldwide column and Mexico. EB-3 Philippines holds at August 15, 2023.
- Other Workers: June 1, 2022, up from January 1, 2022, for the worldwide column and Mexico. Other Workers Philippines holds at January 1, 2022.
EB-1 is still current for the worldwide column, Mexico, and the Philippines.
The employment Dates for Filing chart barely moves. The one change: Other Workers for the worldwide column and Mexico, from June 1, 2022, to July 1, 2022. EB-2 stays at March 15, 2026, and EB-3 at August 1, 2024.
India and China
India. EB-3 and Other Workers creep forward on the Final Action chart, from January 1, 2014, to January 22, 2014. That’s it. EB-1 India holds at February 1, 2023, EB-2 India at November 1, 2013, and EB-5 unreserved India at December 1, 2023. India’s Dates for Filing don’t move at all: EB-1 at July 1, 2024; EB-2, EB-3, and Other Workers at January 15, 2015; EB-5 unreserved at May 1, 2024.
China-mainland born. EB-1 advances from July 1, 2023, to August 1, 2023. EB-3 advances from January 8, 2022, to January 22, 2022. EB-2 China holds at October 1, 2021, Other Workers China at October 1, 2019, and EB-5 unreserved China at December 1, 2016. The China Dates for Filing are unchanged: EB-1 at July 1, 2024; EB-2 at January 1, 2023; EB-3 at April 1, 2024; Other Workers at October 1, 2020; EB-5 unreserved at March 1, 2021.
EB-4, religious workers, and EB-5
EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers stay put: a Final Action Date of December 15, 2022, and a Date for Filing of January 1, 2025, for every country. The October 2026 bulletin noted that the Certain Religious Workers category had been extended through December 11, 2026. If you are a religious worker, put that date on your calendar.
Investor categories are quiet, in a good way. Under INA § 203(b)(5), 32 percent of EB-5 numbers are reserved — 20 percent for rural investments, 10 percent for high-unemployment areas, and 2 percent for infrastructure projects. All three set-asides remain current on both charts for every country, and EB-5 unreserved remains current for the worldwide column, Mexico, and the Philippines.
A footnote on Other Workers
The bulletin carries its standing note about the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NACARA): the 10,000 annual Other Workers numbers are reduced to offset NACARA adjustments. For fiscal year 2027, the bulletin says that reduction will be limited to approximately 150 numbers.
What this means for your case
The rule of thumb. If your priority date is earlier than the Final Action Date for your category and country, your case can be approved, assuming you are otherwise eligible. If it is earlier than the Date for Filing, you can submit documents to the National Visa Center — or, because USCIS designated the Dates for Filing chart this month, file Form I-485 if you are in the United States and otherwise eligible to adjust status.
F2A is the standout. The filing chart is current, and USCIS designated it for family filings in November. So spouses and children of permanent residents who are in the United States and otherwise eligible to adjust status can file Form I-485 this month regardless of priority date. Approval still waits on the Final Action Date of October 22, 2026.
For employment-based applicants from most countries, mind the gap between the charts. An EB-2 applicant with a priority date earlier than March 15, 2026, may file Form I-485 in November. But the case can’t be approved until the Final Action Date — now April 1, 2025 — reaches that priority date. I’ve seen people read “filed” as “almost done.” It isn’t.
What to do now
Family-sponsored applicants: check your priority date against the new dates. A one-year jump in F1, F2B, F3, and F4 pulls a lot of people into range, for approval and for filing.
F2A beneficiaries in the United States: consider filing in November. The filing chart is current and USCIS designated it. Your priority date is not the obstacle this month.
If your EB-2 or EB-3 case fell out of range in October, look again. With a priority date earlier than April 1, 2025 (EB-2) or June 15, 2024 (EB-3), your case may be approvable in November.
Don’t bank on next month’s chart. USCIS picks the chart monthly. A window that is open in November may be shut in December.
Religious workers: watch December 11, 2026 for the Certain Religious Workers category, as referenced in the October bulletin.
Your category, your country of chargeability, and your priority date decide all of this. If you want someone to confirm where you stand under the November bulletin, our attorneys can go through it with you.
This post is attorney advertising and is provided for general information only. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Immigration law changes rapidly; consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific situation.
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