United States | November 2026 Visa Bulletin: Dates for Filing chart applies, showing no movement across EB categories

The U.S. State Department has released the November 2026 Visa Bulletin. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced filings for employment-based visa preference categories must use the Dates for Filing chart in the November Bulletin. EB categories remained unchanged across most categories for November, except for limited advancement in the EB-3 Other Workers category.

Dates for Filing cutoff dates determine when a foreign national may submit an adjustment of status application to USCIS. According to the November Visa Bulletin, “The listing of a date for any category indicates that only applicants with a priority date which is earlier than the listed date may file their application.”

Dates for Filing chart category movement:

EB-1 visa

• China EB-1 visa Dates for Filing remain the same, with a cutoff date of July 1, 2024.
• India EB-1 visa Dates for Filing remain the same, with a cutoff date of July 1, 2024.
• For all other countries under the EB-1 visa category, including Mexico and the Philippines, Dates for Filing remain current.

EB-2 visa

• China EB-2 visa Dates for Filing remain the same, with a cutoff date of Jan. 1, 2023.
• India EB-2 visa Dates for Filing remain the same, with a cutoff date of Jan. 15, 2015.
• For all other countries under the EB-2 visa category, including Mexico and the Philippines, Dates for Filing remain the same, with a cutoff date of March 15, 2026.

EB-3 visa

• China EB-3 visa Dates for Filing remain the same, with a cutoff date of April 1, 2024.
• India EB-3 visa Dates for Filing remain the same, with a cutoff date of Jan. 15, 2015.
• For all other countries under the EB-3 visa category and Mexico, the Dates for Filing remain the same, with a cutoff date of Aug. 1, 2024. Dates for Filing for the Philippines remain the same, with a cutoff date of Jan. 1, 2024.

EB-5 visa (unreserved)

• China EB-5 visa Dates for Filing remain the same, with a cutoff date of March 1, 2021.
• India EB-5 visa Dates for Filing remain the same, with a cutoff date of May 1, 2024.
• For all other countries under the EB-5 unreserved visa category, including Mexico and the Philippines, Dates for Filing remain current.

Dates for Filing chart for employment-based visa applications

Additional Information: The “other workers” category accounts for unskilled labor requiring less than two years of experience. This category’s Dates for Filing did advance by one month for Mexico and “all chargeability areas except for those listed.”

No Diversity Visa updates were provided in the November Visa Bulletin.

In the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, USCIS announced employment-based visa preference categories must use the Dates for Filing chart. The Final Action Dates chart indicates who is eligible for final action (adjudication) on their permanent residence application and when a visa can be issued. Review BAL’s employer’s guide to reading the Visa Bulletin to better understand this monthly report.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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