In the November 2026 Visa Bulletin, EB-2 rest of the world advanced 3 months, while family categories jumped nearly a full year for most countries — and USCIS is using the Dates of Filing chart for both employment-based and family-based applications this month.
In short
- EB-2 rest of the world advanced 3 months, to April 1, 2025, but on final action dates it still hasn’t returned to its pre-October-retrogression level.
- Family categories F1, F2B, F3, and F4 for most countries jumped nearly a full year at once — on both final action dates and dates of filing.
- The strongest employment-based movement belongs to EB-3 other workers for rest of the world and Mexico, roughly 5 months.
- India and China saw no movement on EB-1 and EB-2, and the bulletin’s data was only compiled by consulates through October 5.
- The December bulletin could move the India date forward a month or two due to the spillover effect, but that’s not a guaranteed forecast.
Which filing chart applies in November 2026: Dates of Filing
For November 2026, USCIS is using the Dates of Filing chart — for both employment-based and family-based categories. This is the same setup that applied in October: you can submit paperwork if your priority date is earlier than the filing date listed for your category and country.
Dates of filing differs from final action dates in what it actually allows: the filing chart opens the window to assemble and submit your documents, but it does not mean your green card is approved. A green card is only granted once the final action date arrives — that date is what triggers the actual grant of status. Right now, only the filing gate is open.
A green card is only granted once the final action date arrives — that date is what triggers the actual grant of status.
The data behind this bulletin was compiled by consulates and agencies through October 5 — anything reported later didn’t make it into this month’s numbers.
Dates of filing only lets you submit paperwork. The green card decision is made solely on the final action date — these are two separate things.
Employment-based categories: EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 for rest of the world
EB-2 for rest of the world moved forward 3 months in November — from January 1, 2025 to April 1, 2025. That’s the headline move this month: the category was current, then retrogressed in October, and is now only partially recovering — on final action dates it’s still noticeably behind where it stood before the retrogression.
EB-1 for rest of the world remains current — unchanged from October.
EB-3 for rest of the world advanced 1 month, to June 15, 2024 — in October the date stood at May 15, 2024.
EB-3 other workers (the category for unskilled workers, distinct from mainstream EB-3) moved the furthest of all — about 5 months, to June 1, 2022.
The picture on dates of filing looks different: EB-2 rest of the world was current in September, then retrogressed to March 15 — and there’s no change in November. EB-3 rest of the world on filing dates also holds steady, with the backlog unchanged.
| Category | Current date | Monthly movement |
|---|---|---|
| EB-1 rest of the world | current | unchanged |
| EB-2 rest of the world | 04/01/2025 | +3 months |
| EB-3 rest of the world | 06/15/2024 | +1 month |
| EB-3 other workers | 06/01/2022 | +5 months |
All other rest of the world categories held steady in November.
EB-2 rest of the world: movement after retrogression
The category has partially recovered from October’s pullback but hasn’t returned to current status yet.
- EB-2 rest of the world (final action)
After October’s retrogression, EB-2 rest of the world moved forward 3 months, but on final action dates it’s still noticeably behind where it stood before the pullback.
EB categories for China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines
| Country | Category | Movement | New date |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | EB-1 | +1 month | August 1, 2023 |
| China | EB-3 | +2 weeks | January 22, 2022 |
| India | EB-1 | unchanged | — |
| India | EB-2 | unchanged | — |
| India | EB-3 (final action) | +3 weeks | January 22, 2014 |
| India | EB-3 other workers | +3 weeks | — |
| Mexico | EB-2 | +3 months | April 1, 2025 |
| Mexico | EB-3 | +1 month | from May 15 to June 15, 2024 |
| Mexico | EB-3 other workers | +5 months | from January 1 to June 1, 2022 |
| Philippines | EB-2 | +3 months | from January 1 to April 1, 2025 |
| Philippines | other categories | unchanged | — |
For China, movement is minimal: EB-1 advanced a month, EB-3 moved two weeks, and the remaining categories held in place.
India is frozen on most fronts: EB-1 and EB-2 didn’t budge at all. The only movement is a 3-week advance on EB-3 (which tracks final action, not filing — effectively the approval date) and on EB-3 other workers.
The Philippines saw one change: EB-2 advanced 3 months, from January 1 to April 1, 2025. The other categories stayed put.
EB categories by country: what changed in November
| Country and category | Movement | New date |
|---|---|---|
| China, EB-1 | +1 month | August 1, 2023 |
| China, EB-3 | +2 weeks | January 22, 2022 |
| India, EB-1 | unchanged | — |
| India, EB-2 | unchanged | — |
| India, EB-3 (final action) | +3 weeks | January 22, 2014 |
| Mexico, EB-2 | +3 months | April 1, 2025 |
| Mexico, EB-3 | +1 month | June 15, 2024 |
| Mexico, EB-3 other workers | +5 months | June 1, 2022 |
Final action and dates of filing data for November 2026, compiled by USCIS and the State Department through October 5.
Employment-based summary: what moved the most
The biggest advance belongs to EB-3 other workers for rest of the world and Mexico — a full 5 months forward, to June 1, 2022, the largest movement of any employment-based category in the November bulletin.
- EB-3 other workers, rest of the world and Mexico — about a 5-month advance, the biggest mover.
- EB-2, rest of the world and Philippines — about a 3-month advance.
- EB-1, China — about a 1-month advance.
- EB-3, rest of the world — about a 1-month advance.
- EB-1 and EB-2, India and China — no movement at all.
On the whole, most categories stood still in November, with EB-3 other workers the only one to shift noticeably. The State Department’s figures were compiled from consulates through October 5 — some demand may not have been captured yet, so additional movement in coming months is plausible, though its size is hard to predict.
What to expect from the December Visa Bulletin
In an optimistic scenario, the India date could move forward a month or two — and that shift could show up as soon as the December Visa Bulletin. The spillover effect (reallocation of unused visa numbers) isn’t fully reflected in November’s figures yet, so any further advance remains a possibility rather than a guaranteed forecast.
Family categories F1–F4: a jump of nearly a year
On final action dates, the November bulletin moved family categories noticeably more than employment-based ones: a full year of movement is unusual for the family-based chart.
| Country | F1 | F2A | F2B | F3 | F4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rest of the world | +1 year | +1 month | +1 year | +1 year | +1 year |
| China | +1 year | +1 month | +1 year | +1 year | +1 year |
| India | +1 year | +1 month | +1 year | +1 year | unchanged |
| Mexico | +2 weeks | +1 month | unchanged | — | — |
| Philippines | — | +1 month | — | +2 weeks | unchanged |
For rest of the world, F1 (unmarried adult sons and daughters of US citizens) advanced nearly a year, F2B, F3, and F4 each moved a year as well, and only F2A shifted by a month. China’s picture almost mirrors the global one: F1, F2B, F3, and F4 each gained a year, F2A a month.
India’s movement is similar but not complete: F1, F2B, and F3 advanced a year, F2 moved a month, while F4 stayed unchanged. Mexico and the Philippines moved far more modestly: Mexico’s F1 shifted 2 weeks, F2 a month, F2B unchanged; the Philippines’ F2A gained a month, F3 moved 2 weeks, and the rest stood still.
Family categories: final action date movement in November
F1, F2B, F3, and F4 advanced nearly a year for most countries — far more than typical monthly movement.
- F1, rest of the world12 months
- F2A, rest of the world1 month
- F2B, rest of the world12 months
- F3, rest of the world12 months
- F4, rest of the world12 months
Dates of filing for family categories: another year-long jump
The dates of filing chart for November mirrors the final action dates movement: categories again jumped a full year at once, rather than the usual weeks or months typical of a Visa Bulletin update.
| Country | F1 | F2A | F2B | F3 | F4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rest of the world | +1 year, to February 1, 2021 | unchanged | +1 year | +1 year | +1 year |
| China | +1 year | — | +1 year | +1 year | +1 year |
| India | +1 year | unchanged | +1 year | +1 year | unchanged |
| Mexico | unchanged | unchanged | unchanged | unchanged | unchanged |
| Philippines | unchanged | unchanged | unchanged | unchanged | unchanged |
For rest of the world, the F1 filing date moved to February 1, 2021 — exactly a year forward. F2A is the only category that held its position, keeping its current status. F2B, F3, and F4 for rest of the world all jumped a year in sync.
For China, the shift touched F1, F2B, F3, and F4 — again, a year on each. India’s picture is nearly identical: the year-long jump covered every category except F2A and F4, which stayed unchanged. Mexico and the Philippines saw no movement at all on any family category in November’s dates of filing chart.
Why family categories jumped nearly a year
The Visa Bulletin doesn’t explain date movements directly — none of its sections offer formal commentary on why demand rose when it did. But the connection can be traced through another fact: consulates around the world shut down at various points, and consular processing is how most family categories get finalized. While processing on that channel was paused, accumulated demand went unused — the number of applications actually being processed right now turned out to be smaller than the annual limits allow.
To use up that surplus of numbers, dates were pushed far forward: that lets more applicants into the queue for filing and approval, so released numbers don’t go to waste. For rest of the world, this also explains the separate retrogression movement — it, too, was pushed forward by several months.
That said, the effect isn’t universal: many categories saw no movement at all, India included. Once consulates fully restore processing, the current jump could reverse — retrogression in family categories is flagged as a likely scenario.
Once consulates fully restore processing, the current jump could reverse — retrogression in family categories is flagged as a likely scenario.
Consular shutdowns reduced actual case processing, so to use up the annual limit of numbers, family category dates were pushed forward by a full year at once.
How to tell if your priority date qualifies for filing
Your priority date needs to be earlier than the date listed in the bulletin for your category and country — only then can you submit paperwork. If your priority date is later than the listed one, you can’t file yet: you’ll need to wait for the next advance.
There’s one exception to this rule: if the final action date for the same category turns out to be current or later than the dates of filing, you can use that one instead. In practice, this means checking both columns of the bulletin, not just one.
But a final action date and green card approval aren’t the same thing. The final action date only marks the point when a case can be finally reviewed and decided; the approval itself happens after that point, not at the same moment the date arrives.
But a final action date and green card approval aren’t the same thing.
If the final action date turns out to be current or later than the dates of filing, go by that one instead — check both columns of the bulletin, not just one.
Frequently asked questions
What if my priority date falls within the filing window but is later than the approval date — can I file right now?
Yes, you can file if your priority date is earlier than the date of filing listed for your category and country. That opens the window to assemble and submit your documents, but the green card itself is only approved once the final action date arrives — so filing and approval are separated in time, and you’ll still have to wait for the decision.
Could EB-2 rest of the world retrogress again in the coming months?
There’s no forecast for a specific month in the data, but the mechanism has already shown itself: the category was current, then retrogressed in October, and in November only partially recovered. The bulletin’s data was compiled through October 5 and doesn’t account for later demand, so further fluctuation, including another retrogression, can’t be ruled out.
If consulates return to normal operations, will family category dates roll back?
That’s flagged as a likely scenario: the current year-long jump is tied to demand that built up while consulates were shut down and went unused, so dates were pushed forward to absorb the surplus of numbers. Once processing is fully restored, retrogression in family categories is possible.
Why didn’t family category F4 for India advance along with the others?
The November bulletin’s movement hit most categories and countries unevenly: for India, F1, F2B, and F3 advanced a year, while F4 and F2A stayed unchanged — on both final action dates and dates of filing. The bulletin doesn’t explain the reasons behind category-by-category discrepancies; only the movement pattern itself is visible.
What does ‘current’ status mean for a category in the Visa Bulletin?
Current status means there’s no date restriction: any applicant can file paperwork or receive a decision for that category regardless of when their petition was filed — there’s effectively no backlog for it right now. For example, EB-1 rest of the world remains current in November 2026.
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