Visa Bulletin Predictions for November 2026: EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 Forecasts vs the October Facts

The November 2026 Visa Bulletin is not out yet. Here is what the October dates actually say, what forecasters expect, and why no prediction is a cutoff.

Part of our guide to the Visa Bulletin and priority dates.

If you are on H-1B with an approved I-140, or on STEM OPT while your employer runs PERM, you have probably refreshed travel.state.gov this week hoping the November bulletin is out. Here is the direct answer to the search for visa bulletin predictions for November 2026: the November 2026 Visa Bulletin has not been published, so every November date you see online is a forecast. The confirmed facts are the October 2026 dates. One widely cited November forecast, from Shusterman, has EB-2 India moving roughly 2-3 weeks. Treat it as an estimate, not a cutoff.

This post separates the two cleanly. First, what is true today. Then what forecasters expect, labeled as forecasts. Then what to watch when the real bulletin lands, and the mistakes that cost people money and sleep.

Status as of October 14, 2026

• In effect: the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, the first of fiscal year 2027, published around September 29, 2026.
• In effect: USCIS told applicants that all employment-based and family-based I-485 filings in October 2026 must use the Dates for Filing chart.
• Not published: the November 2026 Visa Bulletin. The USCIS chart page still listed November as "Coming soon" (page last updated October 1, 2026).
• Not a fact: any November cutoff, including the forecasts below.
• Background: federal funding runs through December 11, 2026 under the current continuing resolution, so no shutdown sits between you and the next bulletin.

If you are reading this after mid-October, the real bulletin may already be out. Open the Visa Bulletin page on travel.state.gov before you act on anything here.

The October 2026 dates: the only numbers that are facts

Every November forecast starts from October. If you need a refresher on how the two charts work, our guide to how priority dates and the Visa Bulletin work covers the mechanics. Briefly: the Final Action Date (FAD) decides when a green card can actually be approved, and the Dates for Filing (DFF) chart decides when you may submit an I-485, but only in months when USCIS says it will accept that chart.

October 2026 Visa Bulletin, as of October 2026

Three points in that table matter most for November.

1. EB-2 India came back at 2013-11-01. It had been "unavailable" from July through September 2026. If that word confused you, see what "unavailable" means on the Visa Bulletin.
2. Rest of World retrogressed. EB-2 ROW went from Current to a Final Action Date of 2025-01-01, and EB-3 ROW moved back to 2024-05-15. One source mislabeled the EB-2 ROW Dates for Filing value (2026-03-15) as the Final Action Date, so double-check which column you are reading.
3. EB-3 India held at 2014-01-01 while EB-3 China moved slightly to 2022-01-08.

For the full breakdown of what reset at the start of the fiscal year, read our October 2026 Visa Bulletin explainer.

The forecast that already missed: a lesson for every green card prediction

In July 2026, the State Department said the EB-2 India Final Action Date would "likely advance to at least July 15, 2014" once FY2027 began. Many people, and some older guides on this site, treated that as a floor. It was a non-binding projection. The actual October date, 2013-11-01, landed about 8.5 months behind it.

That gap is the single most useful thing to know before you read any visa bulletin forecast. If the agency that sets the dates can miss its own projection by most of a year, a third-party model can miss by more.

Our earlier FY2027 EB-2 India outlook was written before the October bulletin. Read it for the structural reasons behind the backlog, and use the October numbers above wherever the two disagree.

Visa bulletin predictions for November 2026, category by category

Everything in this section is a visa bulletin forecast or a description of what could happen. None of it is a cutoff. We are not publishing our own numeric predictions, because the inputs that drive them have not been released.

EB-2 India priority date prediction

• Fact: October FAD 2013-11-01; DFF 2015-01-15.
• Forecast (reported): Shusterman's visa bulletin predictions page has floated EB-2 India movement of roughly 2-3 weeks. That would be a small step. It is one firm's estimate.
• What could change it: how much demand with pre-2014 priority dates turns into approvable I-485 and consular cases, and how many numbers the category actually has this year.

EB-1 (India and China)

• Fact: India FAD 2023-02-01, China FAD 2023-07-01; both DFF 2024-07-01.
• Forecast: no specific November number is part of our verified record. In the first months of a fiscal year, the State Department often moves cautiously while it watches demand. "Cautiously" can mean modest movement, no movement, or, if demand surprises, retrogression.

EB-3 (India, China and Rest of World)

• Fact: India FAD 2014-01-01, China 2022-01-08, ROW 2024-05-15.
• Forecast: no verified November number. Because EB-3 ROW just retrogressed, you should not assume a quick rebound. If you are weighing an EB-2 to EB-3 move, our comparison of an EB-3 downgrade versus waiting in EB-2 explains the trade-offs to raise with your attorney.

EB-2 and EB-3 Rest of World

• Fact: EB-2 ROW FAD 2025-01-01 (DFF 2026-03-15); EB-3 ROW FAD 2024-05-15 (DFF 2024-08-01).
• Forecast: retrogression early in a year means the State Department saw enough demand to use the available numbers. Whether November holds, moves forward or retrogresses further depends on demand data that is not public. Our EB-2 and EB-3 Rest of World retrogression explainer covers what the October move means for pending cases.

The numbers that drive FY2027, and the one nobody has yet

Forecasters argue about November because the fiscal year's supply is not fully known.

• Employment-based limit: at least 140,000 for FY2027. That is the statutory floor.
• Per-country limit: currently computed at 25,620. This cap is why India and China have their own, much earlier, dates.
• Family spillover: not published. Unused family-based numbers from the prior year can add to the employment-based total. One model estimates about 73,000, with a range of roughly 40,000 to 102,000. That figure is reported and model-based, not official. Treat it as one estimate, and confirm the real number with USCIS or the State Department when it is released.

The spread in that spillover range is the honest explanation for why forecasts differ so much. A model that assumes the high end will predict faster movement than one that assumes the low end, and both can be wrong.

Why this matters for your visa status, not just your green card

For readers on temporary status, the bulletin is not abstract.

• H-1B holders past or near six years often rely on an I-140 and their priority date to support extensions. How the bulletin affects your extension options is a question for your employer's immigration attorney, not a forecast site.
• STEM OPT workers whose employer has started PERM get a priority date only when the case is filed. The Department of Labor's PERM suspension of 8 named employers is in effect (announced October 8, 2026, with no end date stated). It affects PERM only. H-1B petitions and status are untouched by it. Our PERM suspension explainer names the employers. If yours is one of them, ask its immigration counsel how your green card timing is affected.
• Pending I-485 applicants with a C9 work permit: the final rule ending automatic EAD extensions was published and took effect on October 14, 2026 (in effect). Renewal EADs filed on or after October 30, 2025 get no automatic extension, so a renewal that is still pending when the old card expires leaves a gap. See our automatic EAD extension final rule explainer.

None of this tells you what to file or when. A licensed immigration attorney can apply the bulletin to your facts. If you are on F-1 or OPT and the question involves SEVIS or your I-20, your DSO is the right first contact. The two roles are different.

How to read the November bulletin the day it publishes

When the real bulletin appears, work through it in this order.

1. Open the official bulletin on travel.state.gov, not a screenshot or a forecast summary.
2. Find your category and chargeability country. Chargeability usually follows country of birth, not citizenship. Confirm yours with your attorney.
3. Read the Final Action Date for your row. That is the date that decides approval.
4. Read the Dates for Filing for your row, then check whether USCIS will accept it.
5. Check the USCIS chart page. USCIS posts which chart applies for each month on its adjustment of status filing charts page. In October it was Dates for Filing. November's choice is unknown until USCIS posts it.
6. Compare with your priority date from your I-140 approval notice or PERM filing. Your own notice governs over anything published here.
7. Read the notes at the bottom of the bulletin. The State Department sometimes includes forward-looking comments. Those are projections too, as July 2026 showed.
8. Take questions to your attorney before making filing, travel or job-change decisions.

Common mistakes

• Treating a forecast as a cutoff. No November 2026 date is real until the State Department publishes it.
• Repeating the 2014-07-15 "floor." It was a non-binding projection. The October FAD for EB-2 India is 2013-11-01.
• Reading the wrong column. The EB-2 ROW Dates for Filing value (2026-03-15) has been mislabeled as the Final Action Date. The FAD is 2025-01-01.
• Assuming USCIS keeps last month's chart. USCIS used Final Action Dates in several summer months and Dates for Filing in October. It decides month by month.
• Assuming a Current category stays Current. EB-2 ROW was Current and retrogressed in October.
• Treating the spillover estimate as official. The ~73,000 figure is one model's estimate with a wide range.
• Making job or travel decisions from a forecast. Changing employers, leaving the US or letting status lapse based on an expected date move is a decision for you and your attorney, using published dates.

Frequently asked questions

Has the November 2026 Visa Bulletin been published?

Not as of October 14, 2026. No November 2026 Visa Bulletin had been published, and the USCIS chart page still listed November as "Coming soon." Any November date you see before publication is a forecast. Check travel.state.gov directly, because November bulletins often appear in mid-October.

What is the EB-2 India priority date prediction for November 2026?

The only fact is the October 2026 Final Action Date for EB-2 India, 2013-11-01. Shusterman's predictions page has floated movement of roughly 2-3 weeks, which is a forecast, not a cutoff. The State Department's own July 2026 projection of at least July 15, 2014 did not hold, which shows how far forecasts can miss.

Which chart will USCIS use for I-485 filings in November 2026?

Nobody knows yet. For October 2026, USCIS required all employment-based and family-based I-485 filings to use the Dates for Filing chart, after requiring Final Action Dates in several summer months. USCIS announces the chart for each month separately, so read its chart page once the November bulletin is out and confirm timing with your immigration attorney.

Why did EB-2 and EB-3 Rest of World retrogress in October 2026?

The October bulletin set EB-2 ROW at 2025-01-01 and EB-3 ROW at 2024-05-15, both earlier than the summer dates. The State Department sets cutoffs to keep demand inside the annual limit, which for FY2027 is at least 140,000 employment-based numbers. A retrogression means demand with earlier priority dates is enough to use the available numbers, not that the category is closed.

Sources

• U.S. Department of State, Visa Bulletin (source of truth for every cutoff)
• USCIS, Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin (which chart applies each month)
• Shusterman, Visa Bulletin Predictions (third-party forecast, not a cutoff)

Keep your job search moving while the dates move

The Visa Bulletin sets the pace of your green card. Your job search runs on your own schedule, and on OPT, STEM OPT or H-1B that schedule carries real deadlines. If you want help finding roles with employers that sponsor, talk to F1Jobs. We will be straight with you about what we can and cannot do.