Update, September 29, 2026: As of our latest report on September 28, the October 2026 Visa BulletinA monthly State Department publication showing which family and employment visa categories currently have visas available.See it in the glossary had not been published. See our bulletin delay article for what is known.
Fiscal year 2026 ends on 30 September. Fiscal year 2027 begins on 1 October with a fresh allocation of Immigrant visaA visa issued at a consulate to a person intending to live permanently in the United States. On admission the holder becomes a permanent resident.See it in the glossary numbers. The weeks in between are the part of the annual cycle that produces the most confusion, because categories can close without warning.
Reading the chart
Three things can appear in a cell on the Visa Bulletin.
- C means current. Visa numbers are available to all qualified applicants in that category and ChargeabilityThe country an applicant's visa number is counted against for per-country limits, normally the country of birth rather than citizenship or residence.See it in the glossary area, regardless of Priority dateThe date a petition was filed, or a labor certification was submitted, used to determine an applicant's place in line for a visa category with limited annual numbers.See it in the glossary.
- U means unavailable. No immigrant visas are authorized for issuance in that category, for anyone, for that month.
- A date means only applicants whose priority date is earlier than the listed date may be acted on.
A category can move between all three from one month to the next. Movement backward is called RetrogressionWhen a Visa Bulletin cutoff date moves backward, usually because demand exceeded the numbers available for that category.See it in the glossary.
What the September bulletin warns
The Department of State states that categories may become unavailable before the end of the fiscal year if annual limits, category limits or pro-rated Per-country limitThe cap, set at 7 percent of the combined family and employment totals, on how many preference visas may go to natives of any single country in a fiscal year.See it in the glossary are reached. It names three areas of particular pressure: EB-1 India, EB-2 across all countries, and EB-5 Unreserved. EB-2 India is already listed as unavailable.
If a category goes unavailable in September, approvals in that category wait until new numbers become available in fiscal year 2027 on 1 October.
Why the dates advanced in the first place
The bulletin explains the mechanism plainly. Immigrant visa issuance rates for nationals of certain countries decreased in light of various administration actions, and the bulletin names Presidential proclamationA formal statement from the President addressed to the public. In immigration, proclamations are often issued under INA 212(f), which lets the President suspend or restrict the entry of noncitizens when the President finds their entry would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. The Supreme Court read that authority broadly in Trump v. Hawaii (2018), though courts have said it cannot override other parts of the INA.See it in the glossary 10949, Presidential Proclamation 10998 and Immigrant Visa Processing Updates. To make available numbers usable within the fiscal year, Dates for FilingThe Visa Bulletin chart showing the earliest priority dates for which applicants may submit documents, or in some months file for adjustment of status, ahead of a visa number being available.See it in the glossary and final action dates were advanced across various categories in recent months.
That is the same reason the dates can snap back. If demand materializes against advanced dates faster than expected, retrogression is the tool for keeping issuances within annual limits.
The diversity visa deadline is absolute
DV-2026 has a separate statutory fiscal-year limit. Spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-2026 principals are entitled to derivative status only until 30 September 2026. The bulletin states directly that DV visa availability through the very end of the fiscal year cannot be taken for granted, and that numbers could be exhausted before 30 September.
The DV-2026 annual limit itself is smaller than the headline 55,000. NACARA reduces it to 54,883, and section 5104 of the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act reduces it further to approximately 52,101.