October marks the beginning of the US federal fiscal year. The reset may restore the availability of visas.
The September bulletin has left the EB-2 category unavailable for the rest of the fiscal year. The Department of State (DoS) stopped issuing EB-2 visas earlier this year in March.
The October bulletin is predicted to return the Final Action Date for Indian EB-2 and EB-3 visas back to July 2014. India had about 9,300 EB-2 visas in 2026, which is triple the allowance granted.
The October reset will likely restore EB visa availability. EB-1 visas may move forward to April 2023 from October 2022.
Applicant’s whose Date of Filing is before January 15, 2015 can file for Adjustment of Status (I-485). This will grant employment authorisation and Advance Parole.
The October reset will restore hopes of receiving a visa, but does not give immediate approval. The backlog includes over 11,00,000 Indian applicants who have been waiting for decades.
This makes the EB visa category a generational waiting game. While the fresh availability of EB-2 visas is a blessing, applicants may still have to wait for years.
The October Bulletin is expected in the second week of September.
