# USCIS Opens Dates for Filing Chart for October 2026 Employment-Based Green Card Applications > USCIS will accept employment-based I-485s in October 2026 under the Dates for Filing chart. EB-2 Rest of World applicants with priority dates before March 15, 2026 can file, even though final action retrogressed to January 1, 2025. Canonical URL: https://thevisapulse.com/updates/uscis-dates-for-filing-chart-october-2026-employment-based ## At a glance - **Policy status:** Status unverified - **Last verified:** Not recorded - **Human review:** No human review recorded - **Published:** 2026-09-29 - **Effective:** 2026-10-01 - **Impact:** high - **Document type:** Notice - **Source agency:** USCIS - **Document number:** uscis-aos-filing-chart-october-2026 - **Visa types:** EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, H-1B Publication dates and impact ratings do not establish whether a policy is in force. Verify current status against the linked government evidence. See /about for our editorial process. ## Who is affected - Employment-based green card applicants in the U.S. who have not yet filed Form I-485 - EB-2 Rest of World applicants with priority dates from January 1, 2025 to March 14, 2026 - EB-3 applicants born in mainland China with priority dates before April 1, 2024 - H-1B workers with an approved or pending I-140 ## Key changes - USCIS designates the Dates for Filing chart for employment-based I-485 filings in October 2026, after requiring Final Action Dates in September - EB-2 Rest of World, Mexico and Philippines applicants can file with priority dates before 15MAR26 - EB-3 Rest of World and Mexico applicants can file with priority dates before 01AUG24 - Approval still requires a priority date earlier than the Final Action Date ## What you should do Compare your priority date with the October 2026 Dates for Filing chart for your category and country. If it is earlier and you have not filed, ask your employer's immigration attorney about filing Form I-485, with Forms I-765 and I-131 if needed, before October 31, 2026. USCIS will accept employment-based green card applications (Form I-485) in October 2026 based on the Dates for Filing chart of the October Visa Bulletin, not the stricter Final Action Dates chart it required in September. Because the Dates for Filing chart runs well ahead of final action dates in most categories, many applicants who could not file last month can file now. The timing matters. The same bulletin retrogressed EB-2 and EB-3 for Rest of World. Under the Final Action chart, an EB-2 Rest of World applicant would need a priority date before January 1, 2025. Under the chart USCIS chose, the cutoff is March 15, 2026. ## At a Glance - **What:** USCIS designated the Dates for Filing chart for employment-based adjustment of status filings in October 2026. - **Who:** Employment-based applicants inside the U.S. with an approved or concurrently filed I-140. - **When:** Filings received October 1 to 31, 2026. - **The catch:** Filing is not approval. USCIS can only approve an I-485 when the priority date is earlier than the Final Action Date. ## Who Can File in October File if your priority date is earlier than the date for your category and country of chargeability: - **EB-1:** current for Rest of World, Mexico and the Philippines; July 1, 2024 for India and China - **EB-2:** March 15, 2026 for Rest of World, Mexico and the Philippines; January 1, 2023 for China; January 15, 2015 for India - **EB-3:** August 1, 2024 for Rest of World and Mexico; January 1, 2024 for the Philippines; April 1, 2024 for China; January 15, 2015 for India - **Other Workers:** June 1, 2022 for Rest of World, Mexico and the Philippines; October 1, 2020 for China; January 15, 2015 for India - **EB-4:** January 1, 2025 for all countries These dates come from the Dates for Filing chart in the [October 2026 Visa Bulletin](/updates/october-2026-visa-bulletin-eb2-eb3-rest-of-world-retrogress). ## What This Means **EB-2 Rest of World applicants with priority dates from January 1, 2025 to March 14, 2026** are the clearest winners. The retrogression means their cases cannot be approved in October, but they can get the I-485 on file, which lets them apply for a work permit and travel document while it is pending. **China EB-3 applicants** see the largest jump: the filing cutoff moves from January 8, 2022 in September to April 1, 2024. **India EB-2 and EB-3 applicants** gain nothing new this month. The filing date stays at January 15, 2015. USCIS sets the chart month by month. The November choice could be different, so a filing window open in October is not guaranteed to stay open. ## What You Should Do 1. Compare your priority date on your I-140 approval notice with the Dates for Filing chart above. 2. If you qualify and have not filed, talk to your employer's immigration attorney about filing in October rather than waiting. 3. If you plan to file, include Form I-765 and Form I-131 with the I-485 if you want a work permit and travel document while the case is pending. 4. Confirm the designation on USCIS's adjustment of status filing charts page before submitting. ## Sources - Government source · uscis.gov: https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-processes-and-procedures/visa-availability-priority-dates/adjustment-of-status-filing-charts-from-the-visa-bulletin --- _The Visa Pulse — Immigration Policy, Explained. Informational coverage of U.S. immigration policy, not legal advice._ - HTML version: https://thevisapulse.com/updates/uscis-dates-for-filing-chart-october-2026-employment-based - Markdown version: https://thevisapulse.com/updates/uscis-dates-for-filing-chart-october-2026-employment-based.md - Agent instructions: https://thevisapulse.com/llms.txt - Sitemap: https://thevisapulse.com/sitemap.xml