October Opens FY 2027: Read the New Visa Bulletin Before You File

A new fiscal year can move dates in both directions

The October 2026 Visa Bulletin opens fiscal year 2027. The Department of State says filing and final-action dates advanced across several categories as new annual visa numbers became available. It also warns that some employment categories for countries in the Rest-of-World column retrogressed to control demand within quarterly and annual limits.

Movement is not a judgment about an individual petition. It is numerical case management. A date may advance, pause, move backward or become unavailable later. Applicants should save the bulletin used for each decision instead of assuming October’s position will continue all year.

Know which of the two charts answers the question

The Final Action Dates chart controls when a visa number may be authorized for an otherwise approvable case. The Dates for Filing chart can permit earlier document submission to the National Visa Center and, only when USCIS says so for that month, may be used to determine when an adjustment applicant can file Form I-485.

The Visa Bulletin’s general instruction says adjustment applicants use Final Action Dates unless USCIS announces that a Dates for Filing chart may be used. Do not choose the more favorable chart yourself. Check the USCIS filing-charts page for the exact month immediately before filing.

Selected October dates for Nigeria and most countries

Nigeria generally uses the ‘All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed’ column because it is not one of the separately oversubscribed chargeability areas named in the bulletin. Chargeability commonly follows country of birth, not citizenship or residence, and exceptions can require legal analysis.

The selected dates below are examples, not a complete case calculation. A priority date must be earlier than the listed cut-off date. ‘C’ means current; it does not mean automatically approved.

A date alone is not permission to file or approval

First identify the preference category, chargeability area and priority date from the petition record. Then select the correct month and chart for the procedural step. A spouse or child may have derivative rules, and the Child Status Protection Act can add a separate age analysis that should not be reduced to a chart comparison.

For consular processing, wait for National Visa Center instructions before sending documents. For adjustment of status, confirm eligibility, the USCIS chart selection, current form edition, fee and filing location. Visa availability does not cure an unlawful entry, status violation, inadmissibility issue or missing underlying approval.

Religious-worker extension has a December limit

The bulletin says H.R. 6500 extended the employment fourth-preference Certain Religious Workers category through December 11, 2026. It uses the same October dates as other EB-4 cases for the applicable chargeability area. That statutory extension is time-limited and should not be described as permanent.

Anyone relying on the category should monitor Congress, the next bulletins and case-specific agency notices. A program extension does not by itself reserve a visa number or excuse a missed filing requirement.

Build a monthly visa-number worksheet

Keep one page showing the petition type, principal and derivative applicants, country of chargeability, priority date, monthly bulletin, selected chart and USCIS chart announcement. Attach a saved copy of the official bulletin and date every update. This makes later movement easier to explain and reduces the risk of comparing the wrong column.

This guide explains the October 2026 publication; it does not decide whether a reader may file or whether a visa will remain available. Recheck the official sources immediately before action and obtain legal advice for chargeability, age protection, eligibility or timing questions.

• Use the priority date printed on the controlling petition record.
• Use the column based on the correct chargeability rule.
• Use the chart authorized for the exact procedural step and month.
• Confirm that the priority date is earlier than—not equal to—the listed cut-off.
• Recheck the bulletin and USCIS page on filing day.

Official sources