October 2026 Visa Bulletin & Processing Times
Green card priority dates, USCIS processing times, visa appointment waits and NVC and Guangzhou progress. Data from the State Department and USCIS, updated monthly.
October 2026 at a glance
- Visa Bulletin (China): F2A up 1 month to 2026-09-22, EB-2 up 1 month to 2021-10-01, EB-3 up 7 days to 2022-01-08, EB-3 EW up 5 months to 2019-10-01; other categories unchanged.
- For I-485s filed in October 2026, USCIS says family cases use the Dates for Filing chart and employment cases use the Dates for Filing chart.
- The new public charge rule and the 09/18/26 edition of Form I-485 took effect on 18 Sep 2026 with no grace period; older editions are rejected. Source
- Immigrant visa interviews have been paused worldwide since about 25 Aug, with no official resumption date yet (see NVC and Guangzhou below). →
- EAD renewals filed on or after 30 Oct 2025 no longer get the up-to-540-day automatic extension; you can file up to 180 days before expiry, so file early. Source
Policy tracker: of 12 policies, 5 are in effect, 3 are paused and 2 are proposals
| Policy | Status | When | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| New public charge rule and new I-485 | In effect | Effective 2026-09-18 | Only the 09/18/26 edition of Form I-485 is accepted, with no grace period; older editions are rejected. Scrutiny of benefits use and finances is stricter. |
| New I-864 affidavit of support | In effect | From 2026-10-01 | Only the 08/24/26 edition is accepted; it includes consent to a credit check. |
| EVUS fee rises to $31.75 | In effect | From 2026-10-16 | The fee for each EVUS enrollment by holders of Chinese passports with 10-year B visas. |
| No more automatic EAD extensions | In effect | From 2025-10-30 | Renewals filed on or after this date get no 540-day automatic extension; the final rule was published 2026-10-14. File up to 180 days before expiry. |
| Wage-weighted H-1B lottery | In effect | Effective 2026-02-27 | Used since the FY2027 registration (March 2026); higher wage levels have better odds. |
| Immigrant visa interviews paused worldwide | Paused | Since about 2026-08-25 | The State Department told reporters it is training officers on public charge screening; no written notice or resumption date. Guangzhou is affected. |
| $100,000 H-1B payment | Blocked by court | Paused under a court order | A court vacated the implementing guidance on 2026-06-08, so it is not being collected; the proclamation now runs to 2027-09-21 and USCIS plans to collect if the order is lifted. It applies only to new petitions for people outside the U.S. |
| Fixed admission periods for F-1 (ending D/S) | Blocked by court | Stayed by a court 2026-09-14 | Was to take effect 2026-09-15 but was stayed; the government has appealed. D/S and the 60-day grace period still apply. |
| Proposed OPT fees | Proposed | Proposed 2026-10-08; comments until 11-09 | $70,000 per student for initial OPT and $30,000 for STEM OPT, paid by schools. Proposal only; not in effect. |
| Proposed N-400 fee increase | Proposed | Proposed 2026-06-23 | Would raise the fee to $1,330 on paper or $1,280 online and end fee reductions and waivers; no final rule yet, so $760/$710 still applies. |
| $250 visa integrity fee | Not yet | In law, not yet collected | Due when a nonimmigrant visa is issued and refundable after compliance; not yet on the State Department's fee page. |
| DV-2027 lottery registration | Postponed | Postponed 2025-11-05 | No new dates yet. Official registration is free; anyone promising selection for a fee is a scam. |
Visa Bulletin (China): F2A, EB-2, EB-3, EB-3 EW moved ahead
The October 2026 Visa Bulletin. If your priority date is earlier than the date shown, your turn has come. Final Action Dates decide when a green card or visa can be issued; Dates for Filing decide when you can file your I-485 or send documents to NVC.
For I-485s filed in October 2026, USCIS says family cases use the Dates for Filing chart and employment cases use the Dates for Filing chart.
| Category | Final Action | Dates for Filing | vs last month | All countries (Final Action) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family-sponsored | ||||
| F1 | 2020-01-22 | 2020-02-01 | No change | 2020-01-22 |
| F2A | 2026-09-22 | Current | ▲ Up 1 month | 2026-09-22 |
| F2B | 2019-08-22 | 2019-09-01 | No change | 2019-08-22 |
| F3 | 2014-10-22 | 2014-11-01 | No change | 2014-10-22 |
| F4 | 2011-10-22 | 2011-11-01 | No change | 2011-10-22 |
| Employment-based | ||||
| EB-1 | 2023-07-01 | 2024-07-01 | No change | Current |
| EB-2 | 2021-10-01 | 2023-01-01 | ▲ Up 1 month | 2025-01-01 |
| EB-3 | 2022-01-08 | 2024-04-01 | ▲ Up 7 days | 2024-05-15 |
| EB-3 EW | 2019-10-01 | 2020-10-01 | ▲ Up 5 months | 2022-01-01 |
| EB-4 | 2022-12-15 | 2025-01-01 | No change | 2022-12-15 |
| EB-5 | 2016-12-01 | 2021-03-01 | No change | Current |
| EB-5 set-aside | Current | Current | No change | Current |
The last 13 months
Show all data
Real experiences
October is a window: EB-3 Dates for Filing jumped more than two years, and many are rushing to file I-485s
China EB-3 Dates for Filing jumped from 8 Jan 2022 to 1 Apr 2024, and USCIS accepts I-485s by Dates for Filing this month. Forum users widely note that USCIS often opens the Dates for Filing chart early in a fiscal year and may switch back to Final Action Dates later. People who have been through it say: prepare your documents in advance and file as soon as the window opens.
Forum: Employment-based →Big jumps are often followed by stalls; don’t extrapolate from one month
People recall the big 2021 advance: many predicted green cards within a few years, and then dates stalled for years. The forum consensus is not to project future speed from a single big jump, and to plan around the long-term trend of Final Action Dates.
Forum: Visa Bulletin & timelines →Consular processing: NVC documents follow Dates for Filing, interviews follow Final Action Dates
One of the most-asked forum questions. Once Dates for Filing is current you can pay fees and submit documents to NVC; once Final Action Dates is current you still wait in Guangzhou’s interview queue. If you are adjusting status in the U.S., check each month which chart USCIS uses: many people saw Dates for Filing and assumed they could file, when USCIS had picked Final Action Dates that month.
Forum: Family-based →F3 and F4 waits run over a decade, so children can age out
Married sons and daughters (F3) and siblings (F4) wait in terms of decades, and in many families the beneficiary’s children grow up while waiting. If a child is close to 21, learn early how the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) calculates age.
Forum: Family-based →USCIS processing times: some I-140s take just 3 to 4 months, while I-751 and EB-5 take nearly 3 years
USCIS publishes the time within which 80% of cases were completed over the past six months, so half of cases usually finish sooner. Look up the form, category and office on your receipt notice (I-797).
Family-based
| Form | Category | Time |
|---|---|---|
| I-130 | Citizen for spouse, parent or child under 21 (immediate relative) | |
| I-130 | Citizen for unmarried son or daughter 21+ (F1) | |
| I-130 | Permanent resident for unmarried son or daughter 21+ (F2B) | |
| I-130 | Permanent resident for spouse or child (F2A); citizen for married child (F3) or sibling (F4) | |
| I-129F | Fiancé(e) (K-1) | |
| I-751 | Remove conditions on a 2-year green card |
Employment-based
| Form | Category | Time |
|---|---|---|
| I-140 | EB-1A extraordinary ability | |
| I-140 | EB-1B outstanding professor or researcher | |
| I-140 | EB-1C multinational manager | |
| I-140 | EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) | |
| I-140 | EB-2 advanced degree (with PERM) | |
| I-140 | EB-3 professional or skilled worker | |
| I-140 | EB-3 other worker (EW) | |
| I-485 | Employment-based adjustment (EB-1/2/3, all field offices) | |
| I-526E | EB-5 regional center investor (only once the linked I-956F is decided) |
Work permits and travel documents
| Form | Category | Time |
|---|---|---|
| I-765 | Work permit: pending I-485 (c)(9) | |
| I-765 | Work permit: F-1 OPT (c)(3) | |
| I-765 | Work permit: H-4 spouse (c)(26) | |
| I-131 | Re-entry permit or refugee travel document | |
| I-131 | Advance parole (to travel while an I-485 is pending) |
Other
| Form | Category | Time |
|---|---|---|
| I-90 | Replace a green card or initial issuance | |
| I-90 | Renew a 10-year green card | |
| I-539 | Extend or change status (B-1/B-2) | |
| I-539 | Change to F, M or J status | |
| I-539 | Extend or change H dependent status (e.g. H-4) |
By field office: naturalization takes 10–16 months (New York City fastest); family I-485 takes 13–36 months (Seattle slowest)
Field offices interview and decide naturalization and family-based I-485 cases, and they vary a lot. Here are 18 offices with large Chinese communities, fastest first.
Naturalization N-400
Family-based I-485
Real experiences
N-400: posted times are still growing; interview to oath takes weeks to over three months
- In September, posted times at many offices grew by another half month to a month.
- Many who filed in January to March 2026 (including in the Los Angeles area) still have no interview.
- Interview to oath ranges from the same day to more than three months; one applicant approved on the spot was told to expect an oath within two to three weeks and was still waiting after 70+ days.
- Applications filed on or after 20 Oct 2025 take the 2025 civics test (up to 20 of 128 questions; 12 correct to pass).
I-485: field offices vary widely, and party or Youth League history comes up often
- After transfer to a field office, some see no movement for 9+ months while others are approved in 11 to 12 months, a few without an interview.
- A common sticking point for Chinese applicants is past Communist Party or Communist Youth League membership: many get RFEs and a few get a notice of intent to deny, usually focused on whether membership ended at least 5 years ago. Answer truthfully, and talk to a lawyer before filing if this applies to you.
Removing conditions (I-751): 7 months at best, nearly 3 years at worst
Fast cases are approved in 7 to 8 months, slow ones take close to 3 years. Many are combined with the N-400 interview and approved together.
Forum: Marriage & K-1 →Processing times are a guide: cases filed the same month can move very differently
USCIS service centers shift work between locations, so I-130s and I-140s filed around the same time may be approved in a few months or still be pending past the posted time. Once your case passes the posted time and its case inquiry date, you can submit an inquiry on the USCIS website.
Forum: Visa Bulletin & timelines →Visa appointments (B-1/B-2): Shenyang and Hong Kong fastest, Beijing slowest at 4.5 months
Months until the next available interview. Updated by the State Department on 2026-09-17; slots change daily as people cancel and earlier dates open up.
| Post | B-1/B-2 visitor | F/M/J student/exchange | H/L/O work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | 4.5 months~Feb 2027 | 5.5 months~Mar 2027 | 6 months~Mar 2027 |
| Shanghai | 3.5 months~Jan 2027 | 1 months~Oct 2026 | 3.5 months~Jan 2027 |
| Guangzhou | 2 months~Nov 2026 | 2.5 months~Dec 2026 | 2.5 months~Dec 2026 |
| Shenyang | Under 2 weeks | Under 2 weeks | 1 months~Oct 2026 |
| Wuhan | 2 months~Nov 2026 | 2.5 months~Dec 2026 | 4.5 months~Feb 2027 |
| Hong Kong | Under 2 weeks | Under 2 weeks | Under 2 weeks |
Real experiences
Beijing B-1/B-2 slots are scarce, often later than the official estimate
Screenshots shared in mid-October show the earliest Beijing B-1/B-2 slots around March 2027, later than the official wait; Shanghai and Shenyang sometimes show no slots at all. F-1 appointments in Shanghai are relatively quick.
Forum: B-1/B-2 visitor →STEM students and workers often face 221(g) administrative processing
A crowd-sourced sample of F-1 cases shows a median of about 63 days, with nearly half still waiting and few clearances reported since 7 August; most cases involve STEM or biology fields and posts in mainland China. Law firms say most cases clear in 1 to 3 months and a few take six months or more, with no fixed timeline. Leave room in your travel plans.
Forum: 221(g) processing →NVC and Guangzhou: NVC document review takes about 10 weeks; Guangzhou immigrant visa interviews are paused
After an I-130 or I-140 is approved, the case moves to the State Department’s National Visa Center (NVC): pay fees, submit documents, and once documentarily qualified (DQ), wait for an interview. Immigrant visas for mainland China are all handled in Guangzhou.
Immigrant visa interviews at U.S. embassies and consulates have been paused since about 25 Aug 2026 (the State Department told reporters it is training officers on public charge screening). As of 15 Oct, neither the State Department nor the Guangzhou consulate has announced a resumption date. Scheduled interviews may be canceled or moved, so the official scheduling data below may be off for now. Source
Guangzhou: about 6 months for immediate relatives, 19 for family preference, 38 for employment
Real experiences
Guangzhou immigrant visas: steady for immediate relatives, slowing for family preference
A law firm tracking the official data monthly reports that immediate relatives (IR/CR) have consistently waited 5 to 6 months from DQ to interview scheduling; family preference is around 18 to 19 months and slowing; employment cases are around 37 to 38 months, and both swing widely. Since late August interviews have been paused, and some booked interviews were canceled or moved.
Forum: Family-based →