November 2026 Visa Bulletin: India EB-2 Stuck at 2013, Rest of World Reaches 2025

The U.S. Department of State has released the November 2026 Visa Bulletin, the second bulletin of fiscal year 2027. The headline is a split screen: India's EB-2 final action date is frozen at November 1, 2013 for a second straight month, while the rest of the world's EB-2 date jumped three months to April 1, 2025. India's EB-3 date moved forward by three weeks, to January 22, 2014. And for filing purposes, USCIS confirmed that employment-based applicants must use the Dates for Filing chart in November — which is good news for anyone whose priority date falls between the two charts.

Step 1: What the Visa Bulletin Actually Is

The Visa Bulletin is the U.S. Department of State's monthly schedule for immigrant visas. It answers one question: whose priority date is old enough that a green card number is available this month?

Every month, the State Department publishes two charts for each visa category. You need to know both, because they do different jobs.

• Final Action Dates (Chart A) — the date that controls when a green card can actually be approved and a visa number assigned. Your priority date must be earlier than this date.
• Dates for Filing (Chart B) — the date that controls when you may submit your adjustment-of-status application (Form I-485) early. USCIS decides each month whether applicants may use this chart instead of Chart A.

Two letters appear in the charts. "C" means Current: numbers are available to everyone, regardless of priority date. "U" means Unavailable: no visa numbers are authorized that month at all.

Your priority date is your place in line. For most employment-based cases, it is the date your PERM labor certification was filed with the Department of Labor. If no PERM was required (EB-1 and some EB-2 NIW cases), it is the date your I-140 petition was filed with USCIS. You will find it on your PERM receipt or your I-140 approval notice (Form I-797).

One more rule shapes everything in this article. U.S. immigration law caps each country at 7% of the annual employment-based total — 25,620 visas, per the bulletin itself. India has far more EB-2 and EB-3 applicants than 7% of the supply. That mismatch is the entire reason India's dates lag the rest of the world by years.

Step 2: November 2026 Final Action Dates — The Full Table

Here is the complete employment-based Final Action chart for November 2026, exactly as published by the State Department, with the change from October in the last column.

Mexico and the Philippines moved in step with the rest of the world for EB-2 (April 1, 2025). The Philippines' EB-3 date stayed at August 15, 2023.

Step 3: EB-2 India — Why November 1, 2013 Is Not Moving

India's EB-2 final action date has now sat at November 1, 2013 for two consecutive bulletins. That is not a typo, and it is not a delay in publishing. The date genuinely did not move.

Context matters here. India's EB-2 category was marked Unavailable (U) from July through September 2026, at the end of fiscal year 2026. When the new fiscal year began in October, the date re-opened at November 1, 2013. November simply holds that same line.

The mechanics are straightforward. Each month, the State Department hands out visa numbers in priority-date order, up to the per-country limit. When demand from India exceeds that limit — which it does by a wide margin — the cutoff can only advance as fast as old cases clear the queue. In a month where the queue barely cleared, the date stands still.

What does this mean in plain terms? If your EB-2 India priority date is after November 1, 2013, your green card cannot be approved yet — no matter how long you have already waited. If your date is before it, a visa number is available to you now.

How far behind is India, really? The November 2026 bulletin is about 13 years ahead of India's EB-2 cutoff. For comparison, China's EB-2 cutoff trails the bulletin by about 5 years, and the rest of the world's by about a year and seven months. That gap is the story of this bulletin.

Step 4: The Rest of the World Pulled Away

While India stood still, the rest of the world's EB-2 date advanced from January 1, 2025 to April 1, 2025 — a full three-month jump in a single bulletin. Mexico and the Philippines moved with it.

This is the normal pattern when a category is not oversubscribed for a country: dates move steadily, sometimes quickly, because there is no backlog pressing against the cap. The rest of the world's EB-2 date was only set as a cutoff in October 2026 (it had been Current until then). Two months later, it has already advanced to April 2025.

China's EB-2 date, by contrast, stayed at October 1, 2021 — unchanged from October. China is the only other country with an EB-2 backlog on anything like India's scale, and its date is also standing still this month.

Step 5: EB-3 Moved — A Little, Everywhere

EB-3 is where November brings actual movement for India. The skilled-worker/professional cutoff advanced 21 days, from January 1, 2014 to January 22, 2014.

The rest of the EB-3 picture:

• Rest of world EB-3: advanced one month, to June 15, 2024.
• China EB-3: advanced 14 days, to January 22, 2022.
• EB-3 Other Workers, rest of world: advanced five months, to June 1, 2022 — the biggest jump in the bulletin.
• EB-3 Other Workers, India: advanced 21 days, to January 22, 2014 — the same date as India's regular EB-3.
• Philippines EB-3: unchanged at August 15, 2023.

Twenty-one days is modest. But for applicants whose priority dates fall between January 1 and January 22, 2014, it is the difference between waiting and moving forward this month.

Step 6: Which Chart Do You Use to File in November?

This is the part most people get wrong, so read it carefully. There are two different questions, and November gives them two different answers.

Question 1: Can I file my I-485 application? For November 2026, USCIS has directed employment-based applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart. That chart is more generous than the Final Action chart.

Question 2: Can my green card be approved? That still depends on the Final Action chart — the first table in this article.

Here is the worked example that makes the distinction concrete. Take an EB-2 India applicant with a priority date of December 2014:

• Filing: December 2014 is earlier than the Dates for Filing cutoff (January 15, 2015), so this applicant can file their I-485 in November — and filing can unlock an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and advance parole while they wait.
• Approval: December 2014 is later than the Final Action cutoff (November 1, 2013), so the green card itself cannot be approved yet. Approval waits until the Final Action date passes December 2014.

Filing early and being approved are two separate milestones. November lets a large group of applicants reach the first one, even though the second one is still years away for India EB-2.

Step 7: Find Your Priority Date and Check It in 4 Moves

If you are unsure where you stand, work through these four moves in order. Each one takes a minute.

1. Find your priority date. For EB-2 and EB-3, it is the date your PERM was filed with the Department of Labor — check your PERM receipt or your I-140 approval notice (Form I-797). For EB-1, it is your I-140 filing date.
2. Confirm your chargeability. The bulletin sorts you by country of birth, not citizenship. That is the column you read — India, China, or rest of world.
3. Compare against both charts. First the Dates for Filing chart (can you file?), then the Final Action chart (can you be approved?). There are only three outcomes: both current, filing only, or neither yet.
4. Use the tracker. Our Priority Date Tracker now carries the November 2026 data. Enter your category, country, and priority date for an instant answer — and it shows how your date has moved across recent bulletins.

Premium Processing Rule: What Is Actually Under Review

The second story inside this bulletin cycle is not a date at all. It is a rule. On October 13, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security sent a proposed rule titled "Amending the Premium Processing Timeframe" (RIN 1615-AD25) to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review.

Here is what is confirmed about it — and what is not:

• Status: pending OIRA review since October 13, 2026. The listing carries no legal deadline.
• Significance: it is not designated economically significant.
• Text: not public. Nobody outside the review process has seen the draft.
• Direction: unknown. It is not confirmed whether the deadlines would get longer, shorter, or simply be counted differently.

For context, premium processing is USCIS's paid fast track: employers and applicants pay an extra fee — $2,965 for most I-129 and I-140 filings since March 2026 — in exchange for guaranteed action within 15, 30, or 45 business days, depending on the form. H-1B employers use it heavily, because what they are buying is certainty: a decision, a request for evidence, or a refund within a fixed window.

The important part: nothing changes today. A rule entering OIRA review does not change any deadline. After review, the agency would publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register, take public comments, and only then finalize anything — a process measured in months, not days. Until a final rule takes effect, the current 15/30/45-day clocks stand.

H-1B Modernization Rule Still Waiting at OIRA

A second, larger rule is also sitting at OIRA: "Reforming the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program" (RIN 1615-AD00), pending since August 24, 2026 and designated economically significant.

Its text is likewise not public, so its contents cannot be reported yet — only its status. It is a proposed rule, not a final one, and it changes nothing on its own. When either rule's text is published, we will cover what it actually says rather than what it might say.

What to Watch Next

• December 2026 Visa Bulletin — expected in mid-November. The question to watch: does India EB-2 move at all, or does it hold at November 1, 2013 for a third month?
• OIRA decisions on both rules — if either rule clears review, its proposed text becomes public and the comment period opens.
• USCIS's monthly chart direction — each month, USCIS announces whether adjustment-of-status applicants use the Final Action chart or the Dates for Filing chart. November uses Dates for Filing; December could differ.

November 2026 Visa Bulletin: Frequently Asked Questions

Short answers to the questions readers ask most about this bulletin. Longer explanations are in the sections above.

What is India EB-2's final action date in the November 2026 Visa Bulletin?

November 1, 2013 — unchanged from October 2026, the second straight month with no movement. Only EB-2 India applicants with a priority date earlier than November 1, 2013 can have their green card approved.

When will the EB-2 India date move forward?

No official source publishes a schedule. The date moves only as old cases clear the queue within India's 7% per-country cap. Watch the December 2026 bulletin (expected mid-November) for the next data point — any site claiming a specific future date is guessing.

What is the difference between Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing?

Final Action Dates control when a green card can actually be approved and a visa number assigned. Dates for Filing control when you may submit your I-485 adjustment-of-status application early — but only in months when USCIS says that chart may be used. In November 2026, USCIS directed employment-based applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart.

Which chart do I use to file my I-485 in November 2026?

The Dates for Filing chart. For example, an EB-2 India applicant with a priority date before January 15, 2015 can file their I-485 in November — even though approval still requires the Final Action Date (November 1, 2013) to pass their priority date.

My EB-2 India priority date is December 2014. What can I do in November 2026?

You can file your I-485, because December 2014 is earlier than the Dates for Filing cutoff of January 15, 2015. Filing can unlock an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and advance parole while you wait. Your green card cannot be approved until the Final Action Date passes December 2014.

Does the Visa Bulletin affect the H-1B lottery?

No. The Visa Bulletin governs immigrant visas (green cards). The H-1B lottery is a separate USCIS process for temporary work status. The bulletin matters once you are in the green card queue, not for lottery selection.

Will the premium processing rule change deadlines now?

No. The proposed rule "Amending the Premium Processing Timeframe" (RIN 1615-AD25) is only under OIRA review since October 13, 2026. Its text is not public and its direction is unknown. Current 15/30/45-business-day clocks stand until a final rule takes effect, which is months away at the earliest.

When will the December 2026 Visa Bulletin come out?

Visa Bulletins are typically released in the second week of the month for the following month, so expect the December 2026 bulletin in mid-November 2026. We will update this guide and the Priority Date Tracker when it lands.

Methodology & Sources

Every date in this article was taken from the U.S. Department of State's Visa Bulletin for November 2026 (Bulletin Number 20, Volume XI) and cross-checked against the bulletin's own tables. October-to-November movements were computed from the October 2026 bulletin's published cutoffs. The OIRA statuses for RIN 1615-AD25 and RIN 1615-AD00 are from the federal regulatory listing on reginfo.gov, as reported in the October 2026 coverage. USCIS's November chart direction (Dates for Filing for employment-based adjustment of status) is per USCIS's own announcement, as confirmed by multiple immigration law firms.

This article reports what the bulletin says. It does not predict future movement — no official source publishes a schedule for when India EB-2 will advance, and any site claiming a date is guessing.

Sources

• U.S. Department of State — Visa Bulletin for November 2026 — Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing, employment-based categories (official source, all dates in this article)
• USCIS — Adjustment of Status Filing Charts — which chart USCIS directs applicants to use each month (uscis.gov)
• Reginfo.gov — DHS/USCIS Agency Rule List — official regulatory listing, including RIN 1615-AD00 (Reforming the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program)
• OIRA regulatory listing for RIN 1615-AD25 — "Amending the Premium Processing Timeframe" (reginfo.gov): received October 13, 2026, pending review, not economically significant, no legal deadline
• VisaTalentUSA — Priority Date Tracker — November 2026 bulletin data, updated with this article

Published: October 24, 2026. We will update this guide when the December 2026 Visa Bulletin is released. Not legal advice — consult a qualified immigration attorney for your specific situation.