The October 2026 Visa Bulletin: A New Fiscal Year, Some Dates Moved Backward

A new fiscal year brings a fresh pool of visa numbers — but a fresh pool isn't the same as enough numbers to satisfy every pending case. This October is a clear example of that distinction playing out in the actual chart.

The Department of State Said It Plainly

The October 2026 bulletin states outright: "With the availability of FY 2027 immigrant visa numbers, dates for filing and final action dates have advanced across various immigrant visa categories. However, some employment-based visa categories for 'Rest of World' countries have retrogressed, and these retrogressions are necessary to keep visa issuances within FY 2027 quarterly and annual limits." That's not a guess or a pattern we're inferring — it's the Department's own explanation, printed directly in the bulletin.

"Rest of World" is the category covering applicants not separately listed by country — which includes Bangladesh. If you're chargeable to Bangladesh and file under the "All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed" column, this retrogression note applies directly to your case category, not just to China, India, Mexico, or the Philippines.

Family-Sponsored Final Action Dates — October 2026

Employment-Based Final Action Dates — October 2026

EB-2 for "All Other Areas" — the category most Bangladeshi EB-2 NIW applicants fall under — sits at January 1, 2025. Compare that to the "Current" status All Other Areas has held in other recent months, and the retrogression the Department describes becomes concrete rather than abstract.

Two Other Things Worth Knowing This Month

• The Employment Fourth Preference Religious Workers (SR) category was extended. H.R. 6500, signed September 2, 2026, extends this category through December 11, 2026, on the same dates as the rest of Employment Fourth Preference.
• Per-country limits remain fixed by statute. The per-country preference limit is 7% of the combined annual family-sponsored and employment-based limit — 25,620 — with a 2% dependent-area limit of 7,320. China-mainland born, India, Mexico, and Philippines remain the oversubscribed chargeability areas this month.

What to Do If Your Category Retrogressed

• Don't treat a retrogressed date as a denial or a closed door. It's a timing mechanism tied to annual numerical limits, not a judgment on your case.
• If you're not yet current, use this time to prepare. Keep your supporting documentation organized and current, so that when your date advances, you're ready to file immediately rather than starting preparation from zero.
• If you were expecting to file and your category retrogressed before you could, confirm your exact priority date and category against this bulletin, and watch subsequent months closely — retrogression in a fixed-limit system is often temporary.
• If you're unsure whether "Dates for Filing" or "Final Action Dates" applies to your filing, check the USCIS website, which designates which chart governs adjustment of status filings each month.