Visa Bulletin September 2026Priority Dates and Monthly Movement

In the tables, each cell shows the September 2026 date, followed by the change from the August 2026 bulletin. Movement is rounded to the nearest month (days are shown for moves of less than four weeks). Dates use the bulletin format: 22JAN20 means January 22, 2020.

Each month USCIS decides which chart applicants inside the United States must use to file Form I-485. For September 2026, USCIS states:

USCIS also explains that if a category is current on the Final Action Dates chart, or its final action date is later than its date for filing, applicants in that category may file using the Final Action Dates chart that month. Consular applicants abroad follow the Department of State and National Visa Center instructions.

F1: unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) of U.S. citizens. F2A: spouses and children (under 21) of permanent residents. F2B: unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) of permanent residents. F3: married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. F4: brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens. For September, the bulletin also notes that F2A numbers exempt from the per-country limit are available to applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than 22AUG25.

Family-sponsored applicants filing Form I-485 with USCIS this month use this chart. Employment-based dates for filing did not change from August.

The bulletin has two charts for each group of categories. The Final Action Dates chart controls when a visa number can actually be used: when your priority date is earlier than the date shown, a consulate can issue the immigrant visa or USCIS can approve the green card. The Dates for Filing chart is usually further ahead. It tells applicants when they can begin the process, such as sending documents to the National Visa Center, and when USCIS says so, filing an adjustment of status application early so that work permits and travel documents can be requested while the case waits.

Your priority date is your place in line. You can find it on Form I-797, Notice of Action, for the petition filed for you. According to USCIS:

To check your place in line, find your category row, then the column for your country of chargeability. If your priority date is earlier than the date shown, a visa is available to you under that chart.

Each immigrant is counted against the limit of a country, called the country of chargeability. Under the State Department chargeability rules (22 CFR 42.12), this is normally the country of birth, not citizenship or residence. China (mainland born), India, Mexico and the Philippines have their own columns because demand from those countries exceeds the per-country limit. The rules include exceptions that keep families together, known as cross-chargeability: a spouse may be charged to the other spouse’s country, and a child may be charged to a parent’s country, when they are accompanying or following to join. A person born in the United States is charged to the country of citizenship. These exceptions can make a real difference in waiting time, so ask us to check them for your family.

Because the fiscal year ends on September 30, these warnings matter most for anyone whose case is close to approval. If your date is current this month, talk to your attorney about timing right away.

We track the bulletin every month for our clients. We can confirm your category and chargeability, identify which chart applies to you, prepare Form I-485 and related applications as soon as your date allows, and plan around a possible retrogression. Existing clients can upload documents and see updates in our client portal. For a review of your own case, contact us.

Source: Visa Bulletin for September 2026 (compared with the Visa Bulletin for August 2026), U.S. Department of State. USCIS chart guidance: uscis.gov/visabulletininfo. Priority date rules: USCIS, Visa Availability and Priority Dates.

Data from the September 2026 Visa Bulletin, U.S. Department of State, retrieved September 26, 2026.