The Department of State has published the Visa Bulletin for October 2026 (Volume XI, Number 19). This is the first bulletin of the new fiscal year 2027, which begins on October 1st, so the changes are primarily visible in employment-based categories. The bulletin announces them outright: with the new FY2027 visa numbers, dates in many categories have moved forward, but some employment-based categories for “Rest of World” countries have retrogressed. This is also important for Polish companies and employers who sponsor workers from abroad.
Employment-Based Categories: What Retrogressed
In the “All Chargeability Areas” column (which includes individuals born in Poland), the Final Action Dates for October are as follows: EB-1 — “current”; EB-2 — January 1, 2025; EB-3 — May 15, 2024; Other Workers — January 1, 2022; EB-5 (unreserved pool) — “current”.
By comparison, in the September bulletin, EB-2 had a “current” status, EB-3 was September 1, 2024, and Other Workers was April 1, 2022. This means EB-2 has returned to the date queue, and EB-3 and Other Workers have retrogressed by several months. Anyone with a priority date in EB-2 falling after January 1, 2025, can no longer count on a final decision this month.
In the Dates for Filing table for employment-based categories, the following apply: EB-1 — “current”; EB-2 — March 15, 2026; EB-3 — August 1, 2024; Other Workers — June 1, 2022; EB-5 unreserved — “current”. Which table can be used for a change of status application in the US is announced separately by USCIS on uscis.gov/visabulletininfo — the bulletin directs you precisely there, so it is worth checking before filing documents.
Family-Based Categories: Good news, F2A moves further forward
Families have better news in October. Final Action Dates for “All Chargeability Areas”: F1 — January 22, 2020; F2A — September 22, 2026; F2B — August 22, 2019; F3 — October 22, 2014; F4 — October 22, 2011. Compared to September, only F2A moved (from August 22, 2026 to September 22, 2026, which is one month), while other family-based categories remain unchanged.
In the filing table, the F2A category remains “current,” and the remaining dates are: F1 — February 1, 2020; F2B — September 1, 2019; F3 — November 1, 2014; F4 — November 1, 2011.
What this means for business owners and employers
If a company sponsors an employee in the EB-2 or EB-3 category, the October change may push back the time when the employee receives their green card. For the employer, this is a concrete operational risk: it is worth planning staffing so as not to assume in advance a timeline that the bulletin dates no longer guarantee. Practical steps for now:
- check the sponsored employee’s priority date and compare it with the Final Action Dates table for their category and country of birth;
- ask an immigration attorney whether USCIS is honoring the filing table or the final action table this month for change of status applications;
- check the validity of visas and work permits (e.g., H-1B, EAD) of employees waiting in line, so that a longer wait does not catch the company by surprise;
- follow subsequent bulletins — the Department of State usually publishes them around the middle of the month for the following month, and changes can go both ways.
This material is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Evaluating a specific case, priority date, and table selection requires consultation with a licensed immigration attorney.
Businesses and families wondering what the October bulletin means for their case can turn to Polish immigration lawyers from the Polish Pages directory. We wrote about previous months in the article about the Visa Bulletin for September 2026.
