{"id":24207,"date":"2026-09-04T13:14:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T07:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/?p=24207"},"modified":"2026-09-04T13:14:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T07:44:12","slug":"september-2026-visa-bulletin-green-card-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/september-2026-visa-bulletin-green-card-updates\/","title":{"rendered":"September 2026 Visa Bulletin: Indian Green Card Applicants See Major Progress"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"September
Source: ChatGPT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Indian families waiting for U.S. green cards received positive news as the September 2026 Visa Bulletin announced major movement in several family-based categories. These updates may help more applicants move closer to U.S. permanent residency. However, the EB-1 India category remained unchanged, leaving many highly skilled Indian applicants waiting for future movement. New annual visa numbers will become available when the new fiscal year begins on October 1, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Is the U.S. Visa Bulletin?<\/b><\/h2>\n

The U.S. Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin every month to provide updates on immigrant visa availability. It helps applicants understand when they may proceed based on their visa category, country of birth, and priority date. A green card applicant can usually continue the final stages of the process when their priority date becomes earlier than the listed cutoff date. The bulletin includes both family-sponsored and employment-based green card categories.<\/span><\/p>\n

The final action date shows when an applicant\u2019s priority date becomes current and when they may proceed with the final stages of the green card process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Family-Based Green Card Categories See Major Progress in September 2026<\/b><\/h3>\n

Several family-sponsored categories experienced significant advancement in the September Visa Bulletin. These changes may benefit Indian applicants who have been waiting for years due to long family-based immigration backlogs.<\/span><\/p>\n

F-1 Category Advances for Unmarried Adult Children of U.S. Citizens<\/b><\/p>\n

The F-1 family-based category is for unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens who are at least 21 years old. For India and China, the final action date moved forward from December 15, 2018, to January 22, 2020. This represents an advancement of more than 13 months, allowing more applicants with older priority dates to move closer to green card approval.<\/span><\/p>\n

F-2B Category Moves Forward for Adult Children of Green Card Holders<\/b><\/p>\n

The F-2B category is for unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. permanent residents who are seeking family-sponsored green cards. The final action date advanced from January 1, 2018, to August 22, 2019. This nearly 20-month movement provides relief for families who have been waiting for their green card applications to move forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

F-3 Category Sees Significant Movement<\/b><\/p>\n

The F-3 category includes married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens who qualify for family-sponsored immigration. The September Visa Bulletin moved the final action date from May 15, 2012, to October 22, 2014. This nearly 29-month advancement represents one of the biggest movements among family-sponsored categories.<\/span><\/p>\n

F-2A Category Moves Slightly Forward<\/b><\/p>\n

The F-2A category includes spouses and unmarried children under 21 of U.S. green card holders. The final action date advanced from July 22, 2026, to August 22, 2026. Although the movement was smaller compared with other family categories, it still provides progress for eligible applicants.<\/span><\/p>\n

EB-1 India Green Card Category Remains Unchanged<\/b><\/p>\n

The EB-1 employment-based category includes:<\/span><\/p>\n