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It's Official: The September 2026 Visa Bulletin Jumped Family Preference Dates by Years, Not Months
It's Official: The September 2026 Visa Bulletin Jumped Family Preference Dates by Years, Not Months
We wrote last month about what history suggested might happen once the final Visa Bulletin of fiscal year 2026 came out. The real numbers are bigger than the prediction. The September 2026 Visa Bulletin has been released, and family-sponsored final action dates did not inch forward — they jumped by years for some categories.
If you are a beneficiary of a family-sponsored petition and have been tracking your priority date, this bulletin is worth reading in detail, not skimming.
What Actually Moved
- F3 (married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) advanced roughly 29 months.
- F4 (siblings of U.S. citizens) advanced nearly 26 months.
- F1 (unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) advanced more than 13 months.
- F2A (spouses and unmarried children of green card holders) remained current for filing purposes, with final action dates advancing about one month across the board.
- For September, all family-sponsored applicants use the Dates for Filing chart, while employment-based categories are on the Final Action Dates chart this month — so which chart applies to your case depends on your category, not a single blanket rule.
This is the last Visa Bulletin of fiscal year 2026, and the movement reflects a fiscal year-end catch-up on a scale not seen in recent years.
Why This Happened
The State Department has attributed the surge to reduced immigrant visa issuance to nationals of certain countries under current administration policies affecting visa processing. In plain terms: fewer visas were actually issued earlier in the year than the annual limits allow, so the State Department moved dates forward sharply at fiscal year-end to use up the numbers available before the count resets in October.
That also means this jump is tied to unusual circumstances this year, not necessarily a new normal. October's bulletin, opening fiscal year 2027, can behave very differently.
What This Means If You Have a Pending Family Petition
- Check your priority date against the current chart for your category — the chart that applies (Dates for Filing vs. Final Action Dates) determines whether you can file now or only later.
- A newly current or newly reachable date can mean it's time to file Form I-485 or begin consular processing, but only if your documentation is actually ready to go.
- Because dates for filing were used for family categories this month, some beneficiaries may be eligible to submit their adjustment of status application even before a final decision can be issued — that is a real opportunity, but it requires acting inside the window this bulletin created.
- Movement this large can also retrogress later. A jump this size at fiscal year-end is sometimes followed by a pullback once the new fiscal year begins in October, so this is not necessarily a permanent gain.
Who Should Be Checking Their Case Right Now
- Anyone with a pending F1, F3, or F4 petition whose priority date was close to, but not yet current, before this bulletin.
- Family members who were told to "wait and check next month" a few months ago — for many, that month is now.
- Petitioners and beneficiaries who let their documentation go stale while waiting, since a suddenly current date is only useful if the underlying case is actually ready to move.
What to Do Before You File
- Confirm which chart applies to your category this month before assuming you are eligible to file — family and employment categories are not using the same chart in September.
- Get your evidence package current. Medical exams, financial documents, and civil records can expire during a long wait, and a newly current date does not fix stale evidence.
- Move quickly, but move correctly. A rushed filing submitted the moment a date turns current is not an improvement over a well-prepared filing submitted a few weeks later — and an incomplete filing carries real risk under current USCIS evidence standards.
Why Work With an Immigration Attorney Right Now
A jump of this size creates a real window, but only for families who are ready to act inside it. At Ragheb Immigration Law, we track the Visa Bulletin every month specifically so our clients are not caught flat-footed when a date moves — and so a filing submitted under a newly current date is a complete, well-prepared case rather than a rushed one.
Watching a Family-Sponsored Priority Date?
If you have a pending F1, F2A, F3, or F4 petition and are not sure whether September's bulletin changed your filing options, contact our office. We can review your priority date against the current charts and help you move the moment your case is actually ready.
Tags
- September 2026 Visa Bulletin
- Family Preference Categories
- Priority Dates
- Adjustment of Status
- F1 F3 F4 Visa Categories
- Tampa Immigration Lawyer