US Green Card relief for Indian families: Which categories moved in September 2026?
4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 23, 2026 05:56 PM IST
The US State Department has released the visa bulletin for September, which is the final update for fiscal year 2026. In a setback for employment-based Green Card applicants, the category has barely moved. But the bulletin’s headline is for family-sponsored Green Card applicants, whose category has moved, with some by more than two years.
The visa bulletin summarises the availability of immigrant numbers during September for “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” which implies when an immigrant visa applicant should be notified to assemble and submit required documents to the National Visa Centre, the State Department website stated.
Family-sponsored category witnessed real movement
The dates for the family-sponsored category for India moved considerably. The final action dates for the family-sponsored preference class under the F1 category have moved to January 22, 2020, from December 15, 2018. F1 is for unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens. The F2A category, meant for spouses and minor children of permanent residents, also moved by about a month.
The timeline mentioned is a cut-off date that signifies when an immigrant visa number is finally available so that a Green Card can be approved or issued. Notably, if an applicant’s priority date is earlier than the final action date listed in the monthly visa bulletin released by the US State Department for the specific country and category, it indicates that a visa number is available, reports stated.
| Family Sponsored | August visa bulletin for India | September visa bulletin for India |
| F1 (Unmarried Sons and Daughters of US citizens) | 15 December, 2018 | 22 January, 2020 |
| F2A (Spouses and Children of permanent residents) | 22 July, 2026 | 22 August, 2026 |
| F2B (Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older) of permanent residents) | 01 January, 2018 | 22 August, 2019 |
| F3 (Married Sons and Daughters of US citizens) | 15 May, 2012 | 22 October, 2014 |
| F4 (Brothers and Sisters of Adult US citizens) | 01 November, 2006 | 01 November, 2006 |
State Department issues warning for Employment-Based (EB) visa
EB-1 (India): In the August visa bulletin, the US State Department issued warnings for the EB-1 and EB-2 visa categories, stating that high demand and the number used by applicants chargeable to India may make the category unavailable in the coming weeks if India’s pro-rated limit in the EB-1 category is reached before the fiscal year ends. The department has reiterated the caution, adding that the situation will be monitored continuously.
EB-2 and EB-5: The State Department has said in its September bulletin that EB-2 and EB-5 visas may also see retrogression in the final action date, or the category may become “unavailable before the end of the fiscal year to hold number use within the maximum allowed under the FY 2026 annual limit.”
Final action dates for Employment-Based visa category
| Employment Based (EB) | August visa bulletin | September visa bulletin |
| EB-1 (Priority Workers) | 15 October, 2022 | 15 October, 2022 |
| EB-2 (Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability) | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| EB-3 (Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Other Workers) | 01 January, 2014 | 01 January, 2014 |
| EB-4 (Certain Special Immigrants) | 15 October, 2022 | 15 December, 2022 |
| EB-5 (Employment Creation) | Unavailable | Unavailable |
“The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024, signed into law on December 22, 2023, may affect certain current and former employees of the US Government abroad, as well as certain surviving spouses and children of deceased employees of the US government abroad, applying for SIVs or adjustment of status, as described in section 101(a)(27)(D) of the INA,” the State Department said for US government’s Employee Special Immigrant Visas.
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