October 2026 U.S. Visa Bulletin: EB-3 Other Workers Retrogresses to January 1, 2022
The U.S. Department of State has released the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, the first bulletin of the new Fiscal Year 2027 (FY2027).
The bulletin brings mixed movement across employment-based immigrant visa categories. For applicants in the EB-3 Other Workers category, however, the key development is a significant retrogression.
The Final Action Date for EB-3 Other Workers under “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed” has moved backward from April 1, 2022 to January 1, 2022.
EB-3 Other Workers: October 2026
Final Action Date: January 1, 2022
Previous Final Action Date: April 1, 2022
🔴 Movement: 3-month retrogression
The Date for Filing has also moved backward:
October 2026: June 1, 2022
Previous: August 1, 2022
🔴 Movement: 2-month retrogression
Pakistan falls under the “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed” column, meaning these dates apply to Pakistani applicants as well.
October 2026 Employment-Based Visa Bulletin: Overall Picture
For All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, the October 2026 Final Action Dates include:
Employment Category | October 2026 Final Action Date |
|---|---|
EB-1 | Current |
EB-2 | January 1, 2025 |
EB-3 Skilled Workers & Professionals | May 15, 2024 |
EB-3 Other Workers | January 1, 2022 |
EB-4 | December 15, 2022 |
EB-5 Unreserved | Current |
The Department of State explains that retrogression in certain Rest of World employment-based categories is necessary to keep visa issuance within the quarterly and annual numerical limits for FY2027.
EB-3 Other Workers: What Exactly Changed?
The change becomes much easier to understand when September and October are compared directly.
EB-3 Other Workers | September 2026 | October 2026 | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|
Final Action Date | Apr. 1, 2022 | Jan. 1, 2022 | 🔴 Back 3 months |
Date for Filing | Aug. 1, 2022 | Jun. 1, 2022 | 🔴 Back 2 months |
The most important number for applicants approaching final immigrant visa issuance is the Final Action Date.
In September, that date was April 1, 2022.
For October, it has moved back to January 1, 2022.
What Does “Retrogression” Mean?
Retrogression simply means that a Visa Bulletin cutoff date has moved backward instead of forward.
The U.S. government limits the number of immigrant visas that can be issued each fiscal year in different employment-based categories.
When demand for available visas is higher than the number that can be issued within those numerical limits, the Department of State can move a cutoff date backward to control visa usage.
Retrogression does NOT mean:
Your priority date has changed.
Your approved petition has automatically been cancelled.
Your EB-3 case has been rejected.
You automatically need to restart the immigration process.
Instead, it means that some applicants must wait longer for an immigrant visa number to become available for final action.
A Simple Example
Consider an EB-3 Other Workers applicant with a priority date of:
February 15, 2022
In September 2026, the Final Action Date was April 1, 2022.
Because February 15, 2022 was earlier than the September cutoff, the applicant's priority date fell within the Final Action Date.
But in October 2026, the cutoff has moved backward to:
January 1, 2022
The applicant's February 15 priority date is now later than the published cutoff.
Therefore, the applicant would generally need to wait until the Final Action Date advances beyond their priority date again before a visa number can become available for final action.
Who Is Most Directly Affected?
The October retrogression has the most immediate impact on EB-3 Other Workers applicants whose priority dates fall between:
January 1, 2022 and April 1, 2022
These applicants may have been within the September Final Action Date but are no longer within the October cutoff.
This does not mean their place in the immigration process has disappeared.
Their original priority date remains important, and they will need to monitor future Visa Bulletins to see when the cutoff advances again.
What About Priority Dates Before January 1, 2022?
Applicants with EB-3 Other Workers priority dates earlier than January 1, 2022 remain within the October 2026 Final Action Date under the worldwide category.
However, having a priority date within the cutoff does not automatically guarantee immediate visa issuance.
Other requirements may still need to be completed, including:
Petition processing
National Visa Center processing
Documentary qualification
Interview scheduling
Medical examination
Security and background checks
Admissibility requirements
Final consular processing
Visa-number availability is one important part of the process, but it is not the only requirement.
What About Applicants With Later Priority Dates?
Applicants with priority dates in 2023, 2024, 2025 or 2026 were already waiting for the Final Action Date to advance.
The October retrogression does not mean that these applicants have “lost” their priority dates or that additional months have been added directly to their individual cases.
Their priority dates remain unchanged.
What has changed is the government's current cutoff for visa availability.
Why Did EB-3 Other Workers Move Backward?
The October bulletin provides an important explanation.
According to the Department of State, some employment-based categories for Rest of World countries have been retrogressed to ensure visa issuance remains within the quarterly and annual numerical limits for FY2027.
EB-3 Other Workers is particularly sensitive to visa availability because the category has a limited annual allocation.
Although the broader EB-3 category covers Skilled Workers, Professionals and Other Workers, U.S. immigration law normally limits the Other Workers component to no more than 10,000 visas annually, subject to statutory adjustments.
In simple terms:
There are more applicants waiting than visas that can be issued immediately.
The Visa Bulletin cutoff dates are one of the mechanisms used to manage that demand.
Is This Retrogression Permanent?
Not necessarily.
Visa Bulletin dates can:
move forward → remain unchanged → or move backward again.
The Department of State says it will continue monitoring visa demand and make adjustments where necessary during the fiscal year.
October is also only the first month of FY2027.
It would therefore be premature to use the October bulletin alone to predict how quickly EB-3 Other Workers will move during the remainder of the fiscal year.
Should EB-3 Applicants Be Worried?
The retrogression is certainly disappointing for applicants hoping to see forward movement at the beginning of the new fiscal year.
However, it is important to distinguish between a Visa Bulletin retrogression and a problem with an individual immigration case.
The Department of State has linked these Rest of World adjustments to the management of visa issuance within FY2027's numerical limits.
Applicants should therefore continue to:
Keep immigration documents updated.
Respond promptly to USCIS, NVC or consular requests.
Maintain valid passports and required civil documents.
Monitor each monthly Visa Bulletin.
Understand the difference between Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing.
Avoid interpreting temporary retrogression as cancellation of an immigration case.
Avoid assuming that future Visa Bulletin movement can be predicted month by month.
October 2026 EB-3 Other Workers — At a Glance
🇺🇸 Final Action Date
January 1, 2022
Previously: April 1, 2022
🔴 Retrogressed by 3 months
📑 Date for Filing
June 1, 2022
Previously: August 1, 2022
🔴 Retrogressed by 2 months
🇵🇰 Pakistan
Pakistan is included under All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, so the worldwide EB-3 Other Workers dates apply.
What Should Applicants Watch Next?
The November and December 2026 Visa Bulletins will provide a clearer indication of how the Department of State manages EB-3 Other Workers demand during the opening months of FY2027.
Applicants should particularly watch for:
Movement in the January 1, 2022 Final Action Date
Changes to the June 1, 2022 Date for Filing
Further Department of State comments on employment-based demand
Any additional retrogression
Forward movement later in FY2027
Changes affecting consular processing and visa availability
It is important not to assume that the current three-month retrogression will either remain permanent or immediately reverse.
Stay Updated on U.S. Immigration Developments
Jaggi Consultants continues to closely monitor the U.S. Visa Bulletin, EB-3 priority-date movement and other important U.S. immigration developments.
We will continue publishing updates as new Visa Bulletins are released and explain what significant movements may mean for applicants in easy-to-understand terms.
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