The U.S. Department of State has officially released the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, marking the beginning of fiscal year 2027. Contrary to expectations that visa cut-off dates might advance with the start of a new fiscal year, EB-3 categories applicable to Vietnam have experienced retrogression. The Final Action Date for EB-3 Skilled Workers/Professionals moved from September 1, 2024, back to May 15, 2024, while Other Workers moved from April 1, 2022, back to January 1, 2022. Dates for Filing were also adjusted, demonstrating that the beginning of a new fiscal year does not automatically mean that visa cut-off dates will advance.
How Did the October 2026 Visa Bulletin Change?
For Vietnam, EB-3 cut-off dates are listed under “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed.” Compared with September, the October 2026 Visa Bulletin shows changes in both Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing.
The Final Action Date for EB-3 Skilled Workers and Professionals was September 1, 2024, in September 2026. In October, the date moved back to May 15, 2024. For Other Workers, a category commonly followed by those interested in EB-3 Unskilled, the Final Action Date moved from April 1, 2022, back to January 1, 2022.
Dates for Filing also changed. EB-3 Skilled Workers/Professionals moved from Current in September to August 1, 2024, in October. Other Workers moved from August 1, 2022, back to June 1, 2022.
| EB-3 Category | September 2026 | October 2026 |
| Final Action - Skilled/Professional | 01/09/2024 | 15/05/2024 |
| Final Action - Other Workers | 01/04/2022 | 01/01/2022 |
| Dates for Filing - Skilled/Professional | Current | 01/08/2024 |
| Dates for Filling - Other Workers | 01/08/2022 | 01/06/2022 |
Therefore, both EB-3 categories commonly followed by Vietnamese applicants experienced retrogression in the first month of fiscal year 2027.
Why Did EB-3 Retrogress at the Beginning of a New Fiscal Year?
The U.S. government’s fiscal year begins on October 1 and ends on September 30 of the following year. Therefore, before the October 2026 Visa Bulletin was released, many people following EB-3 expected that the beginning of a new fiscal year might allow visa cut-off dates to advance.
However, the start of a new fiscal year does not mean that all employment-based immigrant visa categories will automatically advance. The U.S. Department of State stated that certain employment-based categories under the Rest of World group had to retrogress in order to manage visa number use within quarterly limits and the overall limits for the fiscal year.
Visa Bulletin cut-off dates may continue to be adjusted in the coming months depending on actual visa usage. Therefore, EB-3 retrogression in October does not necessarily mean that the dates will continue to move backward in the following months.
EB-3 Skilled Final Action Date Retrogresses to May 15, 2024
One of the notable changes in the October 2026 Visa Bulletin involves EB-3 Skilled Workers and Professionals.
The Final Action Date for “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed” moved from September 1, 2024, in September to May 15, 2024, in October. This represents a retrogression of more than three months compared with the previous Visa Bulletin.
The Final Action Date is an important cut-off related to when a visa may be issued if a visa number is available and all other requirements are met. To be considered before the cut-off date, a case’s Priority Date must be earlier than the published Final Action Date.
Therefore, EB-3 Skilled cases with Priority Dates after May 15, 2024, will need to continue monitoring future Visa Bulletins. Completing PERM or receiving I-140 approval does not mean that a case can bypass the wait for visa availability.
Other Workers Retrogresses to January 1, 2022
For Other Workers, a category commonly followed by Vietnamese applicants interested in EB-3 Unskilled, the October 2026 Visa Bulletin also shows retrogression.
The Final Action Date for this category was April 1, 2022, in September 2026. In October, it moved back to January 1, 2022, representing a three-month retrogression.
For cases with Priority Dates after January 1, 2022, applicants will need to continue monitoring the Visa Bulletin before a visa number can become available for final visa adjudication.
Importantly, retrogression does not mean that pending cases have been denied or must start over. It is a change in the Priority Date cut-off related to the availability and allocation of immigrant visa numbers at the current time.
Dates for Filing Also Changed
The October 2026 Visa Bulletin shows changes not only in Final Action Dates but also in Dates for Filing.
For EB-3 Skilled Workers/Professionals, the category was Current in September 2026. In October, the Dates for Filing cut-off is August 1, 2024. Meanwhile, Other Workers moved from August 1, 2022, back to June 1, 2022.
Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates serve different purposes. Dates for Filing relate to when applicants may proceed with document submission steps under applicable procedures and instructions, while the Final Action Date relates to when a visa may be issued when a visa number is available.
For EB-3 applicants from Vietnam completing Consular Processing, it is important to monitor the Visa Bulletin together with notifications and the actual progress of the case at the National Visa Center rather than looking only at a single date on the Visa Bulletin.
Priority Dates Near the Cut-Off Should Be Monitored Closely
Following the release of the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, EB-3 applicants should review their Priority Dates and confirm whether their cases fall under Skilled Workers/Professionals or Other Workers.
For Skilled Workers/Professionals, the current Final Action Date is May 15, 2024. For Other Workers, it is January 1, 2022. If a case’s Priority Date is after these dates, the applicant will need to continue waiting for the Visa Bulletin to change accordingly.
However, applicants should not use the gap between their Priority Date and the Final Action Date to calculate exactly how many months remain before their case becomes current. The Visa Bulletin does not operate on the basis that cut-off dates will advance by one month every month. Dates may advance, remain unchanged, or retrogress depending on visa allocation and usage.
Does Visa Bulletin Retrogression Affect Cases Currently in PERM?
This is one of the issues that can easily cause confusion when the October 2026 Visa Bulletin retrogresses.
If a case is currently in the PERM stage, Visa Bulletin retrogression does not mean that the PERM process automatically stops. PERM, I-140, and immigrant visa processing are different stages of an EB-3 case.
Similarly, applicants who are still in the earlier stages of their cases should continue completing the necessary steps according to the progress of their specific cases. The Visa Bulletin primarily reflects the availability of immigrant visa numbers based on preference categories and Priority Dates.
Therefore, when evaluating the impact of Visa Bulletin changes, applicants should first determine the current stage of their case rather than assuming that the entire process must stop simply because the cut-off dates have retrogressed.
Do Not Predict Visa Cut-Off Dates Based Only on the New Fiscal Year
The October 2026 Visa Bulletin highlights an important point: the beginning of a new fiscal year does not guarantee that EB-3 cut-off dates will advance.
The availability of a new fiscal year’s visa numbers is an important factor, but the U.S. Department of State must still manage visa usage based on category limits, case demand, and the rate at which visa numbers are used throughout the year.
Therefore, statements such as “the dates will definitely advance in October” or “cases will move faster at the beginning of the new fiscal year” should not be treated as certain conclusions.
A more appropriate approach is to monitor the officially published Visa Bulletin each month and compare the applicable cut-off date with the Priority Date of the individual case.
What Should EB-3 Applicants Do?
When visa cut-off dates change, the first important point is not to confuse Visa Bulletin retrogression with a problem in the individual case.
EB-3 applicants should check their Priority Date, confirm whether they are in the Skilled Workers/Professionals or Other Workers category, and monitor the current stage of their case. If the case is in PERM or I-140 processing, it continues through the corresponding process. If the case has reached the NVC stage, applicants should continue monitoring case-related notices and visa availability.
In particular, applicants whose Priority Dates are close to the current Final Action Date should closely monitor the October 2026 Visa Bulletin and the bulletins that follow so they can be better prepared with the necessary documents and next steps when their cases become current.
Conclusion
The October 2026 Visa Bulletin has officially been released, and the EB-3 categories applicable to Vietnam have experienced retrogression for both Skilled Workers/Professionals and Other Workers. The Final Action Date for Skilled Workers/Professionals moved back to May 15, 2024, while Other Workers moved back to January 1, 2022. Dates for Filing are now August 1, 2024, and June 1, 2022, respectively.
Visa Bulletin retrogression does not mean that a pending case has been denied or must start over. The important point is to identify the correct Priority Date, EB-3 category, and current stage of the case in order to understand how the Visa Bulletin affects each individual situation. Future Visa Bulletins should continue to be monitored based on official announcements rather than predicting future movement from a single month.
