USCIS September and October 2026 I-485 Inventory: Where the Line Moved
If your priority date is behind a final action date in India EB-3, China EB-3 or Rest of World EB-3, fewer people were ahead of you in the USCIS report as of October 5, 2026 than in the one as of August 5, because the groups at the front of each of those lines kept clearing. India EB-2 came back in the October bulletin at November 1, 2013, and 3,544 people with earlier dates were listed as current on October 5. The change that reached the most people went the other way. On September 3, all 17,198 Rest of World EB-2 applicants with 2025 and 2026 priority dates were current. On October 5, the 21,198 people with those dates were all waiting, behind the new final action date of January 1, 2025.
USCIS has published two more employment-based I-485 inventory reports, one as of September 3, 2026 and one as of October 5, 2026. This post covers both, set against the August 5, 2026 report. The counts are people: every dependent files their own I-485, so a family of three is three entries, while USCIS's I-140 figures count only the principal worker. They cover EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 including Other Workers, and EB-5, for adjustment of status inside the United States only. EB-4 and religious workers are not included.
Sources: USCIS Pending Applications for Employment-Based Preference Categories, as of August 5, September 3 and October 5, 2026; Department of State Visa Bulletins for August to November 2026 (travel.state.gov); USCIS adjustment of status filing chart designations for those months. Not legal advice.
How each report was counted
USCIS marks every pending application either Available or Awaiting Availability. Available means the priority date was earlier than the final action date in the visa bulletin for the month USCIS pulled the data. The workbook's note 6 says so directly: "This report used the Visa Bulletin dates for the month in which the data was queried." It does not mean a visa number is reserved. A number is used only when USCIS approves the application, and while numbers go out in priority date order, USCIS decides applications in the order it finishes them. When a group that is current gets smaller between reports, this post says it cleared: mostly approvals, plus some denials, withdrawals and transfers to another category.
Each report is therefore read against its own bulletin. The September 3 report uses the September 2026 bulletin, the last of FY2026, a month in which USCIS accepted employment-based I-485s under the Final Action Dates chart. The October 5 report uses the October 2026 bulletin, the first of FY2027, a month in which USCIS accepted them under the Dates for Filing chart, as it also does for November.
| USCIS report as of | Pending | Available (date current) | Awaiting a date | Share awaiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 5, 2026 | 222,477 | 153,147 | 69,330 | 31.2% |
| September 3, 2026 | 222,779 | 153,779 | 69,000 | 31.0% |
| October 5, 2026 | 226,906 | 134,648 | 92,258 | 40.7% |
Between August 5 and September 3 the total grew by 302. Between September 3 and October 5 it grew by 4,127, while the number listed as current went from 153,779 to 134,648 and the number waiting went from 69,000 to 92,258. That swing comes from the October bulletin's new dates, not from approvals: Available moves with the bulletin.
What the October bulletin changed
Section B of the October 2026 Visa Bulletin gives the reason for the Rest of World moves in its own words:
However, some employment-based visa categories for “Rest of World” countries have retrogressed, and these retrogressions are necessary to keep visa issuances within FY 2027 quarterly and annual limits.
- Rest of World EB-2 went from Current to a final action date of January 1, 2025, and Mexico and Philippines EB-2 have the same date. The November bulletin moved it to April 1, 2025.
- Rest of World EB-3 moved back from September 1, 2024 to May 15, 2024, the same date as Mexico EB-3, and Rest of World Other Workers from April 1, 2022 to January 1, 2022. Rest of World EB-3 people waiting for a date went from 5,143 on September 3 to 10,549 on October 5.
- India EB-2 came back from Unavailable at November 1, 2013. People listed as current went from none on September 3 to 3,544 on October 5.
- India EB-1 moved from October 15, 2022 to February 1, 2023. People listed as current went from 5,676 on September 3 to 8,008 on October 5.
- China EB-2 moved from September 1, 2021 to October 1, 2021, and China EB-3 from January 1, 2022 to January 8, 2022.
On October 5, 134,648 people in this report had a current date. The FY2027 employment-based limit is not published yet. The October and November bulletins state only the statutory minimum, "at least 140,000", and that limit also covers EB-4 and applicants processed abroad. Our estimate as of October 25, 2026 is about 215,000, which includes about 75,000 family-sponsored numbers left unused in FY2026 (range about 44,000 to 105,000). That family figure was about 73,000 in our August post and rose when we added a September 2025 State Department issuance figure that had been missing from our data; the FY2026 and FY2027 visa number analysis tracks it. The people already current at USCIS equal about 96% of the 140,000 minimum and about 63% of our estimate, before anyone who files later in the year. The bulletin applies quarterly as well as annual limits, and USCIS decides applications as it finishes them, so a current date can still mean months of waiting for a decision.
Our September 1 year-end post estimated how far a full year of FY2027 numbers might carry each filed queue, for example to about July to September 2023 for India EB-1 at its base pool of 213,066, a different basis from the Estimator's typical year used below. The October and November bulletins set dates for the first two months of that year, and both print February 1, 2023 for India EB-1.
Pending by category and country
| Category | Aug 5 | Sep 3 | Oct 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | 59,307 | 58,891 | 60,414 |
| EB-2 | 76,791 | 78,452 | 83,380 |
| EB-3 | 55,965 | 54,814 | 51,529 |
| EB-3 Other Workers | 7,535 | 7,281 | 6,677 |
| EB-5 (all four groups) | 22,879 | 23,341 | 24,906 |
| Total | 222,477 | 222,779 | 226,906 |
EB-3 and Other Workers are listed separately here. Our August post combined them for Rest of World: its 37,104 was 30,718 EB-3 plus 6,386 Other Workers. On the same combined basis Rest of World held 33,742 on October 5.
| Country | EB-1 | EB-2 | EB-3 | Other Workers | EB-5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 19,165 | 27,508 | 15,485 | 30 | 9,812 | 72,000 |
| China | 6,307 | 4,364 | 3,136 | 45 | 10,322 | 24,174 |
| Mexico | 2,169 | 2,229 | 3,387 | 730 | 379 | 8,894 |
| Philippines | 525 | 849 | 1,485 | 166 | 90 | 3,115 |
| Rest of World | 32,248 | 48,430 | 28,036 | 5,706 | 4,303 | 118,723 |
| Total | 60,414 | 83,380 | 51,529 | 6,677 | 24,906 | 226,906 |
India
EB-2. For 2014 dates nothing moved in the bulletin: the final action date is November 1, 2013 in both October and November. The 3,544 people with earlier dates became current on October 1. Everyone else in the table below is waiting.
| India EB-2 priority date | Aug 5 | Sep 3 | Oct 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 2013, including Prior Years | 637 | 642 | 622 |
| 2013, January to October | 3,078 | 2,990 | 2,922 |
| 2013, November and December | 2,454 | 2,383 | 2,329 |
| 2014 | 20,813 | 20,778 | 20,637 |
| January 2015 | 999 | 997 | 998 |
| Total | 27,981 | 27,790 | 27,508 |
The count went from 27,981 on August 5 to 27,508 on October 5. The category was Unavailable in the August and September bulletins, so most of those 473 people left the EB-2 line in ways other than an EB-2 approval. USCIS notes that counts with older dates also change through priority date retention and transfers from one category to another, and some applications are withdrawn or denied.
Every base case in this post assumes a typical year of numbers for its category, based on past State Department issuance. None is a count of FY2027 numbers, which are not set yet, and each Estimator date quoted here is an estimated quarter for a final decision, as the Estimator showed it on October 27, 2026, using the November 2026 bulletin and the October 5 report. At the India EB-2 base case of 7,235 numbers a year, counting the October 5 report in priority date order with each application once, one year of numbers reaches about February 2014, two years about July 2014 and three years about October 2014. That is three to five months of priority date a year through 2014, where each month holds between 979 and 2,684 people. This replaces the two rates we gave earlier, about seven months a year in an August reply and about four months in a September post. Our September 1 year-end post put a full year at about November 2013 for India EB-2, because it assumed Rest of World would use all of its EB-2 share; this count instead assumes a typical year based on past issuance, and the no-spillover floor below is closer to that earlier assumption. The Estimator's dates come from its own model, so they do not match this simple count exactly. For a June 2014 priority date, the Estimator's base case is 2028 Q3, with 2027 Q2 on the optimistic case and 2031 Q2 at the no-spillover floor (about 2,800 numbers a year: 7% of the EB-2 share of the 140,000 minimum, with nothing added from elsewhere; FY2026's larger limit gave about 3,700).
The India EB-2 rows stop at January 2015 because people with later priority dates cannot file yet, so the report shows only the filed part of the line. A May 2015 date has all 27,508 people here ahead of it, plus anyone with an earlier date who has not filed.
EB-3. The final action date was January 1, 2014 from August through October and is January 22, 2014 in November. The 2013 group, current the whole time, cleared from 2,321 on August 5 to 1,997 on September 3 and 1,684 on October 5. People ahead of a June 2014 date went from 6,441 to 5,817 over the same two months. The Estimator puts a June 2014 date at 2027 Q4 on its base case, 2027 Q2 on the optimistic case and 2028 Q3 at the no-spillover floor, a level below what India EB-3 used in each year from FY2019 to FY2024 in State Department figures.
EB-1. The final action date moved from October 15, 2022 to February 1, 2023 in October and held there in November. The 2022 group went from 3,905 on August 5 to 3,455 on October 5, all of it now current. The line ahead of a June 2023 date did not get shorter, though: 11,790 on August 5, 11,610 on September 3 and 11,901 on October 5, because people with dates before 2022 went from 3,551 to 4,244. USCIS notes that counts with older dates can change through priority date retention and transfers between categories. A June 2023 date sits at 2027 Q4 on the base case, the same quarter on the optimistic case and 2029 Q3 in a low-supply year.
China
EB-3. The final action date moved from January 1, 2022 to January 8, 2022 in October and to January 22, 2022 in November. The 2021 group, current the whole time, cleared from 3,034 on August 5 to 2,750 on September 3 and 2,141 on October 5, and everyone with a date before 2022 went from 3,854 to 2,930. The October Dates for Filing chart let people with dates before April 1, 2024 file, and the first applications with 2022 to 2024 dates appear in the October 5 report, four days into that window. For a June 2022 priority date, the Estimator's base case is 2027 Q3, with 2027 Q2 on the optimistic case and 2027 Q3 at the no-spillover floor.
EB-2. The final action date moved from September 1, 2021 to October 1, 2021 in October and held in November. The total was 4,386 on August 5 and 4,364 on October 5, a difference smaller than the uncertainty from suppressed cells, and people with 2021 dates went from 3,086 to 2,972. The Estimator puts a June 2022 date at 2028 Q3 on its base case, 2027 Q4 on the optimistic case and 2029 Q2 at the no-spillover floor.
EB-1. The final action date was July 1, 2023 through October and is August 1, 2023 in November. People with January to June 2023 dates, current the whole time, cleared from 2,841 on August 5 to 2,588 on September 3 and 2,448 on October 5. A January 2024 date sits at 2027 Q4 on the base case, the same quarter on the optimistic case and 2028 Q3 in a low-supply year.
Rest of World, Mexico and the Philippines
EB-2. A Rest of World EB-2 date in 2025 or 2026 was current on September 3 and is waiting now. A date in 2024 or earlier is still current.
| Rest of World EB-2 priority date | Aug 5 | Sep 3 | Oct 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 and earlier, including Prior Years | 27,800 | 26,592 | 27,232 |
| 2025 | 8,498 | 9,956 | 11,822 |
| 2026 | 5,668 | 7,242 | 9,376 |
| Total | 41,966 | 43,790 | 48,430 |
The October 5 total of 48,430 is the highest Rest of World EB-2 count in any USCIS report since January 2025. People with 2025 and 2026 dates went from 17,198 on September 3 to 21,198 on October 5, and 1,683 of the October 5 count have September 2026 priority dates, a month that was three days old on September 3. The November final action date of April 1, 2025 makes the 4,030 people with January to March 2025 dates, counted on October 5, current again. Mexico and Philippines EB-2 share these dates and held 2,229 and 849 people on October 5. For a June 2025 Rest of World priority date, the Estimator's base case is 2027 Q4, with the same quarter on the optimistic case and 2028 Q3 in a low-supply year.
A pending count is a stock, not numbers used. Rest of World EB-2 uses a number only when USCIS approves an application. If approvals keep pace with Rest of World's share of the year's numbers, it uses that share and little is left over for other countries. If approvals run behind, numbers it cannot use in a quarter can go to oversubscribed countries in priority date order under INA 202(a)(5)(A). Whether Rest of World approvals keep pace through the year decides which of these happens, and later USCIS reports will show it.
EB-3. The 2023 group, current throughout, cleared from 11,403 on August 5 to 10,438 on September 3 and 8,709 on October 5. The EB-3 total went from 30,718 to 28,036 over the same two months, and Other Workers went from 6,386 to 5,706. The Estimator puts a September 2024 Rest of World date at 2027 Q4 on its base case, the same quarter on the optimistic case and 2028 Q2 in a low-supply year.
EB-1. Rest of World EB-1 has no final action date. Its count went from 30,778 on August 5 to 32,248 on October 5, all current, and 1,038 of the October 5 count have September 2026 priority dates.
Data notes
- USCIS prints "D" in place of counts under 10, and we count each as 5. The October 5 report has 1,035 such cells, so its total could be up to about 4,100 higher or lower. Most of those cells are suppressed in both reports, so the changes between reports move far less. The single-year groups compared above, such as India EB-3's 2013 group and Rest of World EB-3's 2023 group, contain no suppressed cells. Totals and counts that reach back to older dates do, and the India EB-2 row for dates before 2013 is mostly suppressed cells, so treat changes of a few dozen people in those as noise.
- EB-5 went from 22,879 on August 5 to 24,906 on October 5, but 318 of its October 5 cells are suppressed, so it is not broken down by priority date here.
- One row on the China sheet of the October 5 report, China EB-3 applicants with March priority dates who are awaiting a date (25 people under our counting), has no country label in the USCIS file. It is counted as China here.
Checking your own date
The October 5 counts are in the Priority Date Estimator. With them, its dates for India EB-2, India EB-3 and China EB-1 priority dates not yet current moved earlier by a few weeks, and India EB-1 dates moved by a few days either way. For a date not yet current on the Final Action chart, the three scenario dates need a $0.99 24-hour pass (up to 3 priority dates), the Day Pass or Pro. The Visa Bulletin page tracks final action dates and dates for filing each month.
This article provides general information based on publicly available USCIS and State Department data. Estimates are based on historical trends and may differ from actual outcomes; they are not guarantees. For advice on your own situation, consult an immigration attorney.
Not legal advice.