The Department of State (DOS) has released the October 2024 Visa Bulletin. With the start of the government’s new fiscal year on October 1, visas will once again become available in the employment-based (EB) categories that went completely “unavailable” in September.

USCIS confirms that in October, all employment-based and family-based preference categories should refer to the Dates for Filing chart for filing adjustment of status applications. Individuals with a priority date before the published cut-off date on the Dates for Filing chart may file an adjustment of status application with USCIS. If a category is marked “C,” the category is “current,” and applications may be filed in that category regardless of the individual’s priority date.

Notably,

• The EB-1 category for Worldwide, Mexico, and the Philippines is “current” on the October Dates for Filing chart, while the EB-1 China cut-off date is January 1, 2023 and the EB-1 India cut-off date is April 15, 2022.
• Individuals in the EB-2, EB-3 and EB-4 categories are eligible to file adjustment of status applications with USCIS in October, subject to cut-off dates for all countries.
• The Final Action Dates for Religious Workers in the EB-4 category remain completely unavailable, but individuals in this category will be eligible to file an adjustment of status application in October if they have a priority date before February 1, 2021, consistent with the Dates for Filing chart.
• There were some modest advances in the Dates for Filing for the family-based preference categories.

As a reminder, Dates for Filing indicates the earliest date when applicants may apply for an immigrant visa (“green card”) by filing and adjustment of status application. The Final Action Dates chart controls when an adjustment of status or immigrant visa application may finally be approved, and the green card issued.

For specific categories and cut-off dates, please see: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2025/visa-bulletin-for-october-2024.html