Chatting with Charlie | November 2026 Visa Bulletin Reaction

The transcript version of our monthly Visa Bulletin reaction for corporate immigration professionals. Join our Immigration News Digest Newsletter for more immigration updates.

By Miki Kawashima Matrician & Charlie Oppenheim

🎧 Available on YouTube & Spotify

In this edition of Chatting with Charlie, WR Immigration Partner Miki Matrician speaks with Charlie Oppenheim, former Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division at the U.S. Department of State (DOS), about the November 2026 Visa Bulletin. They discuss significant forward movement in family-based immigrant visa categories, more modest changes in employment-based categories, and the outlook for priority date movement in the coming months. The conversation also examines potential changes in demand for India’s employment-based categories and the challenges created by limited government data and lack of transparency. Discover Charlie’s insights into visa availability and what employers, immigration professionals, and applicants should consider when planning their employment-based and family-based immigration strategies.

Question 1: What is notable about the timing of the November 2026 Visa Bulletin?

Response: The November 2026 Visa Bulletin was published on October 22 but it was finalized on October 5. Charlie Oppenheim noted that, during his time at the Department of State, Visa Bulletins were typically published online within seven to ten working days after the dates were determined. He described the delay as unusually long and that there is no good reason for this undue delay.

Question 2: Why did family-based Final Action Dates advance so significantly in November?

Response: November brought unusually substantial forward movement in family-based Final Action Dates, with many categories advancing by approximately one year. The F2A category was effectively current, while numerous other categories also experienced significant advancement.
Charlie described the movement as unexpected and identified two possible explanations. First, demand may have declined and fewer applicants may be submitting the required documentation to the National Visa Center (NVC). Second, during fiscal year 2026, the Department of State may have been too slow to advance the Dates for Filing to generate sufficient demand.
Charlie emphasized that he could not recall a time when one-year advancements were made across virtually all Rest of World family-based categories in a single month. Its longer-term implications will depend on actual demand and visa number usage.

Question 3: What changed in the family-based Dates for Filing chart?

Response: Family-based Dates for Filing also advanced substantially in November. The F2A category remains current, while the other family-based categories generally moved forward by approximately one year, with exceptions for Mexico and the Philippines.
According to Charlie, this movement follows the significant advancement in the corresponding Final Action Dates. The government also needed to adjust the filing dates to reflect the broader changes in visa availability and anticipated demand.
The scale of the movement is notable, but applicants should not interpret a more favorable filing date as a guarantee of green card approval. Applicants must still meet the applicable filing requirements, and final approval depends on the relevant Final Action Date and other eligibility criteria.

Question 4: What is the outlook for employment-based Final Action Dates?

Response: Employment-based Final Action Dates showed more modest movement in November, consistent with Charlie’s earlier expectations for fiscal year 2027. He anticipates that the Department of State will generally rely on quarterly movements, with more significant movements in October, January, and April, followed by smaller adjustments between those months when demand warrants them.

• Rest of World and Mexico: EB-1 remains current, EB-2 advances by three months, and EB-3 advances by one month.
  Charlie explained that these advances represent the beginning of a recovery following the October 2026 retrogression. He is hopeful that forward movement would continue.
• China: EB-1 advances by one month, EB-2 remains unchanged, and EB-3 advances by approximately two weeks.
  Charlie predicted that EB-1 China may continue to advance gradually, while EB-2 could remain at its current date for some time.
• Philippines: EB-1 remains current, EB-2 advances by three months in line with the worldwide date, and EB-3 remains unchanged.
  Charlie indicated that the Department of State may wait to assess the impact of October’s movement before advancing the Philippine EB-3 category again. Overall, employers and applicants should plan for gradual progress rather than assume that the November advances signal a return to substantial monthly movement across employment-based categories.

Question 5: What should applicants and employers know about India’s employment-based categories?

Response: India’s November Final Action Dates remain unchanged for EB-1 and EB-2, while EB-3 advances by 21 days, from January 1, 2014, to January 22, 2014. This creates an important difference between the two employment-based categories because India’s EB-3 Final Action Date is now more favorable than its EB-2 date. Charlie noted that this could prompt some applicants with EB-2 cases to consider downgrading to EB-3, where legally and procedurally appropriate.
However, such changes can take considerable time and require careful management by immigration practitioners.
Any increase in EB-3 demand resulting from downgrades could affect future visa availability in that category. Employers should therefore assess individual circumstances before changing an employee’s immigration strategy and continue monitoring priority dates across both categories.

Question 6: What should employers expect from employment-based Dates for Filing in the coming months?

Response: Employment-based Dates for Filing showed very little movement in November. EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 Skilled Workers and Professionals generally remained unchanged, while EB-3 Other Workers advanced by one month.
Charlie explained that the Department of State typically holds employment-based filing dates established at the beginning of the fiscal year for an extended period. The small advance in EB-3 Other Workers suggests that demand may be lower than anticipated. Based on this pattern, Charlie does not expect significant movement in employment-based Dates for Filing over the next few months, although incremental changes remain possible if actual demand differs from projections.

Question 7: What factors could influence visa bulletin movement over the next several months?

Response: Charlie expects the Department of State to continue using a general pattern of quarterly movements, with larger adjustments around October, January, and April and smaller changes in between when demand requires them.
One important variable is the processing of applications from the 75 countries affected by a previous processing ban. The Department of State will assess how the resumption of processing affects employment-based immigrant visa demand and the use of available visa numbers.
The government has not published sufficient data about the number of cases that were paused or the resulting impact on demand. Charlie expressed concern that the information currently being released is substantially more limited than the data the Department of State provided over previous decades.
This lack of transparency makes it more difficult for employers, applicants, and immigration professionals to anticipate future priority date movement. Visa availability will continue to depend on actual demand, processing activity, and the number of immigrant visas available within each category and fiscal year.

Question 8: What are the key takeaways for employers, immigration professionals, and applicants?

The November 2026 Visa Bulletin presents a mixed outlook. Family-based categories experienced unusually substantial advancement, while employment-based categories generally saw modest movement following the October retrogression. India’s EB-3 advancement relative to EB-2 may also create new strategic considerations for some applicants, while limited movement in employment-based Dates for Filing suggests that filing opportunities may remain relatively stable in the near term.

Employers and immigration professionals should continue monitoring monthly Visa Bulletin updates, review employee priority dates, and assess how changes in visa availability affect green card sponsorship and workforce planning.

Charlie expects quarterly movements to remain the general pattern, with additional adjustments possible if demand is lower or higher than anticipated. However, uncertainty surrounding previously paused applications and limited government data makes precise predictions difficult.
ld plan for gradual progress rather than assume that the November advances signal a return to substantial monthly movement across employment-based categories.

About the Authors

Charles (Charlie) Oppenheim is WR Immigration’s Director of Visa Consulting and heads the firm’s Government Relations Group. He brings over 43 years of experience with the U.S. Department of State, including nearly 24 years as Chief of the Immigrant Visa Control and Reporting Division, where he oversaw the allocation of more than nine million numerically controlled immigrant visas. He has advised White House and Congressional leadership on green card numerical control and visa availability. Charlie also co-hosts our Chatting with Charlie: EB-5 Investor Outlook webinars with WR Partner Joey Barnett.

Miki Kawashima Matrician is Co-Managing Partner of WR Immigration’s Boston office, where she advises employers on business immigration, corporate immigration policies, compliance, and risk management. She teaches Business Immigration Law at Boston University School of Law and is recognized by Chambers®, Super Lawyers®, and Best Lawyers® for her immigration expertise. She also co-hosts WR Immigration’s weekly Rapid-Fire Wednesdays podcast alongside WR Partner Kimberley Best Robidoux.