US October 2026 Visa Bulletin: Updates for Nigerians

What Are the Latest Employment-Based Green Card Dates?

For applicants chargeable to Nigeria, the October 2026 Final Action Dates are:

A category marked Current means immigrant visa numbers are available to qualified applicants without a priority-date backlog.

For categories with a listed date, applicants must have a priority date earlier than the published Final Action Date before an immigrant visa can be issued.

What About Family-Sponsored Green Cards?

The bulletin also affects Nigerians seeking permanent residence through eligible family relationships, including spouses, adult children and siblings of US citizens or permanent residents.

Waiting periods differ by category. Immediate relatives of US citizens, including qualifying spouses, unmarried children under 21 and parents, are not subject to the family-preference numerical limits.

Other family-sponsored applicants must wait until their priority dates become eligible for visa issuance.

What Is the Difference Between Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing?

The Visa Bulletin contains two important sets of dates.

Final Action Dates determine when an immigrant visa number may be issued to an eligible applicant.

Dates for Filing determine when applicants may begin submitting the required documents. For Nigerians applying from outside the US, the National Visa Center will provide instructions when their cases become eligible for document submission.

For employment-based applicants chargeable to Nigeria, the October Dates for Filing include 15 March 2026 for EB-2 and 1 August 2024 for EB-3 skilled workers and professionals.

How Will This Affect Nigerians?

Nigerians with pending green card applications should compare their priority dates with the dates for their immigration categories.

For example, an EB-2 applicant with a priority date of December 2024 falls before the October Final Action Date of 1 January 2025. This means an immigrant visa number may be available, provided the applicant meets the remaining requirements.

However, having an eligible priority date does not guarantee immediate approval. Applicants must still complete the necessary processing, documentation and immigration checks.

Priority dates may also advance or move backwards in future bulletins, depending on demand and available visa numbers.

Nigerians pursuing US permanent residence should review their application stage and immigration category to determine whether they can proceed with the next step.

IAS can help assess eligibility, explain the updated rules and assist with UK visa and settlement applications. Contact our Lagos office on +234 201 330 6361.