The first Visa Bulletin of fiscal year 2027 arrived with a flurry of changes that matter to foreign employees pursuing U.S. permanent residence. As reported by The Financial Express on 4 October, several employment categories advanced after annual visa numbers reset, but others retrogressed as the State Department fine-tunes quarterly allocations. Notably, EB-1 India moved forward to 1 February 2023, EB-2 India reopened at 1 November 2013 and EB-5 unreserved India advanced to 1 December 2023, while some worldwide EB-2/EB-3 dates slid back. USCIS has authorised the more forgiving “Dates for Filing” chart for all family- and employment-based categories in October, letting thousands file adjustment-of-status applications earlier than expected. HR teams should alert foreign nationals that filing early secures work and travel authorisation but does not guarantee immediate green-card approval—Final Action Dates still control issuance. October also marks the **first full month of DHS’s revived, broader public-charge rule**, which took effect on 18 September. Adjustment applicants must now complete an expanded Form I-485 that allows officers to weigh a wider set of government-benefit indicators. Companies should ensure relocation packages do not inadvertently expose transferees to means-tested benefits that could complicate adjudication. Finally, investors and regional-centre sponsors face a near-doubling of EB-5 filing fees on 30 November, with Form I-526 rising from US$3,675 to US$7,615 and a new US$10,330 Form I-527 debuting for certain grandfathered cases. Mobility managers should work with counsel to accelerate any EB-5 filings that can beat the price rise and to adjust cost estimates in assignment budgets.
Source: The Financial Express
