Brazil Green Card Backlog in November 2026: EB-2 Has a Cutoff Date Again

Yes, there is a backlog again. For people born in Brazil, EB-2, including EB-2 NIW, stopped being current in October 2026. In the November 2026 Visa Bulletin, the EB-2 Final Action Date is April 1, 2025, and EB-3 is June 15, 2024. EB-1 and EB-5 remain current. For filing an I-485 inside the U.S. in November, USCIS is accepting the Dates for Filing chart, where EB-2 sits at March 15, 2026.

If you last checked in September, you saw EB-2 current for Brazil. When fiscal year 2027 began on October 1, the State Department moved the date back, and many people who expected a green card soon after I-140 approval are now recalculating. Here is what changed, how to find your place in line, and what you can do while you wait.

What changed between September and November

Brazil does not have its own column in the Visa Bulletin. Applicants born in Brazil use the "All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed" column. Chargeability follows country of birth, not citizenship.

Final Action Dates, employment-based (Brazil column)

The September bulletin had already warned that dates were advanced to use remaining fiscal year 2026 numbers and that retrogression could follow. The October bulletin then said some employment-based categories for "Rest of World" countries, the group Brazil falls into, had retrogressed to keep issuances within FY 2027 quarterly and annual limits.

November brought modest movement: three months for EB-2, one month for EB-3 and five months for Other Workers. EB-2 is still far from where it was in September.

Two charts, and which one applies in November

Each bulletin has two charts:

• Final Action Dates control when a green card can be approved or an immigrant visa issued.
• Dates for Filing are earlier cutoffs that tell you when you can submit your paperwork.

If you are adjusting status in the U.S., check each month which chart USCIS designates. For November 2026, the USCIS "When to File" page lists Dates for Filing for both family-sponsored and employment-based applications.

November 2026, employment-based (Brazil column)

Filing under Dates for Filing does not speed up approval. Your I-485 is accepted and stays pending until your priority date is earlier than the Final Action Date. In the meantime, a pending I-485 lets you apply for a work permit (EAD) and advance parole. Consular cases work in a similar way: NVC uses Dates for Filing to start collecting documents, and the visa is issued only once the Final Action Date reaches your case.

For a short explainer on what "current" means, see What does "priority date current" mean?.

How to tell where you are in line

1. Find your priority date. It appears as "Priority Date" on the I-797 receipt or approval notice for your I-140 or I-130. USCIS says it is generally the date the petition was properly filed, or, if a labor certification (PERM) was required, the date the Department of Labor accepted it for processing. EB-2 NIW does not require PERM, so the priority date is usually the I-140 filing date.

2. Use the right column. If you were born in Brazil, use "All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed."

3. Compare. If the chart shows "C," or your priority date is earlier than the listed date, you are within that chart, as long as you meet the other requirements.

An EB-2 NIW example: if your I-140 was filed in February 2026, your priority date is earlier than March 15, 2026, so you may file an I-485 in November if you are in the U.S. and otherwise eligible to adjust. Approval, however, has to wait until the Final Action Date moves past February 2026. If you file an NIW petition now, in late October, your priority date falls after both charts, so you cannot file the I-485 together with the I-140 this month.

One caution: the gap between a cutoff date and today is not a forecast of your wait. Cutoffs move unevenly. They can jump several months, stall or retrogress, as October showed. Our Priority Date Tracker helps you follow your category, but the official reference is always the current month's bulletin.

Family-based categories moved a full year

Family categories advanced sharply in November. F1, F2B, F3 and F4 each moved twelve months compared with October.

With F2A current on the Dates for Filing chart, spouses and minor children of green card holders who are in the U.S., have an I-130 filed and are otherwise eligible to adjust can file an I-485 in November.

Spouses of U.S. citizens, unmarried children under 21 of U.S. citizens, and parents of U.S. citizens who are 21 or older are not in this line at all. They are "immediate relatives," and USCIS states that visas for them are unlimited and always available. If that is your situation, start with our marriage-based green card guide.

Consular processing: the pause for Brazilians has ended

On January 21, 2026, the State Department paused immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries, including Brazil. The pause did not cover adjustment of status with USCIS. According to the State Department, as of August 21, 2026 the pause is no longer in effect, under the court's order in CLINIC et al. v. Rubio.

The court ordered that applications refused solely because of the pause be reconsidered. In a status report to the court, the government said this is happening case by case, with no fixed completion date.

For consular applicants, timing again depends mainly on the Final Action Date for your category. Because the litigation is ongoing, keep an eye on NVC and consulate updates and keep your interview documents current.

What to do now

1. Confirm your priority date on the I-797 and the exact category of your case (EB-2, EB-3, F2A and so on).
2. Check every month which chart USCIS accepts. In November it is Dates for Filing, but that can change from month to month.
3. If your date is already within the chart, prepare your adjustment of status early. Incomplete filings cause delays, and charts can move backward.
4. If it is not, protect your current status (H-1B, L-1, E-2, F-1 or other). An approved I-140 does not give you status or work authorization on its own.
5. If you have not filed yet, your priority date only starts when the petition is filed. If your profile fits EB-2 NIW, waiting for the line to "get better" before filing does not help: the earlier you file, the earlier your place in line.

In practice: EB-1 and EB-5 remain current for Brazil. For some profiles, one of them may be a shorter path, but each has its own requirements. The right choice depends on your background, not on this month's chart.

Want to know where you stand? We can review your priority date, your category and the chart that applies this month, and talk through the options for your case. We work in English, Portuguese and Spanish, in Orlando and online. Schedule a consultation.

This article is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Dates are from the November 2026 Visa Bulletin and change monthly. Every case depends on its own facts.

Sources: U.S. Department of State, Visa Bulletin for November 2026, October 2026 and September 2026 (travel.state.gov); USCIS, "Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin" and "When to File," November 2026; USCIS, "Green Card for Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizen"; U.S. Department of State, immigrant visa pause update (travel.state.gov). Accessed October 30, 2026.