US immigration calendar: 7 key dates Indian students, H-1B workers should mark

For Indian nationals navigating the US immigration pipeline, the coming year brings critical deadlines across student, employment, and green card pathways – ranging from the September 15 shift to fixed-term F-1/J-1 admissions, to recurring cycles like the March H-1B lottery, the October 1 fiscal-year reset, and monthly Visa Bulletin priority date updates.

Financial Express Digital spoke to US immigration attorney Kevin Andrews to identify the key dates Indian students, OPT/STEM OPT workers and H-1B professionals should watch, as well as the personal deadlines they should track throughout their immigration journey.

September 3, 2026: F-1 students should watch the court hearing

September 3 is important because a federal court in Massachusetts is scheduled to hear a motion seeking to postpone the effective date of a new admission rule.

The rule would replace the current “Duration of Status” framework with fixed admission periods for F-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors.

Andrews advises students to prepare for the rule to take effect on September 15 unless a court orders otherwise. “My advice to students is to plan as though September 15 holds, because it does until a court says otherwise,” Andrews says.

September 15, 2026: New F-1 and J-1 admission rules take effect 

The DHS rule is scheduled to take effect on September 15, changing how F-1 and J-1 students are admitted to the US. Students already in the US and maintaining status on that date can generally remain under the existing framework, subject to the transition rules.

However, international travel could change the situation. Students who leave the US and return on or after September 15 can receive a fixed “Admit Until Date” on their I-94. That date will then determine how long they can remain in the country.

Andrews recommends that students review their immigration documents before the change takes effect.

What should F-1 students do before September 15?

Students should:

• Check their I-20 programme end date with their DSO and ensure it reflects their expected completion timeline.
• Discuss a programme extension before the new framework takes effect if they need additional time.
• Download and save their current I-94 showing Duration of Status.
• Check their passport expiry date.
• Review their OPT filing window if they plan to graduate in the autumn.
• Think carefully about international travel around September 15.

The change is particularly important for students planning to apply for OPT.

The current post-completion OPT filing window runs from 90 days before programme completion to 60 days after the programme end date. From September 15, the back end of that window drops to 30 days, while the latest OPT start date that can be requested also falls from 60 days to 30 days.

“The 90-day early filing window is unchanged,” Andrews says. He advises students graduating in the autumn to file as early as their eligibility window allows rather than planning around the old 60-day figure.

Students currently outside the US should also consider their travel plans. Andrews advises those who want to remain under the transition protections to aim to re-enter before September 15.

March 18, 2027: OPT/STEM OPT transition deadline

March 18, 2027 is another date F-1 students should mark.

Andrews says this is the deadline for the transition window covering students filing OPT or STEM OPT applications without a separate extension-of-stay filing.

For students whose plans extend into this period, Andrews recommends treating the date as a personal calendar deadline rather than waiting until the filing becomes urgent.

Early March: H-1B registration opens

For international students hoping to move from F-1 status to H-1B, early March is one of the most important periods of the year. The H-1B cap registration window generally opens in early March. For FY2028, Andrews expects registration to open around early March 2027.

The registration fee is currently $215 per registration. Selections are generally announced by the end of March, after which employers can move forward with petitions for selected beneficiaries.

April 1: H-1B petition filing and cap-gap deadline

April 1 is another date H-1B hopefuls should mark. Employers can begin filing H-1B cap petitions for selected beneficiaries from April 1, with the filing period generally running through June 30.

For students moving from F-1 to H-1B, the timing of the petition can also determine whether they receive cap-gap protection.

If an H-1B change-of-status petition is filed while the student’s OPT remains valid, F-1 status and work authorisation can extend automatically through the H-1B start date or April 1 of the following year, whichever comes first.

But students should not look only at April 1. If the EAD expires before the employer files the H-1B petition, the student may not receive cap-gap protection.

“So students should not look only at April 1. They should compare it with their own EAD expiration date,” Andrews says.

October 1: New US fiscal year begins

October 1 marks the beginning of the US federal fiscal year. For H-1B workers, this is when employment under the new cap generally begins. The date also matters for employment-based green-card applicants because a new fiscal year brings a fresh allocation of employment-based immigrant visa numbers.

However, October 1 does not automatically make every green-card category current. Applicants still need to check the relevant Visa Bulletin and their priority dates.

Mid-month every month: Check the Visa Bulletin

For Indian professionals waiting for employment-based green cards, checking the Visa Bulletin should become a monthly habit.

The State Department releases the bulletin around the middle of each month for the following month. It contains two important charts: Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing.

Applicants should not assume that the same chart can be used for their I-485 filing. USCIS separately announces which chart adjustment-of-status applicants can use each month.

For Indian applicants, the priority date is the key number to track.

The August 2026 Visa Bulletin, for example, lists EB-2 India as unavailable for final action, while EB-1 India has a cutoff date. The State Department has also warned that high demand could make the category unavailable before the end of FY2026.

The department has confirmed that all FY2026 EB-2 immigrant visas for India have been used and that annual limits reset on October 1, 2026, when FY2027 begins.

What dates should you track personally?

The seven dates above are useful for people in the relevant immigration categories. But some of the most important deadlines are unique to each person’s case.

F-1 students should track their I-20 programme end date, SEVIS record and I-94. After September 15, the Admit Until Date will become particularly important for students entering the US under the new framework.

OPT and STEM OPT workers should track their EAD start and expiry dates, unemployment days and STEM OPT reporting requirements.

Post-completion OPT allows up to 90 days of unemployment, while the total rises to 150 days when the STEM extension is included. STEM workers also have validation reporting at the 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month marks. I-983 self-evaluations are due at the 12-month point and at the end of the STEM extension.

Employer and address changes must also be reported within 10 days.

H-1B workers should track their I-94 end date, petition validity, six-year maximum, visa-stamp expiry and time spent outside the US that may be available for recapture.

Andrews recommends beginning the H-1B extension process around six months before the petition expires, which is the earliest filing window.

The I-94 deserves particular attention because it can override what workers expect from other documents. “Check it after every entry, because CBP sometimes shortens admissions to match a passport expiration, and the I-94 controls over the approval notice,” Andrews says.

For someone who loses an H-1B job, the 60-day grace period is another critical deadline. Take the final employment date, add 60 days and compare that date with the I-94 expiry. The earlier date controls.

H-4 workers should also track their EAD expiry dates closely. Andrews advises filing renewals as early as permitted because automatic extensions for H-4 EAD renewals ended in late 2025.

For green-card applicants, the most important personal number is the priority date. That date, combined with the monthly Visa Bulletin and USCIS’s filing-chart announcement, determines when an applicant may be able to move forward.

The broader lesson is that there is no single US immigration calendar that works for everyone. Public dates such as September 15, March, April and October matter, but an individual’s I-20, EAD, I-94, H-1B petition and priority date can be even more important.

“The safest approach is to maintain a personal immigration calendar rather than wait for a deadline to appear in the news,” Andrews says.

Disclaimer: Immigration rules and procedures can change, and individual cases may have different requirements. The information in this story is for general informational purposes. Readers should verify the latest requirements with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the US Department of State or a qualified immigration attorney before taking any action.