Key immigration dates & deadlines
The recurring U.S. immigration deadlines that matter, counted down from today, with the official source for each. Missing a window can cost you a full year, so we surface them early. This is timing, not legal or tax advice.
Reviewed Oct 30, 2026. Deadlines are checked against the official source for each. Dates set by an agency can move; always confirm on the linked government page before relying on one.
Open comment periods
Proposed rules, not in force. Anyone may comment on the federal docket until the deadline the document sets.
- Optional Practical Training Fees
Proposed Oct 8, 2026 · comments due Nov 9, 2026 · docket ICEB-2026-0100
- Eliminating the Discretionary 60-Day Grace Period
Proposed Sep 11, 2026 · comments due Nov 10, 2026 · docket USCIS-2026-0364
Every deadline, counted down
Sorted soonest-first. Recurring monthly or per-person items are listed last.
- RecurringH-1B
H-1B electronic registration
USCIS opens the H-1B cap registration window in early March for at least 14 calendar days (about two weeks). Miss it and you wait a full year for the next lottery.
- RecurringTaxes
Federal tax filing deadline
Individual returns are due April 15. This includes nonresident (1040-NR) returns for many F-1 and J-1 visa holders. File or request an extension by this date.
IRS: Tax deadlines ↗Get help:Sprintax - Dates set by the State Department · check the official pageGreen card
Diversity Visa (green-card) lottery
The State Department sets each year's entry period and announces it on its official DV page. It deferred the opening of the DV-2027 entry period, and entries now need a valid, unexpired passport and a $1 registration fee. Confirm current dates on the official page; no date is shown here until one is announced.
- RecurringH-1B
New fiscal year: H-1B start date
October 1 begins the federal fiscal year: cap-subject H-1B employment can start and a fresh set of visa numbers becomes available.
- Released monthly · around mid-monthGreen card
Visa Bulletin
The State Department publishes priority-date movement for family- and employment-based green cards. Check it the moment it drops to see if your date is current.
- Per student · up to 90 days before graduationStudents
F-1 OPT application window
Post-completion OPT can be filed from 90 days before your program end date to 60 days after. Apply early. USCIS processing can take months.
Dates recur each year; exact windows (H-1B registration, the DV lottery, the Visa Bulletin) are set by the agency annually, so always confirm with the official source. Not legal or tax advice. Links marked “affiliate” may earn us a commission; the others earn us nothing. How this works →