The August 2026 Visa Bulletin reflects limited forward movement in a few categories, namely EB-2 and EB-3 China, and EB-3 Worldwide.
The Department of State has indicated that visa number demand continues to remain high across several employment-based categories, and visa availability may become restricted before the end of FY 2026 if annual or per-country limits are reached. Specifically, the EB-1 India category faces a risk of becoming unavailable in the coming weeks due to strong demand and usage approaching India’s allocation, while the EB-2 category may experience retrogression or become unavailable in the coming months if demand continues at current levels. The Department of State is closely monitoring visa number usage and will make any necessary adjustments to the Visa Bulletin as needed to remain within statutory limits. Applicants with pending or upcoming filings should continue to monitor Visa Bulletin developments closely, as future movement may impact case processing timelines and filing eligibility.
As of the date of this alert, USCIS has indicated they will accept adjustment of status applications pursuant to Final Action (Chart A) for the employment-based preference filings in August 2026. For more information, please visit the USCIS website.
Final Action Dates (Chart A):
China:
- EB-1: Advances 1 month with a cut-off date of July 1, 2023.
- EB-2: Remains unchanged with a cut-off date of September 1, 2021.
- EB-3: Advances 10 days with a cut-off date of January 1, 2022.
India:
- EB-1: Remains unchanged with a cut-off date of October 15, 2022.
- EB-2: Unavailable for the remainder of FY 2026, annual limits will reset with the start of the new fiscal year (FY 2027) on October 1, 2026
- EB-3: Remains unchanged with a cut-off date of January 1, 2014.
Others:
- EB-1: Current for all countries except China and India.
- EB-2: Current for all countries except China and India.
- EB-3: Worldwide (All Other) advances 1 month with a cut-off date of September 1, 2024.
Dates for Filing (Chart B):
China:
- EB-1: Remains unchanged with a cut-off date of December 1, 2023.
- EB-2: Remains unchanged with a cut-off date of January 1, 2022.
- EB-3: Advances 7 days with a cut-off date of January 8, 2022.
India:
- EB-1: Remains unchanged with a cut-off date of December 1, 2023.
- EB-2: Remains unchanged with a cut-off date of January 15, 2015.
- EB-3: Remains unchanged with a cut-off date of January 15, 2015.
Others:
- EB-1: Current for all countries except China and India.
- EB-2: Current for all countries except China and India.
- EB-3: Current for all countries except China, India, and Philippines (cut-off date: January 1, 2024).
Looking Forward
Individuals who are current should contact EIG to begin work on their Adjustment of Status case(s). If you already have an AOS pending with USCIS, it will not be adjudicated until the Final Action date becomes current.
The EIG team closely monitors changes to the monthly visa bulletin and determines the best action plan for each case. We will reach out to individuals whose priority date will be current next month to initiate the next step of the green card process.
For more information about the Visa Bulletin, we’ve summarized and answered frequently asked questions here. We encourage you to read this article to better understand what your priority date means.
The complete Visa Bulletin for August 2026 can be found here.