The July 2026 Visa Bulletin reflects mixed movement across the employment-based categories, with advancement in EB-1 China and EB-3 China and India, slight retrogression and unavailability in certain India categories, and limited forward movement elsewhere. Notably, EB-1 India retrogresses while EB-2 India becomes unavailable ahead of the fiscal year reset, signaling continued pressure on visa number usage. Section E of the visa bulletin attributes these developments to sustained high demand in EB-1 India while highlighting ongoing demand in China driving steady but cautious advancement, with the potential for future corrective action if visa number usage remains elevated.
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 July 2026. For more information, please visit the USCIS website.
Final Action Dates (Chart A):
China:
- EB-1: Advances 2 months with a cut-off date of June 1, 2023.
- EB-2: Remains unchanged with a cut-off date of September 1, 2021.
- EB-3: Advances 4 months 21 days with a cut-off date of December 22, 2021.
India:
- EB-1: Retrogresses 2 months 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: Advances 17 days 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 2 months with a cut-off date of August 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: Remains unchanged with a cut-off date of January 1, 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.