April 2026 Visa Bulletin Shows Significant Forward Movement Across EB Categories

The U.S. Department of State released the April 2026 Visa Bulletin, showing significant forward movement across most employment-based preference categories. USCIS confirmed it will continue accepting adjustment of status filings based on the Dates for Filing chart throughout April 2026, providing additional filing opportunities for eligible applicants. For EB-3 applicants, the Final Action Dates chart shows advancement for all countries except India and Philippines. The EB-3 Final Action Date for all chargeability areas (excluding oversubscribed countries) moved to June 1, 2024, while the Philippines advanced to August 1, 2023. China's EB-3 Final Action Date advanced to June 15, 2021. India's EB-3 date remains at November 15, 2013 with no movement on the Final Action chart. On the Dates for Filing chart, EB-3 India made a notable advance to January 15, 2015, enabling earlier-priority-date Indian nationals to submit adjustment of status applications even if their final action date has not yet been reached. All other countries remain current on the EB-3 Dates for Filing chart, and Philippines saw no movement. The State Department cautioned that the forward movement is partly attributable to a pause in immigrant visa processing for certain nationalities. Officials warned that increased demand or future policy shifts could require retrogression later in the fiscal year to stay within annual visa issuance limits. Applicants and employers should consult with immigration counsel to evaluate eligibility under both the Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing charts, and to prepare filings before any potential retrogression occurs.