EB-3 July 2026 Visa Bulletin Priority Date Update: June 2026 Final Action Dates Released

The U.S. Department of State has published the June 2026 Visa Bulletin (Volume XI, Number 15), outlining immigrant visa number availability for the month. The bulletin governs both consular processing and I-485 adjustment of status filings, with USCIS determining whether applicants may use the more favorable 'Dates for Filing' chart or must rely on the stricter 'Final Action Dates' chart. For fiscal year 2026, the worldwide employment-based preference immigrant limit stands at a minimum of 140,000 visas. The per-country annual limit is set at 7% of total family-sponsored and employment-based preference allocations combined, equating to 25,620 visas per country. Oversubscribed chargeability areas currently include China-mainland born, India, Mexico, and the Philippines — countries most affected by per-country caps in EB-3 categories. Allocations were made in chronological priority date order based on demand received by May 4th. If a category became oversubscribed, the final action date was set to the priority date of the first applicant who could not be accommodated within numerical limits. EB-3 applicants, particularly from high-demand countries like India and China, should monitor these dates closely as retrogressions can pause I-485 filing eligibility. EB-3 applicants are advised to check USCIS's official visa bulletin information page (uscis.gov/visabulletininfo) to confirm whether the 'Dates for Filing' chart is authorized for adjustment of status filings each month. This distinction can significantly impact when applicants may submit their I-485 packages, potentially allowing earlier filing even when a visa number is not immediately available.