EB-3 Priority Date April 2026 Visa Bulletin: Key Cutoff Dates & Country Limits

The Department of State has released the April 2026 Visa Bulletin (Number 13, Volume XI), detailing immigrant visa availability for employment-based and family-sponsored preference categories. The bulletin provides both 'Final Action Dates' and 'Dates for Filing Applications,' which determine when applicants can submit adjustment of status applications or proceed through consular processing. For fiscal year 2026, the worldwide employment-based preference limit stands at a minimum of 140,000 visas, while family-sponsored preference visas are capped at 226,000. The per-country limit is set at 7% of the combined annual limits, equating to 25,620 visas per country — a critical constraint for high-demand nationalities. Four countries remain classified as oversubscribed chargeability areas: China (mainland born), India, Mexico, and the Philippines. EB-3 applicants from these countries face significantly longer wait times due to demand exceeding the per-country numerical limits. Visa allocations for April were made in chronological priority date order based on demand received by March 4, 2026. EB-3 applicants are advised to monitor the USCIS website at uscis.gov/visabulletininfo to confirm whether 'Final Action Dates' or 'Dates for Filing' charts apply for adjustment of status filings in a given month. USCIS may authorize use of the more favorable 'Dates for Filing' chart when annual visa supply exceeds known applicant demand. Applicants with approved I-140 petitions should compare their priority dates against the published cutoffs to determine eligibility to proceed. Those in oversubscribed countries — particularly India and China — should review the specific EB-3 final action dates carefully, as retrogression remains possible if demand surges.