February 2026 Visa Bulletin: EB-3 Worldwide Advances, Other EB Categories See Limited Movement

The U.S. Department of State has released the February 2026 Visa Bulletin, which governs the availability of immigrant visas for employment-based preference categories this month. While most employment-based categories saw limited forward movement, the EB-3 Worldwide category recorded a meaningful advance, offering some relief to skilled workers, professionals, and unskilled workers from countries not subject to per-country backlog. For EB-3 applicants chargeability to Worldwide (i.e., not born in India, China, Mexico, or the Philippines), the priority date cutoff moved forward, potentially allowing more applicants to file adjustment of status applications or proceed to consular processing. This positive movement reflects the current visa number allocation and demand patterns tracked by the State Department. Other employment-based categories, including EB-1, EB-2, and country-specific EB-3 backlogs (notably India and China), experienced minimal or no advancement. Applicants in these heavily oversubscribed categories should continue to monitor monthly bulletins and consult with their immigration attorneys regarding any impact on their cases. Applicants are advised to confirm whether USCIS has designated the Dates for Filing chart or the Final Action Dates chart as controlling for adjustment of status filings, as this determination is made monthly and affects eligibility to submit Form I-485.