July 2026 Visa Bulletin: EB-1 India Retrogresses, EB-2 India Unavailable, EB-3 Advances

The U.S. Department of State has released the July 2026 Visa Bulletin, delivering mixed news for employment-based applicants. India-born EB-1 applicants face a significant setback as their Final Action Date retrogresses 2 months to October 15, 2022. More critically, EB-2 India and EB-5 India (unreserved) have been designated unavailable for July, meaning no adjustment of status filings or immigrant visa issuances will be processed for those categories this month. For EB-3 applicants, July brings cautious optimism. EB-3 India advances 2.4 weeks to January 1, 2014, and EB-3 China makes a stronger jump of 4.7 months to December 22, 2021. Worldwide and Mexico EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers see a 2-month advance to August 1, 2024, continuing a trend of forward movement in this category. EB-4 Special Immigrants and Religious Workers advance 2 months to September 15, 2022 across all countries. For adjustment of status purposes, USCIS will use the Dates for Filing Chart for family-sponsored categories and the Final Action Dates Chart for employment-based categories. Family categories show moderate movement, with F-1 Worldwide advancing 5 months to February 1, 2018 and F-2B and F-4 categories also posting gains. India-born applicants in the EB-2 and EB-5 categories should halt any planned July filings for adjustment of status. EB-3 India and China applicants should verify their priority dates against the updated Final Action Dates to confirm eligibility. Practitioners advise monitoring the August bulletin closely, as retrogression events in one month are sometimes partially reversed the following month.