June 2026 Visa Bulletin Out: EB-3 Dates Retrogressed for India

The Department of State has published the June 2026 Visa Bulletin, and it contains significant negative news for India-chargeability EB-3 applicants: final action dates have retrogressed, meaning priority dates have moved backward compared to the previous month. Retrogression occurs when USCIS and the State Department determine that demand for immigrant visas in a given category exceeds the available supply for that fiscal year. When this happens, the cutoff date moves earlier, temporarily making previously eligible applicants ineligible to file for adjustment of status or receive an immigrant visa. For India-born EB-3 applicants, this retrogression represents a continued challenge in an already lengthy backlog. India faces some of the most severe per-country backlogs in the employment-based preference system due to high demand relative to the 7% per-country annual cap on green cards. Applicants who had been preparing to file or were expecting visa availability should check the official June 2026 Visa Bulletin on travel.state.gov to confirm their specific priority date and category status. Those whose priority dates are now beyond the new cutoff will need to wait for dates to advance again in a future bulletin. EB-3 applicants from India are advised to consult with their immigration attorneys to understand how this retrogression affects their individual timelines and whether any alternative strategies — such as porting to a different preference category — may be available.