March 2026 Visa Bulletin: EB-2 Now Current for Rest of World — Key Filing Window Opens

The U.S. Department of State released the March 2026 Visa Bulletin on February 19, 2026, announcing a significant development for employment-based immigration. The EB-2 category is now listed as 'Current' on the Dates for Filing chart for Rest of World (ROW), which includes Mexico and the Philippines. This represents over a year of forward movement from February's cutoff of October 15, 2024, and USCIS has confirmed it will use the Dates for Filing chart for employment-based adjustment of status applications in March 2026. With EB-2 current on the Dates for Filing chart, eligible petitioners with an approved or pending I-140 can now file Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status) without regard to priority date. Concurrent filing of Form I-765 (Employment Authorization Document) and Form I-131 (Advance Parole) is also available, potentially accelerating access to work authorization and travel documents during the pendency of the green card application. A critical distinction remains between filing eligibility and final adjudication. While the Dates for Filing chart governs when adjustment applications can be submitted, the Final Action Dates chart controls when a green card can actually be approved or when a consular visa interview can proceed. For ROW EB-2, the Final Action Date remains October 15, 2024 — meaning permanent residency approval and consular processing are still subject to that cutoff regardless of when the I-485 is filed. Practitioners and applicants should act promptly. The removal of a priority date cutoff on the Dates for Filing chart is expected to trigger a surge in I-485 submissions, raising the likelihood of retrogression in subsequent months. Those who file during March 2026 while the category is current will preserve their place in line for final adjudication when their priority date becomes current on the Final Action Dates chart. While this bulletin focuses on EB-2, EB-3 applicants should monitor monthly bulletins closely, as category movements and fiscal year visa number consumption across preference categories can have cascading effects on wait times and retrogression risk across all employment-based preferences.