Visa Bulletin August 2026 Prediction: EB-3 India Advances, EB-2 India Stays Unavailable
A community member's predictive model forecasts August 2026 Visa Bulletin cutoffs before official release. EB-3 India is expected to advance to Jan 31, 2014, while EB-2 India remains Unavailable after hitting the annual limit in July.
A Reddit user who maintains a predictive model for Visa Bulletin cutoffs has published their August 2026 forecast ahead of the official State Department release, expected within approximately one week. The post is framed as a transparency exercise — logging predictions before the bulletin drops rather than selectively citing results afterward.
For EB-3 India applicants, the model predicts a modest one-month advancement to a final action date of January 31, 2014. This incremental movement reflects the persistent, slow-paced progress that characterizes heavily oversubscribed employment-based categories for India-born applicants.
EB-2 India is projected to remain Unavailable for August 2026, a consequence of the per-country annual numeric limit having been exhausted in July. The filing date is held at January 15, 2015. Applicants in this category are advised to monitor the October 1 fiscal year reset, which typically restores availability as a new annual allocation begins.
The EB-2 and EB-3 China predictions were not fully captured in the available content, but the overall forecast signals continued tight supply across high-demand categories. EB-3 applicants from other countries (rest of world) typically face significantly shorter waits and are less affected by these per-country cap dynamics.
For EB-3 India applicants currently in the pipeline, this prediction suggests minimal movement in August. Priority date holders near the January 2014 cutoff should verify their dates against the official August bulletin upon release and consult their attorneys regarding interview scheduling or I-485 filing eligibility.
For the first time since April 2026, worldwide EB-2 has a cutoff date in the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, with a Final Action Date of January 1, 2025. USCIS designated the Dates for Filing chart for October, creating three distinct applicant positions based on priority date.
The October 2026 Visa Bulletin retrogresses EB-3 for All Chargeability Areas and Mexico, with USCIS using the Dates for Filing chart. India EB-3 remains stuck at January 15, 2015.
The long-delayed October 2026 Visa Bulletin has been released, marking the start of FY2027. While some Indian nationals see modest green card relief from fresh annual quotas, EB-3 and EB-2 India face retrogression, pushing priority dates backward.