Visa Bulletin July 2026 Alert: India EB2 & EB5 Marked 'U' — What It Means for Applicants

The July 2026 Visa Bulletin has marked the EB2 and EB5 Unreserved categories for India as 'U,' which stands for Unavailable. According to Murthy Law Firm senior attorneys, this designation means that all immigrant visa numbers allocated for the current fiscal year in those categories have been fully used up. When a category is marked 'U,' the practical consequences are significant: USCIS cannot approve pending adjustment of status (Form I-485) applications in that category, immigrant visas cannot be issued through consular processing, and new adjustment of status applications generally cannot be filed while the category remains unavailable. This situation is not permanent. The 'U' designation is tied to the annual cap on employment-based immigration visas set by Congress. A new supply of visa numbers becomes available at the start of each federal fiscal year, which begins October 1. As a result, the India EB2 and EB5 Unreserved categories are expected to reopen on October 1, 2026. For Indian nationals currently in the immigration pipeline under EB2 or EB5 Unreserved, this pause underscores the ongoing demand-vs-supply challenge in employment-based immigration. Applicants should consult with their immigration attorneys to understand how this affects their pending cases and whether any protective filings are advisable before the category closed. While this specific bulletin update pertains to EB2 and EB5 rather than EB-3, it reflects broader dynamics in the employment-based visa system that affect all preference categories, including EB-3 applicants from high-demand countries monitoring retrogression and advancement trends.