Visa Bulletin July 2026: EB-3 Advances While India EB-2 Goes Unavailable

The U.S. Department of State has released the July 2026 Visa Bulletin, bringing a mixed picture for employment-based applicants. Notably, India's EB-2 category has become 'unavailable,' meaning no new applications in that category can be filed until it reopens. India's EB-1 cutoff date also retrogresses to October 15, 2022, while China's EB-1 moves slightly forward to June 1, 2023. For EB-3 applicants, the bulletin brings broadly positive news. India's EB-3 cutoff date advances to January 1, 2014, and China's EB-3 moves forward to December 22, 2021. All other countries of chargeability see their EB-3 cutoff date advance to August 1, 2024 — a meaningful step forward for applicants from non-oversubscribed countries. In the EB-3 Other Workers subcategory, India also advances to January 1, 2014, while all other countries (excluding China, which remains at April 1, 2019) progress to March 1, 2022. These advances suggest continued visa number availability for skilled and unskilled worker categories outside the heavily backlogged India and China queues. The EB-4 category advances its cutoff to September 15, 2022 across all chargeability areas. The EB-4 religious workers program has been renewed through September 30, 2026, but Congress must act by that deadline to prevent it from becoming unavailable. On the EB-5 side, India's unreserved category joins EB-2 in becoming unavailable, while China's unreserved EB-5 cutoff advances to December 1, 2016. EB-3 applicants from countries other than India and China should take note of the forward movement and consult with their attorneys about eligibility to file under the dates for action (Chart B) if USCIS accepts it for July. The India EB-2 unavailability is a significant development for that community and warrants prompt review of alternative pathways.