Visa Bulletin July 2026: India EB-2 Goes Unavailable, EB-3 Advances for Most Countries

The U.S. Department of State released the July 2026 Visa Bulletin, introducing significant changes across employment-based immigrant visa categories. The most consequential development is that the EB-2 category for India-born applicants has become unavailable (U) for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, meaning USCIS will not process these applications until the new fiscal year begins in October 2026. For EB-3 applicants, the news is generally positive. Final action dates have advanced for all countries except the Philippines, which remains frozen at August 1, 2023. This forward movement means more EB-3 workers will become eligible to complete the final step of the permanent residency process in July. The EB-3 row now shows dates of January 1, 2014, for India and August 1, 2023, for the Philippines, with most other countries at August 1, 2024. In the EB-1 category, China-mainland dates advanced by one month while India retrogressed by two months. All other EB-1 countries remain current. The EB-4 category, including Certain Religious Workers, advanced from July 15, 2022, to September 15, 2022, with the religious workers sub-category reappearing on the chart following a program extension through September 30, 2026. USCIS confirmed it will continue accepting employment-based adjustment of status filings based on the Final Action Dates for Filing Chart in July 2026. This is an important procedural note: applicants must ensure their priority date is earlier than the applicable final action date before filing Form I-485. Applicants with pending India EB-2 cases should consult with their immigration counsel about strategic options, including whether a downgrade to EB-3 may be viable. EB-3 applicants from most countries should review their priority dates against the July 2026 chart to determine whether they may now be eligible to file or complete their green card applications.