The U.S. Department of State has released the July 2026 Visa Bulletin, and the headline news is a significant setback for Indian employment-based applicants: the EB-2 (Advanced Degree / Exceptional Ability) category for India is now “Unavailable.” According to the bulletin, India’s pro-rated EB-2 annual limit has been reached, meaning no further EB-2 immigrant visa numbers will be issued to India-born applicants for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2026. Processing is expected to resume only when the new fiscal year begins in October 2026.
The pressure is not limited to EB-2. EB-5 (immigrant investor) for India has also gone unavailable, and EB-1 (Priority Workers) for India retrogressed by two months to a Final Action Date of October 15, 2022. For China-born applicants, EB-1 advanced two months to June 1, 2023, while EB-2 China holds at September 1, 2021. For all other countries (Rest of World), EB-1 and EB-2 remain Current, and EB-3 stands at August 1, 2024.
Importantly, USCIS has confirmed it will use the Final Action Dates chart for employment-based adjustment of status filings in July 2026. This means applicants already in the United States may file Form I-485 only if their priority date is earlier than the listed Final Action Date — and for India EB-2, EB-5, that window is now closed until the next fiscal year.
For the large community of Indian-born NIW and EB-2 professionals, this is a sobering reminder of how quickly visa availability can shift. Applicants with approved I-140 petitions should keep their underlying eligibility current and consult counsel about timing. Those whose priority dates are not yet current cannot file I-485 this month, but their place in line is preserved.
This development underscores the value of pursuing the strongest possible classification — such as EB-1A or a well-documented NIW — to maximize flexibility as visa numbers tighten.
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