The U.S. Department of State has released the July 2026 Visa Bulletin, and it carries significant news for employment-based green card applicants — especially those born in India.
EB-2 India is now “Unavailable” for the rest of Fiscal Year 2026. The State Department reports that India’s pro-rated EB-2 limit has been exhausted, so no further EB-2 immigrant visa numbers will be issued to India-born applicants until the new fiscal year begins on October 1, 2026. For Indian EB-2 cases — including National Interest Waiver (NIW) petitions — this means no adjustment-of-status applications can be approved on an EB-2 India basis until at least October. The Department signals that the EB-2 India Final Action Date is expected to advance to roughly May 2026 in October, though that is demand-dependent and not guaranteed.
EB-1 India retrogressed two months, moving backward from December 15, 2022 to October 15, 2022, as heavy demand from Indian EB-1 applicants forced the cutoff back to stay within the annual limit. The State Department warns that further EB-1 retrogression is possible before the fiscal year ends. EB-5 Unreserved India also became unavailable, while EB-3 saw the most favorable movement, with Final Action Dates advancing across all chargeability areas — including modest forward movement for India.
Chart usage for July 2026: All employment-based categories must use the Final Action Dates (Chart A), and USCIS has confirmed it will honor employment-based Final Action Dates this month. Family-sponsored applicants in the U.S. should use the Dates for Filing chart. On the family side, F1 advanced about three months for most countries, F2B moved forward roughly 2.5 months, F4 advanced just over two months, and F2A remains Current across all countries.
What it means for applicants: If you are an India-born EB-2 or EB-2 NIW applicant, your priority date may have been current last month but cannot be used to obtain a green card for the remainder of FY 2026. Continue maintaining valid status, keep your I-140 and underlying nonimmigrant status in order, and watch the August and September bulletins. Applicants in EB-3 and most other categories should review whether they are now eligible to file or to receive final approval.
Always confirm cutoff dates against the official bulletin before taking action.
Need help with your immigration petition? Visit QuickFiling.us for AI-guided NIW and EB-1A petition preparation.
Source: U.S. Department of State — July 2026 Visa Bulletin (via Reddit r/USCIS & LinkedIn)