The U.S. Department of State has released its Visa Bulletin for July 2026, and for the third consecutive month USCIS will require employment-based (EB) adjustment-of-status applicants to use the more restrictive Final Action Dates chart rather than the Dates for Filing chart.
For the popular EB-2 category, the Rest of the World, Mexico, and the Philippines remain Current, meaning eligible applicants in those chargeability areas can file or have their green cards adjudicated without a backlog. EB-2 China holds steady at a September 1, 2021 priority date, while EB-2 India has retrogressed to Unavailable for July — a significant setback for Indian-born professionals waiting in that category.
In the EB-3 category, there was modest forward movement: China EB-3 advanced to December 22, 2021, India EB-3 inched forward to January 1, 2014, the Philippines held at August 1, 2023, and the Rest of the World and Mexico moved to August 1, 2024.
The continued use of Final Action Dates for employment-based filings means many applicants whose priority dates are not yet current will need to wait before they can submit Form I-485. Applicants in all family-sponsored categories, by contrast, may use the Dates for Filing chart in July.
For high-skilled immigrants pursuing the EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) or EB-1A, the bulletin is a reminder that priority-date movement remains volatile, especially for India and China. Filing a strong I-140 petition early secures your priority date even when final action dates retrogress, preserving your place in line for when the categories advance again.
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Source: U.S. Department of State – Visa Bulletin (lead via r/USCIS)