USCIS Sets July 2026 Adjustment of Status Filing Charts for the Visa Bulletin
With the U.S. Department of State (“DOS”)’s publication of its July 2026 visa bulletin, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has decided to continue its use of the Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Adjustment of Status Applications (Chart A). Significantly, USCIS has determined that due to overwhelming demand in June, especially in the employment-based visa preference categories for India, USCIS, in conjunction with the Department of State, has retrogressed EB-1, and exhausted/made unavailable EB-2 and EB-5 (unreserved categories), while advancing EB-3 by half (1/2) month, in order to slow down the various employment-based applications for India even starting in June 2026. Meanwhile, USCIS has decided to continue to follow the Dates for Filing for Family-Sponsored Adjustment of Status Applications table (Chart B). Please refer to the sections below for specific discussions about the visa availability date movements and trends under both the employment-based immigrant visa petitions, as well as the family-based immigrant visa petitions.
A reminder again that U.S. Congress has signed into legislation H.R. 7148, which has extended the Employment Fourth Preference Certain Religious Workers (SR) Category until September 30, 2026. Furthermore, starting in the month of April 2026, and continuing into July 2026, the applicable SR Final Action date is advancing to September 15, 2022, which is another a big jump from June 2026, where it was on July 15, 2022.
Overall, the July 2026 visa bulletin does show hardly any advancements at all for any of the major countries, with one (1) major development: India has retrogressed significantly in July (starting even earlier – in June).
By maintaining hold on the Final Action Dates for employment-based adjustment of status applications (chart A) for the month of July, it does confirm the USCIS is trying hard to hold the line on the overwhelming demand for adjustment of status applications, especially for India in the employment-based preference categories. It will be interesting to see how USCIS can continue to estimate the level of demand of the various employment preference categories, and then using the initial response to decide how to plan for the rest of the fiscal year. We suggest the reader to keep monitoring this site for any updates about this matter.
And for the latest visa date advancements, U.S. Department of State (DOS) attributes that to various actions taken by the current administration to restrict immigrant visa issuances to various countries. This has resulted in various immigrant visas becoming available to sufficient prospective immigrants from other countries to use these immigrant visas. As a result, DOS has advanced the dates for filing and final action dates advanced across various immigrant visa categories. However, DOS had warned earlier that as additional immigrant visas become available, or depending on what the current administration does, there could be possible retrogression of visas later in the fiscal year in order to maintain steady visa issuance through the rest of the fiscal year 2026. That continues to be the case for India in July. This development does need continuous and frequent monitoring and DOS will make visa availability adjustments whenever necessary.
Employment-based Immigrant Visa Categories:
- As has been the case for the last few years, USCIS and the Department of State are doing their best to manage the demand and usage of employment visa numbers, while fully recognizing that there is overwhelming demand, which resulted in the visa numbers in this category being exhausted and used up in late August to early September of 2025 in the last fiscal year. Just like last fiscal year, the Department of State does expect visa numbers to be used up before the end of this latest fiscal year.
Perhaps it is for this reason that USCIS has decided to revert back to using the Final Action dates for Employment-Based Adjustment of Status Applications (Chart A) and will accept applications in all employment-based categories based on actual available visa numbers. It is hard to say how long USCIS will utilize Chart A, but it does show that USCIS is willing to exercise discretion preemptively and cut off accepting adjustment of status applications, as soon as it sees the demand for visas become tight again.
The discussions below are still focused on the actual immigrant visa availability (Chart A) because this is where the actual visa numbers will be utilized for each month in the Fiscal Year 2026.
- Employment-based first preference category (EB-1) (in the Final Action Dates table):
- There is retrogression in the EB-1 cutoff dates for July for India, while for China and the rest of the world, the date is either advancing or remains ‘Current’. For India, the visa availability date retrogressed to October 15, 2022. It was on December 15, 2022 in the June 2026 visa bulletin.
- China’s visa cutoff date also advanced to June 1, 2023.
- Meanwhile, for ‘World’, and Mexico, and Philippines, EB-1 continues to be Current/Available.
- Employment-based second preference category (EB-2)(in the Final Action Dates table):
- The visa availability date for EB-2 for India significantly retrogressed and in the end, DOS had to make EB-2 India visa category closed and no longer available. New visa numbers will become available at the start of Fiscal Year 2027 on and after October 1, 2026. It will be interesting to see whether there will be any further retrogressions in the coming months. This certainly is a category that needs further monitoring.
- For ’s visa preference category: The visa availability date stays on September 1, 2021.
- There were also no changes for Mexico (it continues to remain Current), and the Philippines (it remains Current as well), and no changes for the World: they all remain Current as well.
As this is considered towards the end stage in the Fiscal Year 2026, it will be interesting to see how much more movement (advancement or further retrogression), there will be in the coming months. This is an area that certainly needs continuous monitoring.
- Employment-based third preference category (EB-3) (in the Final Action Dates table):
- EB-3 India’s visa availability date advances to January 1, 2014. It will be interesting to see how EB-3 dates progress in the upcoming months of fiscal year 2026, especially with significant retrogression the EB-1 and the non-availability of EB-2 India.
- EB-3 China’s visa availability date moved ahead to December 22, 2021.
- EB-3 world’s visa availability date move slightly ahead to August 1, 2024. Meanwhile, the dates for Mexico (moved ahead to July 2025) and the Philippines remains on August 1, 2023.
- In the EB-3 Other Workers (EW) category, there was some movement for some of the countries. For India, it advances to December 15, 2013. China’s date also advanced to April 1, 2019. Mexico’s date stays on February 1, 2022, while the Philippines stays on November 1, 2021. And for the ‘World’ chargeability it stays on February 1, 2022.
- Employment-based fourth preference category (EB-4):
- In the month of July 2026, the U.S. Department of State has continued to make visas available for all countries with the date of September 15, 2022.
- In the meantime, the Employment Fourth Preference Certain Religious Workers (SR) category is now available through September 30, 2026, thanks to recent U.S. Congressional action. The visa availability date has advanced to September 15, 2022 for all countries. This date was the result of the category immediately becoming available on February 3, 2026, and it is subject to the same final action dates as the other Employment Fourth Preference categories that are based on foreign state of chargeability.
- Employment-based fifth preference category (EB-5) (referring to the Final Action Date chart):
- There is continuously great demand and numbers usage by applicants from India and China. And because of high demand, the Department of State has made the EB-5 unreserved category to be ‘Unavailable’ for India for the remainder of the Fiscal Year 2026.
- For China, the date also advances to December 1, 2016. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here and at least in the next few months.
- For the other countries, and the rest of the world, the visa continues to be Current/Available for the nationals from those countries and regions. It will also be interesting how this category progresses in the upcoming year.
- On the EB-5 immigrant investor visa category, a reminder once again to readers that DOS’s visa bulletin for EB-5 preference category has also been updated to reflect the new provisions of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act (RIA).
- It now has two (2) pools of visa numbers within the EB-5 category. One is reserved for certain set-aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure projects), while the remaining available numbers remain ‘unreserved’.
- Finally, in the Final Action Dates chart for EB5 Set Asides (which covers Rural, and High Unemployment, and Infrastructure areas) for Chinese born and Indian born applicants as well as applicants from around the world continue to remain ‘Current’.
Family-based Immigrant Visa Categories (with discussions also touching on the Final Action Dates table):
- A reminder that DOS continues to use the Dates for Filing for Family-Sponsored Adjustment of Status Applications chart.
- But in connection with the actual Final Action Dates table which is the actual visa availability date table to look at, and starting in June 2023, due to the steady usage of the F2A – Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents – DOS had to set a final action date for this category in order to maintain steady availability of this particular visa category for the upcoming months.
- For the month of July 2026, there is some interesting movement across the board and for all countries, including for India.
- So, in the Final Action Date for F-1 visa preference category (unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens)– India, the date stays on February 1, 2018.
- As for F-2A - India for the July 2026 visa bulletin, it stays on January 1, 2025. Other countries also remain unchanged and there were no movements ahead: China stayed on January 1, 2025, and so does the World. And for Mexico, the date stayed on January 1, 2024. Philippines also stayed on January 1, 2025. As for Mexico, their visa availability also remained on January 1, 2024.
- As early as back in the August 2023 visa bulletin, the DOS had also explained that the F2B – Unmarried Son and Daughters (21 years of age or older) of Permanent Resident, is experiencing steady usage throughout the years.
- However, for the latest July 2026 visa bulletin, U.S. Department of State has largely held its numbers in F2B:
- India does move ahead to November 22, 2017.
- China also advances to November 22, 2017.
- The rest of the world also advances to November 22, 2017
- Mexico stays on February 15, 2009, and the Philippines moved ahead to May 15, 2013.
- There was some movement in the F-3 dates though (Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. citizens):
- India – moved ahead to April 15, 2012
- China – April 15, 2012 advanced.
- The rest of the world also moved ahead to April 15, 2012.
- Mexico advanced by one month to June 1, 2001.
- The Philippines advanced to February 22, 2006.
- In the F-4 (brother and sister of U.S. citizen) category, dates did move a little for July 2026 (brother or sister of U.S. citizen):
- India – stays on November 1, 2006
- China – moves ahead to January 1, 2009
- The rest of the world also advances to January 1, 2009
- Mexico stays the same on April 8, 2001
- The Philippines moves ½ month ahead to August 1, 2007
Even past the mid-way mark of the Fiscal Year 2026, and approaching the end of the Fiscal Year 2026, the U.S. Department of State is still doing its best to try and keep the various employment-based and family-based visa numbers in steady movement and to not have the visa numbers be used up too quickly. But with still high demand for these visas, Department of State will continue to be cautious in how it sets its monthly visa number goals, especially for India, which saw significant retrogressions in the EB-1 and the non-availability of EB-2 visa category for Indian nationals through September 30, 2026.
In the next few months, it will be unusual to see the visa availability dates experience some fluctuations and stagnations, especially as we move closer towards the end of the fiscal year 2026. This is the period of time that we advise readers to keep their eyes out for any changes in this visa bulletin.
For this key reason, we do encourage readers to check in this space regularly for any further updates.