July 2026 Visa Bulletin: Key Changes and What They Mean for Your Green Card 

The July 2026 Visa Bulletin brings continued good news for EB-2 applicants from most countries. EB-2 remains Current on the Final Action Dates chart for all countries, except India and China. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has designated the Final Action Dates chart, not the Dates for Filing chart, as the operative chart for employment-based adjustment of status filings this month.  

That designation means eligible Rest of World applicants with an approved Form I-140 can file Form I-485 now. Green cards can be approved during this window, though the timing of any specific case depends on USCIS processing. 

At the same time, India EB-2 has closed for the remainder of the fiscal year after reaching its pro-rated annual limit. India EB-1 has retrogressed due to high demand, and the bulletin warns that further retrogression or an unavailable designation may follow if India’s pro-rated EB-1 limit is reached before the fiscal year ends on September 30.  

July 2026 Employment-Based Final Action Dates 

The table below reflects the July 2026 Final Action Dates for the employment-based preference categories. In this bulletin, EB-2 functions as a single second-preference category for priority date purposes and includes both EB-2 PERM and EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) cases. 

Category	All (Rest of World)	China	India	Philippines
EB-1 (1st)	Current	01 JUN 2023	15 OCT 2022	Current
EB-2 (2nd)	Current	01 SEP 2021	Unavailable	Current
EB-3 (3rd)	01 AUG 2024	22 DEC 2021	01 JAN 2014	01 AUG 2023
Other Workers	01 MAR 2022	01 APR 2019	01 JAN 2014	01 DEC 2021
EB-4 (4th)	15 SEP 2022	15 SEP 2022	15 SEP 2022	15 SEP 2022
EB-5 Unreserved	Current	01 DEC 2016	Unavailable	Current
EB-5 Rural (Set-Aside)	Current	Current	Current	Current
EB-5 High Unemployment (Set-Aside)	Current	Current	Current	Current
EB-5 Infrastructure (Set-Aside)	Current	Current	Current	Current

Source: U.S. Department of State, July 2026 Visa Bulletin, Volume XI, Number 16.

EB-2 Is Current: What It Means If You Are Inside the U.S. 

If you are in the United States in a valid nonimmigrant status such as H-1B, O-1, L-1, F-1, or E-2, the July bulletin keeps the green card filing window open. EB-2 being Current on the Final Action Dates chart means an eligible applicant with an approved or pending Form I-140 can file Form I-485 to adjust status now.  

Where eligibility allows, the I-140 and I-485 can be filed together. Concurrent filing also covers EB-2 NIW cases, which waive the job offer and PERM labor certification requirements and can be either self-sponsored or employer-sponsored.  

The chart designation matters here, and USCIS has confirmed it. For July 2026, USCIS requires the use of the Final Action Dates chart for all employment-based adjustment of status filings. That is the chart that controls both when an application can be filed and when a green card can actually be approved. With a Current category, the full pipeline is open from filing through final decision, though final approval still depends on USCIS review. 

Once your I-485 application is filed and accepted, you may apply for a work permit (EAD) and travel permission (Advance Parole) while your green card case is pending. If visa numbers later become unavailable for your category, USCIS may not be able to approve your green card application right away. However, your case can remain pending, and your priority date does not change. In most cases, any approved work permit or travel document can continue to be used until it expires, as long as your I-485 remains pending and no other issue affects your eligibility. 

What It Means If You Are Outside the U.S. 

For applicants processing through a U.S. consulate abroad, a Current Final Action Date affects when an immigrant visa can be issued, not just when documents can be submitted. With EB-2 Current for the Rest of World, no priority date backlog is holding up consular cases this month. The I-140 petition, USCIS adjudication, and National Visa Center (NVC) preparation can all move forward now.  

For consular cases, the Final Action Dates chart governs visa issuance, while the Dates for Filing chart governs when the NVC invites an applicant to submit documents. Having a case documentarily ready positions an applicant to move while a number is available. Consular interview slots are finite, and the fiscal year ends on September 30, so the practical runway is real even when the date itself reads Current.  

Country-specific consular processing restrictions apply to some nationals. Anyone processing abroad should confirm current consular status with counsel before moving forward.  

India EB-2 Unavailable for the Rest of FY2026: What Changed for India and China 

The country-specific news in July is concentrated in India. The table below summarizes what changed from June to July. 

Category	June 2026	July 2026	Status
EB-2 India	01 SEP 2013	Unavailable	Now closed for FY2026
EB-1 India	15 DEC 2022	15 OCT 2022	Retrogressed
EB-5 Unreserved India	01 MAY 2022	Unavailable	Now closed for FY2026
EB-2 China	01 SEP 2021	01 SEP 2021	Unchanged, retrogression warned
EB-1 China	01 APR 2023	01 JUN 2023	Advanced
EB-3 Philippines	01 AUG 2023	01 AUG 2023	Unchanged, retrogression warned

India EB-2 is now Unavailable for the remainder of fiscal year 2026. This closure is a hard stop, not a retrogression. The annual EB-2 limit for India has been reached, so no immigrant numbers are available in this category through September 30.  

The bulletin notes it is likely the category will reopen in October, the start of fiscal year 2027, at least to the date published in the May 2026 bulletin. The word the Department of State uses is “likely,” not “will,” so the reopening date is not guaranteed. For Indian nationals reading this, the practical takeaway is that EB-2 NIW will not produce a green card before October at the earliest. 

India EB-1 retrogressed to October 15, 2022. The bulletin explicitly warns that further retrogression, or an unavailable designation, may follow before the fiscal year ends. India EB-5 Unreserved has also become unavailable for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, with a likely October reopening tied to at least the June 2026 date.  

China EB-2 holds at September 1, 2021, and the bulletin warns that retrogression or unavailability is possible in the coming months as demand builds. China EB-1 moved forward to June 1, 2023, with no retrogression in July, though it remains worth monitoring.  

The Philippines received a similar warning. EB-3 Philippines holds at August 1, 2023, but the bulletin flags possible retrogression as demand presses against the annual limit.  

The End-of-Fiscal-Year Clock 

Fiscal year 2026 ends on September 30, 2026. EB-2 has stayed Current for the Rest of World across May, June, and July, with USCIS applying the Final Action Dates chart each month. We tracked the June movement, including India’s EB-1 and EB-2 retrogression, in our June 2026 Visa Bulletin analysis. 

Visa numbers are finite, and the bulletin itself notes that retrogression may become necessary in the upcoming months to keep issuances within annual limits. The bulletin also states that categories can become unavailable before year-end if limits are reached, which is exactly what happened to India EB-2 and India EB-5 Unreserved.  

The Current status for the Rest of World is a real opportunity, but it is not guaranteed to last through the end of the fiscal year. In recent years, a comparable Rest of World window closed within months once fiscal-year demand caught up. 

Frequently Asked Questions

I’m an Indian national. Does India EB-2 being unavailable affect my pending I-140? 

No. Your I-140 petition is separate from visa number availability. India EB-2 being unavailable means no green card can be issued in that category for the rest of fiscal year 2026, but it does not cancel a pending or approved I-140. Your petition and priority date stay intact, and an I-485 filed during a current period is preserved. The realistic question is timing, which is worth reviewing with counsel given the bulletin’s warning that further movement is possible.  

EB-2 says “Current.” Does that mean I can file Form I-485 right now? 

For Rest of World applicants, often yes. Current on the Final Action Dates chart means there is no priority date cutoff this month, so an eligible applicant with an approved I-140 can file Form I-485, or file concurrently where allowed. Current does not by itself guarantee a specific approval date, since adjudication still depends on USCIS review. A Current designation does mean your category is eligible for both filing and final action while the window is open.  

What’s the difference between the Final Action Date and the Date for Filing? 

Your Next Step

At Colombo & Hurd, we help professionals read each Visa Bulletin in context and decide when to file. For those weighing an EB-2 NIW filing this month, our team offers a free EB-2 NIW profile evaluation to help you understand your position before filing. 

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