Limited Movement with Critical Warnings for India, China, and Philippines 

The July 2026 Visa Bulletin reflects modest advancement in several worldwide and China categories, but delivers significant negative news for India, with the EB-2 category now fully unavailable and EB-1 retrogressing further, while also flagging looming retrogression risks for China EB-2 and Philippines EB-3. 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has mandated use of the Final Action Dates (FAD) chart for all employment-based adjustment of status filings for July 2026. 

The table below provides a comparison of the June, and July 2026 Final Action Dates for the first three employment-based immigrant categories, highlighting the net change in visa availability: 

Key Developments in the July 2026 Bulletin

India EB-2: Now Fully Unavailable 

Due to exhaustion of all India’s pro-rated EB-2 limit for FY 2026, the category is now marked “Unavailable” for the remainder of the fiscal year. Applicants chargeable to India in EB-2 cannot file for adjustment of status with USCIS or an immigrant visa with the State Department until the new fiscal year begins in October. The State Department has indicated it is likely that in October the final action date will advance to at least the date announced in the May 2026 Visa Bulletin, though this remains dependent on demand and FY 2027 annual limits. 

India EB-1: Continued Retrogression 

High demand from Indian nationals in the EB-1 category has forced a further retrogression of the final action date from 15DEC22 (June) to 15OCT22 (July)—a 2-month rollback. The State Department has warned that additional retrogression, or even category unavailability, may be necessary before the end of the fiscal year if India’s pro-rated EB-1 limit is reached. 

Worldwide and China EB-3: Notable Advancement 

The July bulletin brings positive news for worldwide chargeability and China in the EB-3 category. The worldwide EB-3 final action date advanced 2 months (from 01JUN24 to 01AUG24), and China EB-3 advanced approximately 5 months (from 01AUG21 to 22DEC21). India EB-3 also saw a slight advancement of roughly two weeks. 

China EB-1: Modest Advancement 

China EB-1 moved forward 2 months, from 01APR23 to 01JUN23. All other worldwide, Mexico, and Philippines EB-1 categories remain current. 

Retrogression Risks 

The July bulletin includes warnings regarding several categories that remain at heightened risk in the coming months: 

• China EB-2: Rising demand and increased number use by Chinese nationals means retrogression or category unavailability may be necessary in upcoming months to stay within the FY 2026 annual limit. Applicants with current priority dates should act promptly. 

• Philippines EB-3: Heavy demand is being closely monitored. The State Department has warned that retrogression or visa unavailability may be necessary soon to hold usage within the allowed annual cap. 

• India EB-1: As noted above, further retrogression or unavailability remains possible before September 30, 2026. 

Our Perspective 

At Meltzer Hellrung, we are actively monitoring these developments and auditing all client priority dates in light of the July bulletin. With the end of the fiscal year approaching on September 30, 2026, time is critical for clients with cases in the at-risk categories. Our team is identifying all impacted clients to ensure every possible adjustment of status application is finalized and filed while dates remain available. 

Should you have any questions about how the July 2026 Visa Bulletin affects you or your employees, please contact your Meltzer Hellrung professional.