The July 2026 Visa Bulletin is out, and this edition continues our monthly series that reads it in plain English. Each month we walk through where every employment-based category and country stands, who should be paying attention, and what changed since the prior bulletin. The headline this month is that EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India have both gone Unavailable, alongside an EB-1 India retrogression — set against broad forward movement in EB-3, EB-4, and EB-5 China. Every date below is taken directly from the official Department of State chart — for your own exact cell, use our Visa Bulletin Tracker.
Which chart applies this month
Each month, USCIS tells adjustment-of-status applicants which of the bulletin's two charts they may use to file: the Final Action Dates chart or the more generous Dates for Filing chart. USCIS announces this choice separately from the Department of State's bulletin, and it can change month to month. For July 2026, USCIS is directing employment-based adjustment-of-status applicants to the Final Action Dates chart, which is the chart every date in this analysis is drawn from. Always confirm the current instruction on the USCIS adjustment-of-status filing charts page before you file, since USCIS can choose a different chart in any given month. If the two charts are new to you, our guide on how the Visa Bulletin works explains the difference.
Where each employment category stands (July 2026)
Below is a plain-English read of the Final Action Dates for each employment-based category. Throughout, "Current" (shown as "C" in the bulletin) means there is no backlog at all for that country, so anyone with a valid priority date can move forward. A date means only applicants with a priority date earlier than that cutoff may proceed this month.
EB-1 (Priority Workers)
For most of the world, EB-1 is Current: Mexico, the Philippines, and all other countries have no cutoff this month. China sits at a Final Action Date of 1 June 2023, while India retrogresses to 15 October 2022. If you were born in China or India and your EB-1 priority date is before that day, you are current; if it is after, you are still in line.
EB-2 (Advanced Degree / Exceptional Ability)
EB-2 is Current for Mexico, the Philippines, and all other countries. China stands at 1 September 2021, while India is Unavailable ("U") this month, meaning no EB-2 visa numbers are being issued to India-born applicants under this category for now. This is a step beyond a cutoff date: rather than a specific priority-date threshold, there is simply no number available in the category for India this month.
EB-3 (Skilled Workers & Professionals)
EB-3 shows a cutoff for every country this month. China advances to 22 December 2021 and India to 1 January 2014. Mexico and all other countries share a Final Action Date of 1 August 2024, and the Philippines sits at 1 August 2023. Notably, for China the EB-3 date (December 2021) is now later than its EB-2 date (September 2021) — a reminder that the "higher" category is not always the faster one for a given country, and that with EB-2 India Unavailable, EB-3 India at January 2014 is the moving line for India this month.
EB-3 Other Workers
The Other Workers subcategory of EB-3 runs behind the main EB-3 line for several countries. China is at 1 April 2019, India at 1 January 2014, the Philippines at 1 December 2021, and both Mexico and all other countries at 1 March 2022. If your job is classified as "other worker," this is the row that applies to you rather than the main EB-3 figure above.
EB-4 (Special Immigrants)
EB-4, including the Certain Religious Workers subcategory, carries the same Final Action Date of 15 September 2022 across every country this month — China, India, Mexico, the Philippines, and all others alike. So for EB-4, the relevant question is simply whether your priority date falls before that single September 2022 cutoff.
EB-5 (Immigrant Investors)
The investor categories split in two. Under EB-5 Unreserved, China has a Final Action Date of 1 December 2016 while India is Unavailable ("U") this month; Mexico, the Philippines, and all other countries are Current. The three set-aside categories — Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure — are Current for every country this month, including China and India. That makes the set-aside paths the one corner of the employment-based system where China- and India-born investors face no cutoff date right now.
For your own category and country, the Visa Bulletin Tracker reads the exact cell for you, and the Priority Date Calculator tells you instantly whether a specific priority date is current.
What moved from June 2026
Below is a plain look at which Final Action Dates changed since the June 2026 bulletin. Movement this month was broad, with forward steps across EB-3, EB-4, and EB-5 China alongside two India lines going Unavailable and one India retrogression. Every date is taken directly from the official Department of State charts for the two months.
In EB-1, China advanced from 1 April 2023 to 1 June 2023, a step forward of about two months, while India retrogressed from 15 December 2022 to 15 October 2022, a step backward of about two months. Mexico, the Philippines, and all other countries were unchanged.
In EB-2, India moved from a Final Action Date of 1 September 2013 to Unavailable ("U"), a status change meaning no numbers are available in the category for India this month. China, Mexico, the Philippines, and all other countries were unchanged.
In the main EB-3 line, China advanced from 1 August 2021 to 22 December 2021 (about four and a half months), India advanced from 15 December 2013 to 1 January 2014, and both Mexico and all other countries advanced from 1 June 2024 to 1 August 2024. The Philippines was unchanged.
In EB-3 Other Workers, China advanced from 1 April 2019 — no change this month — while India advanced from 15 December 2013 to 1 January 2014, the Philippines from 1 November 2021 to 1 December 2021, and both Mexico and all other countries from 1 February 2022 to 1 March 2022.
In EB-4 and EB-4 Certain Religious Workers, every country advanced from 15 July 2022 to 15 September 2022, a step forward of about two months across the board.
In EB-5 Unreserved, China advanced from 22 September 2016 to 1 December 2016, while India moved from 1 May 2022 to Unavailable ("U"). Mexico, the Philippines, and all other countries remained Current.
The three EB-5 set-aside lines we track — Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure — held steady between June and July, remaining Current for every country. We do not read any direction into these moves or predict where the dates go next; a flat month is normal, a forward month is normal, and a retrogression or Unavailable month is also normal — the underlying drivers are visa-number availability and demand. To see how each of these dates has trended across the last 15 months rather than just two, our EB Visa Bulletin Trends chart plots the full trajectory by category and country.
Who should pay attention
A few groups stand out this month. India-born EB-2 and EB-5 Unreserved applicants are most directly affected: with both categories Unavailable, no numbers are being issued in those lines for India-born applicants this month regardless of priority date. India-born EB-1 applicants face a step back of about two months. On the other side, China-born applicants see forward movement in EB-1, EB-3, and EB-5 Unreserved, and applicants in EB-3, EB-3 Other Workers, and EB-4 across several countries move forward as well — so anyone whose priority date falls within the newly advanced windows may now be reachable. The EB-5 set-aside categories remain Current for every country, which keeps them an option worth understanding for investors from heavily backlogged countries. And anyone whose category is Current should remember that "Current" reflects this month only and is not a guarantee for the months ahead. We are not predicting where any of these dates will go; we are describing only what the July 2026 chart shows.
A note on retrogression and "Unavailable"
Cutoff dates do not only move forward. A date can sit still for months, it can move backward — a phenomenon called retrogression — and a category can also become Unavailable ("U"), meaning no numbers are being issued in that line at all for the month. These happen when demand outpaces the visa numbers available, which tends to occur later in the government's fiscal year (October through September) as annual and per-country limits are reached. The EB-1 India retrogression and the EB-2 and EB-5 Unreserved India moves to Unavailable this month are examples of exactly that pattern. Because of this, a category that is Current or fast-moving today can tighten with little notice, and an Unavailable line often reopens when the new fiscal year begins in October. We do not forecast specific movement in this series; for the mechanics of why dates retrogress and how they usually recover, see our guide on how the Visa Bulletin works.
This analysis is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. The official Visa Bulletin and USCIS guidance always control, and immigration law is complex and fact-specific. For advice about your individual situation, consult a licensed immigration attorney or accredited representative.
Frequently asked questions
USCIS announces the chart it accepts for employment-based adjustment-of-status filings each month, separately from the Department of State's Visa Bulletin. Always confirm the current month's instruction on the USCIS adjustment-of-status filing charts page before you file, since USCIS can choose a different chart in any given month.
Current, shown as 'C' in the bulletin, means there is no backlog for that category and country. A visa number is available to anyone with a valid priority date, so you are not waiting on a cutoff date to reach you.
Yes. Cutoff dates often sit still for a month or more, especially later in the government fiscal year when annual or per-country limits are tight. A flat month does not mean anything has gone wrong with your case, and we do not predict which direction a date will move next.
We publish a new read of the employment-based Visa Bulletin each month after the U.S. Department of State releases it. From next month onward, each edition will also note what changed since the prior month.
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