The U.S. State Department has released its July 2026 Visa Bulletin imposing per-country cut-off dates that regulate immigrant visa availability and the flow of Adjustment of Status (AOS) applications and consular immigrant visa application interviews and approvals. In order to be “Current,” the priority date held by a person applying for permanent residence must be before the cut-off date specified in the monthly Visa Bulletin.

The Visa Bulletin includes both a Dates for Filing chart and a Final Action Dates chart. The Final Action Dates chart indicates when a priority date is current and I-485 AOS applications or immigrant visa applications may be approved and permanent residence granted. The Dates for Filing chart, when followed by USCIS, indicates when intending immigrants may file their AOS applications with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

USCIS will follow the Final Action Dates chart for Employment-Based (EB) cases in July 2026.

 

Final Action Dates 

The July 2026 Visa Bulletin’s Final Action Dates chart reflects both forward movement and retrogression from the June 2026 Visa Bulletin for the countries of chargeability in the EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 categories.

• EB-1 cut-off dates remain Current for the Rest of the World, Mexico and the Philippines. EB-1 China moves forward from 04/01/2023 to 06/01/2023.  EB-1 India retrogresses from 12/15/2022 to 10/15/2022.

• India EB-2 is now Unavailable. India EB-3 moves forward from 12/15/2013 to 01/01/2014.

• China EB-2 remains at 09/01/2021.  China EB-3 moves forward from 08/01/2021 to 12/22/2021.
• The Rest of the World, Mexico and the Philippines EB-2 categories remain Current.
• The Rest of the World and Mexico EB-3 categories move from 06/01/2024 to 08/01/2024 . The Philippines EB-3 category remains at 08/01/2023.

 

Final Action Dates Chart

Employment- based	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA- mainland born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
1st	C	01JUN23	15OCT22	C	C
2nd	C	01SEP21	U	C	C
3rd	01AUG24	22DEC21	01JAN14	01AUG24	01AUG23

 

Dates for Filing

The July 2026 Visa Bulletin’s Dates for Filing chart reflects no movement from the June 2026 Visa Bulletin for the EB categories and all countries of chargeability in the EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 categories.

• EB-1 cut-off dates remain Current for the Rest of the World, Mexico and the Philippines. EB-1 China stays 12/01/2023.  EB-1 India stays at 12/01/2023.

• India EB-2 remains at 01/15/2015. India EB-3 also remains at 01/15/2015.

• China EB-2 remains at 01/01/2022.  China EB-3 also stays at 01/01/2022.
• The Rest of the World, Mexico and the Philippines EB-2 categories remain Current.
• The Rest of the World and Mexico EB-3 categories remain Current. The Philippines EB-3 category also stays at 01/01/2024.

 

Dates for Filing Chart

Employment- based	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA- mainland born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
1st	C	01DEC23	01DEC23	C	C
2nd	C	01JAN22	15JAN15	C	C
3rd	C	01JAN22	15JAN15	C	01JAN24

 

Final Action Dates Chart Will Control in July 2026 

Each month, USCIS chooses either to follow the Final Action or the Dates for Filing chart. As noted above, for July 2026 USCIS will follow the Final Action Dates chart for Employment-Based AOS application filings. To be eligible to file an Employment-Based (EB) AOS application, a foreign national must have a priority date that is earlier than the date listed in the Final Action chart for his or her preference category and country of chargeability. The “C” listing indicates that the category is “Current” and that applications may be approved with any priority date, however recent.

India EB-1 Retrogression and India EB-2 Unavailability

The State Department notes that high demand and number use by persons chargeable to India in the EB-1 category have made it necessary to retrogress the Final Action dates to hold number use within the FY 2026 annual limit.  The State Department also observes that further retrogressions, or even unavailability, may occur in the coming months.  Such comments are typically made as the end of the fiscal year in September is approached and do not necessarily suggest that there is impending retrogression or unavailability.

The State Department also observes that, due to high demand and number use by persons chargeable to India in the EB-2 visa category, India’s EB-2 annual limit was reached, and the category will be Unavailable for the remainder of FY 2026. This means that no AOS or immigrant visa applications based upon an immigrant petition in this category may be filed or approved until at least the beginning of October.  The State Department does note, however, that it is likely that in October the final action date will advance to at least the Final Action date announced in the May 2026 Visa Bulletin.  This date is dependent on the demand for EB-2 numbers by Indian applicants and the FY 2027 annual limit on employment-based preference visas.

Possible Future China EB-2 Retrogression

Although the July China EB-2 Final Action and Dates for Filing cut-off dates are unchanged, the State Department indicates that sufficient demand and increased number use by persons chargeable to China in the EB-2 visa category may make it necessary to retrogress the final action date or even make the category unavailable in the coming months.  Again, such comments are common at this time of the year.

T&S Takeaway 

The July 2026 Visa Bulletin makes no comment in this regard, but this is the third successive month that USCIS has chosen to impose the Final Action chart for EB dates. This reflects, as does the June India EB-1 and EB-2 retrogression, the fact that USCIS is now receiving a satisfactory volume of AOS filings, and no longer needs to stimulate such filings.  All eligible persons are encouraged to file their AOS applications as soon as possible, since it is possible that cut-off date retrogression may occur later in the year as the end of the fiscal year is approached, especially as immigrant visa numbers will be used in significant numbers as the year nears its end.

The attorneys of Tafapolsky & Smith LLP will monitor and analyze all developments affecting immigrant visa availability, including all statements made by State Department officers in the relevant Visa Bulletin and will provide immediate updates on any significant developments.