The July 2026 visa bulletin brought little to no cheer for Indian Green Card applicants as the EB-1 category retrogressed by two months to October 15, 2022. EB-2 and EB-5 (unreserved) have already become unavailable for Indians as the per-country quota has already been exhausted, and the situation will remain so until September 30, the end of FY 2026. Only the EB-3 category moves forward from December 15, 2013, to January 1, 2014.Final Action Date: This determines when a visa number is available for issuance based on an applicant’s priority date. If this date is 01JAN 25, only applicants with a priority date before that date are eligible; if it shows “U” (Unavailable), Visas are unavailable for issuance.Dates for filing: For those outside the US, the Dates for Filing chart lists the earliest priority dates when the National Visa Center will notify applicants to assemble and submit civil documents and fees.
What USCIS says on certain Green Card categories retrogressing or becoming unavailable for India
EB-1 retrogression for India
EB-1 is the employment-based Green Card that people with exceptional achievement or high-level professionals can apply for. In the June bulletin, the Final Action Date for this category was December 15, 2022. But now this has gone back by two months to October 15, 2022.“High demand and number use by aliens chargeable to India in the EB-1 visa category made it necessary to retrogress the final action date to hold number use within the FY 2026 annual limit. Further retrogression or making the category unavailable may be necessary in the coming months if India’s pro-rated limit in the EB-1 category is reached before the fiscal year ends. This situation will be continually monitored, and any necessary adjustments will be made accordingly,” the latest visa bulletin said.
EB-2 unavailable for India
EB-2 is the second preference Green Card category for professionals with an advanced degree. This is now unavailable for Indians until September 30.“Due to high demand and number use by aliens chargeable to India in the EB-2 visa category, India’s pro-rated EB-2 limit was reached and the category is unavailable for the remainder of FY 2026. 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; however, the date is dependent on the demand for EB-2 numbers by Indian applicants and the FY 2027 annual limit on employment-based preference visas,” the USCIS said.
EB-5 unavailable for India
EB-5 is the Green Card pathway for investors which is also unavailable for Indians until September 30.“Due to high demand and number use by aliens chargeable to India in the EB-5 unreserved visa category, India’s pro-rated EB-5 unreserved limit was reached and the category is unavailable for the remainder of FY 2026. It is likely that in October the final action date will advance to at least the final action date announced in the June 2026 Visa Bulletin; however, the date is dependent on the demand for EB-5 unreserved numbers by Indian applicants and the FY 2027 annual limit on employment-based preference visas,” the USCIS said.
