July 2026 Visa Bulletin: Employment-Based Green Card Window Opens, India EB-2 Closes
The July 2026 Visa Bulletin opens green card filing for most employment-based applicants but closes India's EB-2 category for the rest of the fiscal year due to pro-rated limits being reached.
The U.S. Department of State has released the latest U.S. Visa Bulletin for July 2026, providing updated priority dates for family-sponsored and employment-based green card categories. 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, and that designation means eligible Rest of World applicants with an approved Form I-140 can file Form I-485 now, with green cards able to be approved during this window, though the timing of any specific case depends on USCIS processing.
India and China Backlogs
India EB-2 has closed for the remainder of the fiscal year after reaching its pro-rated annual limit, while 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. Most family categories continue to move slowly, the F2A category for spouses and young children of permanent residents remains the fastest, and several employment categories for India have retrogressed or gone unavailable for the rest of the fiscal year.
If your employment-based green card priority date is current under EB-2 and you are not from India or China, you can now file Form I-485 to adjust status. If you are from India, monitor the bulletin carefully for any change in EB-1 or EB-2 status, as further closures are possible by September 30. Family-sponsored applicants should check whether their priority date matches the Dates for Filing chart cutoff for their category and country of birth.
Sources
MyHAbroad is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representing any government or public authority. This is general information only — not legal, tax, medical, or financial advice. Always verify with the official source before acting:
