The U.S. Department of State has released the July 2026 Visa Bulletin, with significant movement across several employment-based immigrant visa categories. For EB-5 investors, the key takeaway remains consistent: all reserved set-aside categories continue to remain current for every country.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed that employment-based adjustment of status applicants must use the Final Action Dates chart in July. This means that applicants in the United States may file Form I-485 only if their priority date is earlier than the listed cutoff date for their category and country.
The Visa Bulletin remains the primary resource for tracking immigrant visa availability. It includes two main charts. The Final Action Dates chart determines when a visa may be issued or when USCIS can approve an adjustment of status application. At this stage, an applicant’s priority date must fall before the listed cutoff date. The Dates for Filing chart indicates when applicants may be eligible to submit their applications earlier, if USCIS permits its use.
Understanding Key Visa Bulletin Terms
What Is Driving Movement in the July Bulletin
Work With EB5AN to Pursue Permanent Residency Through EB-5
Understanding Key Visa Bulletin Terms
The Final Action Dates chart controls when applicants can move forward with final adjudication or file for adjustment of status when USCIS designates its use. When a category is listed as “current,” there is no backlog, and applicants may proceed regardless of priority date.
July brings significant changes to several employment-based categories, most notably the unavailability of EB-2 and EB-5 for India and a further retrogression in EB-1 India.
Highlights From the July 2026 Charts
The July bulletin continues the pressure of recent months. EB-2 India is now unavailable for the remainder of the fiscal year, while EB-1 India moves backward by two months to October 15, 2022. EB-3 India advances modestly by about two weeks to January 1, 2014, and EB-3 China moves forward by nearly five months to December 22, 2021. China also advances in EB-1 to June 1, 2023 and in the EB-5 unreserved category to December 1, 2016.
For EB-5 investors, the reserved set-aside categories continue to remain current for all countries.
Here’s the Final Action Dates chart:
Dates for Filing chart:
Implications for EB-5 Immigrant Investors
The July 2026 bulletin continues to reflect a stable environment for EB-5 investors. Reserved set-aside visas remain fully available worldwide.
The unavailability of EB-2 and EB-5 unreserved for India, alongside the further retrogression in EB-1 India, highlights the contrast with EB-5 reserved set-asides, which remain current for all countries, including India. For investors facing prolonged waits in other employment-based categories, the value of reserved set-aside visas remains clear. Filing under a reserved category continues to offer a path that avoids the delays now affecting the unreserved pool. Rural projects also continue to benefit from priority processing at USCIS under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022.
Because USCIS is using the Final Action Dates chart in July, adjustment of status eligibility is more limited compared to months when the Dates for Filing chart is used. Applicants must have a priority date that is current under the Final Action Dates chart to proceed with filing.
What Is Driving Movement in the July Bulletin
The State Department links the July movements to continued heavy immigrant visa demand in the India categories. EB-2 India and EB-5 unreserved India are unavailable for the remainder of the fiscal year, which means no final Green Card approvals can be issued in those categories until new visa numbers become available after the annual reset on October 1, 2026. The backward movement in EB-1 India — a two-month retrogression to October 15, 2022 — reflects the same demand pressure and may delay final Green Card approval for many applicants already in the pipeline.
The State Department has specifically cautioned that EB-1 India could retrogress further, or become unavailable entirely, before the fiscal year ends on September 30, 2026. It has also flagged EB-2 China and EB-3 Philippines as categories that may retrogress or turn unavailable in the coming months.
These constraints are tied to the current fiscal year. Annual limits reset on October 1, 2026, at the start of fiscal year 2027, which is typically when oversubscribed categories begin moving forward again. The State Department has indicated that EB-5 unreserved India is likely to advance in October to at least its earlier cutoff date. Until then, the EB-5 reserved set-aside categories remain the most reliable route for investors who need visa numbers to stay available.
Work With EB5AN to Pursue Permanent Residency Through EB-5
The July 2026 Visa Bulletin reflects continued stability in EB-5 reserved categories, which remain current for all countries, alongside the unavailability of EB-2 and EB-5 unreserved for India and a further retrogression in EB-1 India.
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