July 2026 Visa Bulletin: Priority Dates, Analysis, and What It Means

The State Department released the July 2026 Visa Bulletin in mid-June 2026, and the warning India applicants got in June came true. India EB-2 and India EB-5 Unreserved both went Unavailable under Final Action Dates, which means no visa numbers can be issued in those categories for the rest of the fiscal year. India EB-1 retrogressed again. On the other side of the ledger, almost everything else moved forward. F1 jumped five months, F2B, F3, and F4 picked up a couple of months, and EB-4 and Religious Workers advanced two months for every country.

The wider backdrop is the same one we have been tracking all year. Presidential Proclamations 10949 and 10998, along with the updated immigrant visa processing guidance for certain nationalities, keep cutting consular issuances overseas, and unused numbers get redirected elsewhere. But those actions cannot lift a per-country cap. What closed India EB-2 and EB-5 this month was plain demand running past India's share of the annual limit. June pulled those dates backward; July shut two of them off entirely.

If you want a quick refresher on how priority dates and the bulletin work before reading on, our complete visa bulletin guide covers the mechanics. For last month's movement, our June 2026 visa bulletin analysis set up everything that happened in July.

What changed this month

Family categories kept advancing, with F2A the one big exception that held flat. India's top employment categories went the other way. The month-over-month changes look like this.

Family-Sponsored Month-Over-Month Changes:

Employment-Based Month-Over-Month Changes:

Most family categories and EB-4 kept advancing in July 2026, even as India's top employment categories pulled back, with F1 gaining five months.

Family-sponsored categories: all Final Action Dates

F2A: the pause after two big jumps

F2A is the family story this month for what it did not do. After gaining six months in May and another five in June, it held flat at January 1, 2025 for worldwide, China, India, and Philippines applicants. Mexico F2A stayed at January 1, 2024. That is not bad news. F2A covers the spouse and minor children of lawful permanent residents, and the category is still sitting eleven months ahead of where it was two bulletins ago. A pause after a long run usually means the State Department is watching demand catch up before it advances the date again.

There is one detail worth knowing about how F2A numbers get allocated in July. F2A numbers exempt from the per-country limit are available to applicants from all countries with priority dates before January 1, 2024. Numbers subject to the per-country limit are available for every country except Mexico with priority dates from January 1, 2024 through January 1, 2025. All F2A numbers for Mexico are exempt from the per-country limit.

For permanent residents: If your spouse or child's F2A priority date is current, you can move forward with their adjustment of status. And if you qualify to apply for U.S. citizenship, naturalizing turns your F2A family members into Immediate Relatives, which removes the visa wait entirely. Check the citizenship eligibility requirements or use the N-400 Residence Calculator to see where you stand.

F1, F2B, F3, and F4: still moving

While F2A paused, the rest of the family categories kept advancing. F1 (unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) jumped five months to February 1, 2018 for worldwide, China, and India. F2B (unmarried sons and daughters of permanent residents, age 21 and older) gained two months to November 22, 2017 for the same three, with Philippines F2B picking up about a month to May 15, 2013. F3 (married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) advanced two months to April 15, 2012 worldwide, and Philippines F3 gained three months to February 22, 2006. F4 (brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens) moved about two months to January 1, 2009 for worldwide and China.

If a misfiled family petition is what is holding you back, that is a common and avoidable problem. Immiva's free I-130 eligibility check tells you which preference category applies before you file, and our I-130 petition guide explains each stage. If you are tracking a petition that is already filed, our I-130 processing time breakdown has realistic timelines, and our I-130 priority dates and the visa bulletin explainer shows how to find your place in line.

Employment-based categories: all Final Action Dates

India EB-2 and EB-5 Unreserved: now Unavailable

This is the headline of the month. India EB-2 went from September 1, 2013 to Unavailable. India EB-5 Unreserved went from May 1, 2022 to Unavailable. Unavailable is not the same as a retrogression. A retrogressed date still issues numbers to the small set of cases ahead of the new cutoff. Unavailable means zero numbers can be issued in that category for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends September 30, 2026.

Section F of the July bulletin explains the EB-2 closure: India's pro-rated EB-2 limit for the year was reached, so the category is unavailable for the remainder of FY2026. Section I says the same about India EB-5 Unreserved. The bulletin offers one piece of forward guidance: it expects the EB-2 date to reappear in October, likely at or near the May 2026 cutoff, once the FY2027 numbers reset. The same October reset is expected for EB-5 Unreserved.

One nuance matters here, the same one that came up in June. These closures are on the Final Action Dates chart. The Dates for Filing chart for India EB-2 held steady at January 15, 2015, and India EB-5 Unreserved held at May 1, 2024. So if USCIS allows the Dates for Filing chart in July, you may still be able to submit your application even though no number can be assigned yet. That distinction matters a lot if you have a pending employment-based I-485 for India.

India's EB-1 retrogressed again while EB-2 and EB-5 Unreserved went Unavailable for the rest of FY2026; EB-3 and Other Workers inched forward.

India EB-1: another step back

India EB-1 retrogressed for the second month in a row, moving from December 15, 2022 to October 15, 2022, about two months back. Section E of the bulletin explains that high demand and number use by India EB-1 applicants forced the State Department to retrogress the date to keep issuances inside the FY2026 annual limit. The bulletin warns that EB-1 may retrogress further, or go unavailable, before September 30 if India's share runs out, the same path EB-2 just took. India hits the per-country limit harder than anyone because of the employment-based green card backlog.

EB-3, Other Workers, and EB-4: forward movement

Not all the employment news was backward. EB-3 worldwide and Mexico advanced two months to August 1, 2024, and EB-3 China gained about four and a half months to December 22, 2021. EB-3 India and Other Workers India both inched forward about two weeks to January 1, 2014. Other Workers advanced a month for worldwide, Mexico, and Philippines. EB-4 and Religious Workers moved two months to September 15, 2022 for every country. EB-1 for worldwide, Mexico, and Philippines stayed Current, and EB-1 China actually advanced two months to June 1, 2023. The EB-5 set-aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, Infrastructure) stayed Current for every country.

If you have an approved I-140 and your category is moving, filing correctly is what protects your spot. Immiva walks you through the employment-based I-485 process question by question and flags the errors that get applications rejected, which matters most when you are filing during a current window that could close.

New China and Philippines warnings

Beyond India, the July bulletin carried forward two warnings. Section G flags that rising demand from China in EB-2 may force the State Department to retrogress that date or make it unavailable later this year. Section H says the same about EB-3 for the Philippines. These are not retrogressions yet. They are early notice that more pullbacks could come before the fiscal year ends.

Which chart should you use in July?

USCIS decides each month whether you can use the Dates for Filing chart or have to use Final Action Dates. Check USCIS.gov/visabulletininfo at the start of July to see which one applies to adjustment of status filings.

If USCIS allows the Dates for Filing chart, the employment-based dates are:

The employment Dates for Filing chart did not change at all from June to July. That is the chart India EB-2 and EB-5 applicants should watch closely, because it held steady at January 15, 2015 and May 1, 2024 even as the Final Action Dates went Unavailable.

For family-sponsored Dates for Filing in July:

F2A stays fully Current on the Dates for Filing chart. F1, F2B, and F4 worldwide all advanced on this chart too. If USCIS allows the chart, any F2A applicant can file I-485 regardless of priority date and get an EAD work permit and Advance Parole while they wait.

What India applicants should do now

A category going Unavailable feels alarming, but what you should do depends on where your case stands.

If you already filed your I-485: A category going Unavailable after you filed does not cancel your application. Your I-485 stays pending, and you keep your work permit and Advance Parole while you wait. USCIS simply cannot approve the case and assign a visa number until a number becomes available again, which the bulletin expects in October.

If you have not filed and the Dates for Filing chart still lets you: The India EB-2 and EB-5 Unreserved Dates for Filing held steady in July. If USCIS allows that chart, you may still be able to submit. Our step-by-step I-485 guide covers the process, and you will pay your filing fee through Pay.gov because USCIS no longer accepts personal checks. After you file, our biometrics appointment guide explains what comes next.

If you are abroad: The National Visa Center handles scheduling for consular immigrant visa interviews. The same proclamations that affect domestic dates also affect consular operations, so timing varies.

For permanent residents watching the family categories, the 3-year naturalization rule might let you apply for citizenship sooner if you are married to a U.S. citizen. Naturalizing moves your family members from preference categories to Immediate Relatives with no visa wait. Your A-Number helps you track any pending case with USCIS.

Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery update

For July, DV-2026 numbers are available with these regional cutoffs: Africa 55,000 (Algeria 40,000, Egypt 31,000), Asia 35,000 (Nepal 13,000), Europe 23,000, North America (Bahamas) 50, Oceania 1,700, South America and Caribbean 3,300. These match the July numbers the June bulletin previewed.

The bulletin also previews August cutoffs, and they jump in every region: Africa 60,000 (Algeria 51,250, Egypt 36,000), Asia 40,000 (Nepal 13,500), Europe 29,000, North America (Bahamas) Current, Oceania 2,050, and South America and Caribbean 4,000.

DV-2026 entitlement expires September 30, 2026, and numbers could run out before then. The DV-2026 annual limit has been cut to about 52,000 because of NACARA and NDAA provisions. If you were selected in the DV-2026 lottery and have not finished processing, do not wait. For passport requirements tied to the lottery, see our DV Lottery 2027 passport requirement guide.

What to expect for August 2026

The fiscal year ends September 30, 2026, leaving the State Department two more bulletins after July to hand out what is left of FY2026 numbers. A few things worth watching.

India EB-2 and EB-5 stay closed until October. The bulletin is explicit that these will not reopen this fiscal year. Expect them back in October near the May 2026 levels, subject to the FY2027 limits.

India EB-1 could still go Unavailable. Section E warns that EB-1 may retrogress further or close before September 30 if India demand stays high.

China EB-2 and Philippines EB-3 are the wildcards. Both carry specific warnings in July. Either could retrogress in August.

Family categories may keep advancing. F2A paused this month, but F1, F2B, F3, and F4 all moved forward, and the Dates for Filing chart is still well ahead. That suggests room left in the family allocation.

The August 2026 bulletin should come out in mid-July. To follow the trend, our June 2026 analysis, May 2026 analysis, and April 2026 analysis are a good place to start. For a full explanation of how the system works, our complete visa bulletin guide covers it.

Official sources

This guide is based on the July 2026 Visa Bulletin released by the U.S. Department of State in mid-June 2026. All information was verified against these official sources as of June 2026:

Department of State

• Visa Bulletin for July 2026
• Visa Bulletin Archive
• Immigrant Visa Processing Updates

USCIS resources

• USCIS Visa Bulletin Information: which chart applies each month
• USCIS Filing Fees
• USCIS Processing Times
• Form I-485 Instructions
• Form I-693 Medical Exam

Federal law

• Immigration and Nationality Act, Sections 201-203: visa allocation and preference categories
• INA Section 202: per-country limits (7% cap)
• Presidential Proclamation 10949
• Presidential Proclamation 10998

Immigration law changes often. We monitor USCIS and State Department updates and revise this guide when the regulations change.