July 2026 Visa Bulletin Summary-Key Updates & August Predictions
The July 2026 Visa Bulletin delivers continued forward movement across several family-sponsored categories while introducing significant restrictions for certain employment-based applicants. Family-based categories continue to advance steadily, creating new opportunities for applicants to move forward in the immigration process.
For Family-Sponsored Filings:
For all family-sponsored preference categories, you must use the Dates for Filing chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin for July 2026.
For Employment-Based Preference Filings:
For all employment-based preference categories, you must use the Final Action Dates chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin for July 2026.
Most notably, EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India have become unavailable, highlighting growing demand pressures as the fiscal year approaches its final quarter. At the same time, several family-sponsored categories continue to move forward, creating new opportunities for eligible applicants.
Family Sponsored Cases (Final Action Dates)
| Category | All Countries | China | India | Mexico | Philippines | Movement Notes |
| F1 | 01SEP17 → 01FEB18 | 01SEP17 → 01FEB18 | 01SEP17 → 01FEB18 | 08NOV07 → 08NOV07 | 01MAY13 → 01MAY13 | Worldwide/China/India advanced 5 months; Mexico & Philippines unchanged |
| F2A | 01JAN25 → 01JAN25 | 01JAN25 → 01JAN25 | 01JAN25 → 01JAN25 | 01JAN24 → 01JAN24 | 01JAN25 → 01JAN25 | No movement in any region |
| F2B | 22SEP17 → 22NOV17 | 22SEP17 → 22NOV17 | 22SEP17 → 22NOV17 | 15FEB09 → 15FEB09 | 08APR13 → 15MAY13 | Worldwide/China/India advanced 2 months; Philippines advanced ~1 month 7 days; Mexico unchanged |
| F3 | 15FEB12 → 15APR12 | 15FEB12 → 15APR12 | 15FEB12 → 15APR12 | 01MAY01 → 01JUN01 | 22NOV05 → 22FEB06 | Worldwide/China/India advanced 2 months; Mexico advanced 1 month; Philippines advanced 3 months |
| F4 | 08NOV08 → 01JAN09 | 08NOV08 → 01JAN09 | 01NOV06 → 01NOV06 | 08APR01 → 08APR01 | 15JUL07 → 01AUG07 | Worldwide/China advanced ~1 month 24 days; Philippines advanced ~17 days; India & Mexico unchanged |
Family-Sponsored Cases (Dates For Filing)
| Category | All Countries | China | India | Mexico | Philippines | Movement Notes |
| F1 | 01OCT18 → 01JAN19 | 01OCT18 → 01JAN19 | 01OCT18 → 01JAN19 | 01OCT08 → 01OCT08 | 22APR15 → 22APR15 | Worldwide/China/India advanced 3 months; Mexico & Philippines unchanged |
| F2A | C → C | C → C | C → C | C → C | C → C | Remains Current in all regions |
| F2B | 22MAR18 → 08JUN18 | 22MAR18 → 08JUN18 | 22MAR18 → 08JUN18 | 15MAY10 → 15MAY10 | 01OCT13 → 01OCT13 | Worldwide/China/India advanced ~2 months 17 days; others unchanged |
| F3 | 08DEC12 → 08DEC12 | 08DEC12 → 08DEC12 | 08DEC12 → 08DEC12 | 15JUL01 → 15JUL01 | 08AUG06 → 08AUG06 | No movement in any region |
| F4 | 22DEC09 → 01MAR10 | 22DEC09 → 01MAR10 | 15DEC06 → 15DEC06 | 30APR01 → 30APR01 | 22MAR08 → 22MAR08 | Worldwide/China advanced ~2 months 7 days; others unchanged |
Employment-Based Cases (Final Action Dates)
| Category | All Countries | China | India | Mexico | Philippines | Movement Notes |
| EB-1 | C → C | 01APR23 → 01JUN23 | 15DEC22 → 15OCT22 | C → C | C → C | China advanced 2 months; India retrogressed 2 months; others unchanged. |
| EB-2 | C → C | 01SEP21 → 01SEP21 | 01SEP13 → U | C → C | C → C | India became Unavailable; all others unchanged. |
| EB-3 | 01JUN24 → 01AUG24 | 01AUG21 → 22DEC21 | 15DEC13 → 01JAN14 | 01JUN24 → 01AUG24 | 01AUG23 → 01AUG23 | Worldwide/Mexico advanced 2 months; China advanced ~4 months 21 days; India advanced ~17 days; Philippines unchanged. |
| Other Workers | 01FEB22 → 01MAR22 | 01APR19 → 01APR19 | 15DEC13 → 01JAN14 | 01FEB22 → 01MAR22 | 01NOV21 → 01DEC21 | Worldwide/Mexico advanced 1 month; India advanced ~17 days; Philippines advanced 1 month; China unchanged. |
| EB-4 | 15JUL22 → 15SEP22 | 15JUL22 → 15SEP22 | 15JUL22 → 15SEP22 | 15JUL22 → 15SEP22 | 15JUL22 → 15SEP22 | All regions advanced 2 months. |
| Certain Religious Workers | 15JUL22 → 15SEP22 | 15JUL22 → 15SEP22 | 15JUL22 → 15SEP22 | 15JUL22 → 15SEP22 | 15JUL22 → 15SEP22 | All regions advanced 2 months. |
| EB-5 Unreserved | C → C | 22SEP16 → 01DEC16 | 01MAY22 → U | C → C | C → C | China advanced ~2 months 9 days; India became Unavailable. |
| EB-5 Set Aside | C → C | C → C | C → C | C → C | C → C | Remain current. |
Employment-Based Cases (Dates For Filing)
| Category | All Countries | China | India | Mexico | Philippines | Movement Notes |
| EB-1 | C → C | 01DEC23 → 01DEC23 | 01DEC23 → 01DEC23 | C → C | C → C | No movement |
| EB-2 | C → C | 01JAN22 → 01JAN22 | 15JAN15 → 15JAN15 | C → C | C → C | No movement |
| EB-3 | C → C | 01JAN22 → 01JAN22 | 15JAN15 → 15JAN15 | C → C | 01JAN24 → 01JAN24 | No movement |
| Other Workers | 01AUG22 → 01AUG22 | 01OCT19 → 01OCT19 | 15JAN15 → 15JAN15 | 01AUG22 → 01AUG22 | 01AUG22 → 01AUG22 | No movement |
| EB-4 | 01JAN23 → 01JAN23 | 01JAN23 → 01JAN23 | 01JAN23 → 01JAN23 | 01JAN23 → 01JAN23 | 01JAN23 → 01JAN23 | No movement |
| EB-5 | C → C | 01MAR17 → 01MAR17 | 01MAY24 → 01MAY24 | C → C | C → C | No movement |
Key Takeaways from the July Visa Bulletin
Family-Sponsored Categories
- F1 Final Action Dates advanced by five months for Worldwide, China, and India.
- F2B continued its forward movement, with further gains in Worldwide, China, India, and the Philippines.
- F3 saw meaningful progress across several regions, including a three-month advancement for the Philippines.
- F4 advanced further for Worldwide and China in both Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing.
- F2A remained stable, while Dates for Filing continue to remain Current for all regions.
Employment-Based Categories
- EB-2 India became Unavailable, one of the most significant developments in this month’s bulletin.
- EB-5 Unreserved India also became Unavailable due to heavy demand.
- China continued to advance in EB-1, EB-3, and EB-5 categories.
- EB-3 Final Action Dates advanced across several regions, including substantial movement for China.
- EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers advanced by two months across all regions.
- Employment-Based Dates for Filing remained largely unchanged, signaling a more cautious approach to future eligibility for filing.
Overall, July reflects continued opportunity for many family-sponsored applicants, while employment-based applicants—particularly those born in India—face increased demand-related restrictions as the fiscal year approaches its end.
August Visa Bulletin Predictions 2026
Family-Based Categories
- Moderate forward movement is expected to continue across F1, F2B, and F4 categories.
- F3 may continue to advance, although likely at a slower pace than in recent months.
- F2A is expected to remain stable.
- The Philippines may continue to see gradual progress in select categories.
Employment-Based Categories
- EB-2 India is expected to remain unavailable or experience very limited recovery until the start of the next fiscal year.
- EB-5 India may remain under significant pressure from demand.
- China could continue to see incremental advances in the EB-1, EB-3, and EB-5 categories.
- EB-3 may experience selective forward movement where visa numbers remain available.
- Additional stabilization or retrogression remains possible as the Department of State manages remaining FY 2026 visa numbers.
With only a few months remaining in the fiscal year, applicants should closely monitor future bulletins, as demand management and visa number availability are expected to drive movement decisions through September.
