Overview
- The State Department issued the August 2026 Visa Bulletin in late July, moving several family final action dates forward and giving the biggest gain to India’s F2A category, which jumped nearly 19 months to July 22, 2026.
- USCIS instructed employers and applicants to use the Visa Bulletin’s Final Action Dates chart for employment‑based Form I‑485 filings in August, determining who may file adjustment‑of‑status applications now.
- Employment‑based availability for Indian nationals remains tightly constrained: EB‑2 is designated unavailable for the fiscal year, EB‑5 unreserved stays unavailable, and EB‑1 India remains at October 15, 2022 with a warning it could become unavailable if demand exhausts its allocation.
- The State Department warned that remaining FY‑2026 visa numbers could require temporary unavailability or retrogression of categories before September 30, which would halt final approvals for affected priority dates until numbers are freed.
- A fresh allocation of visa numbers is expected with FY‑2027 on October 1, but past patterns show recovery is not guaranteed so applicants should monitor priority dates closely and consult immigration counsel about filing strategy and timing.