The FP Visa Bulletin for July 2026: Final Action Dates and an Employer’s Immigration Action Plan

The FP Visa Bulletin for July 2026: Final Action Dates and an Employer’s Immigration Action Plan

Each month, federal immigration authorities publish a list of dates informing immigrant visa applicants when they should expect to be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to government officials. This Insight reviews July’s release to help employers determine whether and when you should provide corresponding notifications to any of your foreign-national employees to assist their efforts. You’ll also find a specific action plan so you can adapt your immigration strategy given this month’s information. Read on to ensure you follow compliant processes that address your critical workforce needs in a timely manner.

July Dates: An Overview

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will follow the State Department’s “Final Action” chart published in the July Visa Bulletin to determine whether candidates are eligible to submit an Adjustment of Status application on Form I-485 for that month. Dates appearing in this chart must be compared with an employee’s Immigration Priority Date shown on their EB-1/2/3 I-140 approval notice with their current employer to determine eligibility.

Movement in Employment-Based Preference Classes for July

The July 2026 Visa Bulletin shows continued forward movement in the “Final Action” chart for many employment-based categories. However, both India and China saw either stagnation or retrogression in some categories.

India's employment-based categories regressed this month: visa issuance has retrogressed in the EB-1 category, and visas within the EB-2 are now designated as “U” or “unauthorized.” When a category is designated as unauthorized, it means that no visas are currently authorized for issuance within that category for the rest of the fiscal year (through September 2026).

India’s EB-3 category saw minimal advancement. The State Department explained the reasons behind India’s movement. For the EB-1 category, the State Department cited high demand which exhausted India’s pro-rated EB-1 limit, requiring the EB-1 retrogression. As for the EB-2 category, the State Department noted that India’s pro-rated EB-2 limit was reached, making the EB-2 category unavailable for the remainder of fiscal year 2026.

China’s EB-2 category remains unchanged for this month. However, both the EB-1 and EB-3 categories had steady advancements. All other countries of chargeability either remained current or experienced steady advancements in the EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 categories, except for the EB-3 category for the Philippines which retained a priority date of August 1, 2023.

Employers with foreign nationals who were previously ineligible to file Adjustment of Status applications should re-evaluate eligibility immediately, as this month’s advancements opens new filing opportunities.

EB-1

• EB-1 remains current for All Chargeability Areas, Mexico, and Philippines
• EB-1 China advances from April 1, 2023, to June 1, 2023
• EB-1 India retrogresses two months from December 15, 2022, to October 15, 2022

EB-2

• EB-2 remains current for All Chargeability Areas, Mexico, and Philippines
• EB-2 China remains the same with a priority date of September 1, 2021
• EB-2 India is designated as “unauthorized” from a prior priority date of September 1, 2013

EB-3

• EB-3 All Chargeability Areas and Mexico advance from June 1, 2024, to August 1, 2024
• EB-3 China advances from August 1, 2021, to December 22, 2021
• EB-3 India advances from December 15, 2013, to January 1, 2014
• EB-3 Philippines remains the same with a priority date of August 1, 2023

Final Action Dates

The recently announced Final Action Dates for EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 appear in the table below. Please note this table can always change, so check here  for the most accurate and updated information before acting on these dates.

What Should You Do? Your Action Plan

For July, USCIS is using the “Final Action” chart in determining who can file an application for an Adjustment of Status to Lawful Permanent Residence. This means that an application may be filed and processed for a candidate with an immigration priority date that is earlier than the listed cutoff date for their preference category and country of chargeability, or whose category is otherwise listed as current.

For Adjustment of Status cases that are already pending and were filed in a category that has since fallen behind in its cutoff date, USCIS will not continue adjudicating until the Final Action date has surpassed the individual immigration priority date or is otherwise deemed current. While overall processing may be delayed, a duly filed application will remain in good standing in the government’s queue, and USCIS will process related requests for EAD cards and Advanced Parole.

If you have employees who have priority dates that will be (or remain) current in July, you should reach out to your FP immigration attorney to prepare and submit their Adjustment of Status Application in July.

Conclusion

We will continue to monitor developments from immigration officials and provide similar guidance monthly. Make sure you are subscribed to Fisher Phillips’ Insight System to get the most up-to-date information – including next month’s FP Visa Bulletin. If you have any questions, please contact your Fisher Phillips attorney, the author of this Insight, or any attorney in our Immigration Practice Group.