Final action dates for EB-1, EB-2 withdrawals in June 2026 Visa Bulletin
The June 2026 Visa Bulletin published by the State Department offered little or no hope for Indian green card candidates as the queues grew longer, increasing wait times. To break this, India’s final action date for the EB-1 category was pushed back by three and a half months to December 15, 2022. In the EB-2 category, India’s final action date has been pushed back by more than 10 months to September 1, 2013.
What are EB-1 and EB-2?
EB-1 and EB-2 are two employment-based green card categories in the US immigration system. These are the most commonly used pathways by H-1Bs to apply for a green card. EB-1 is for people, researchers, and managers with exceptional ability. EB-2 is for people with advanced degrees like software engineers, data scientists, doctors, and researchers. The waiting period for EB-1 is shorter than that of EB-2 and EB-3.
What is the last action date?
The last action date mentioned in the monthly visa bulletin is an important marker for the movement. This date determines who can actually get green card approval this month. So this month, those who have the priority date for EB-1 green card before December 15, 2022, will get their permanent residence. For EB-2, people with a priority date before September 1, 2013 will get a green card this month. The priority date is the date the employer filed the PERM labor certification or the US received the I-140 petition.
Other developments in June Visa Bulletin
- EB-1: China’s cutoff date remains April 1, 2023. For all other countries, this category is live, which means there is no waiting time.
- EB-2: China’s cutoff date is September 1, 2021. For other countries, it is current.
- EB-3: India’s cutoff date is extended to December 15, 2023, and China’s cutoff date is now August 1, 2021. For other countries. The EB-3 cutoff date is June 1, 2024.
- EB-5: The EB5 unreserved category for India remains at May 1, 2022, and China’s unreserved cutoff date remains at September 22, 2016. The EB5 category is operational for all other chargeable sectors and all three EB5 designated categories (rural, high unemployment and infrastructure) in all countries.
Why regression?
Retrogrades are dates that move back from previous dates when the quota is met. USCIS said: “High demand and use of the number by chargeable aliens to India in the EB-1 and EB-2 visa categories has made it necessary to push back the final action dates to keep the use of the number within the FY 2026 annual limit.” There have also been warnings of further retrogression, or the categories being made “unavailable” if India’s proportionate limits in the EB-1 or EB-2 categories are reached before the end of the fiscal year. The bulletin said that this situation will be continuously monitored and any necessary adjustments will be made accordingly.