The U.S. Department of State released the January 2026 Visa Bulletin on December 17, moving the Final Action Dates for India’s EB-2 category from May 1, 2013 to January 1, 2017 and for EB-3 from August 1, 2012 to October 1, 2017. The four-year leap is the largest single-month advancement for highly skilled Indian professionals in more than a decade, immediately making thousands of long-pending priority dates current.
State Department officials attribute the jump to lower-than-expected worldwide demand in EB-1 and EB-2, coupled with unused family-based visas that roll over to employment categories under the Immigration and Nationality Act’s annual formulas. USCIS confirmed it will use the Final Action chart for adjustment-of-status filings in January, clearing the way for Indian applicants with priority dates in 2017 or earlier to file I-485s, apply for work/travel permits and lock in children’s ages under the Child Status Protection Act.
In light of the sudden eligibility, applicants may find services such as VisaHQ invaluable; the platform keeps real-time tabs on visa-bulletin shifts, guides users through form preparation, and offers courier support for document submission. Details are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/.
![January 2026 Visa Bulletin Delivers Biggest Advancement for Indian EB-2/EB-3 Green Cards Since 2015]()
For U.S. employers, especially in tech, healthcare and engineering, the movement offers a rare window to secure permanent residence for mid-career talent who have been working on H-1B status for up to 10 years. Companies should immediately identify eligible employees, ensure medical exams are scheduled, and prepare Supplement J forms to capitalize on the favorable dates before potential retrogression later in FY 2026.
Immigration attorneys caution that visa-number availability can fluctuate: if demand outstrips supply, the State Department may retrogress EB-2/EB-3 India as early as April. Nevertheless, the advancement is expected to ease attrition pressures on U.S. employers and reduce the backlog of more than 800,000 employment-based cases for Indian nationals.
Beyond India, the bulletin keeps China EB-5 unreserved retrogressed to 2017 but holds other employment categories steady, signaling a relatively stable start to FY 2026 visa allocations.
State Department officials attribute the jump to lower-than-expected worldwide demand in EB-1 and EB-2, coupled with unused family-based visas that roll over to employment categories under the Immigration and Nationality Act’s annual formulas. USCIS confirmed it will use the Final Action chart for adjustment-of-status filings in January, clearing the way for Indian applicants with priority dates in 2017 or earlier to file I-485s, apply for work/travel permits and lock in children’s ages under the Child Status Protection Act.
In light of the sudden eligibility, applicants may find services such as VisaHQ invaluable; the platform keeps real-time tabs on visa-bulletin shifts, guides users through form preparation, and offers courier support for document submission. Details are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/.
For U.S. employers, especially in tech, healthcare and engineering, the movement offers a rare window to secure permanent residence for mid-career talent who have been working on H-1B status for up to 10 years. Companies should immediately identify eligible employees, ensure medical exams are scheduled, and prepare Supplement J forms to capitalize on the favorable dates before potential retrogression later in FY 2026.
Immigration attorneys caution that visa-number availability can fluctuate: if demand outstrips supply, the State Department may retrogress EB-2/EB-3 India as early as April. Nevertheless, the advancement is expected to ease attrition pressures on U.S. employers and reduce the backlog of more than 800,000 employment-based cases for Indian nationals.
Beyond India, the bulletin keeps China EB-5 unreserved retrogressed to 2017 but holds other employment categories steady, signaling a relatively stable start to FY 2026 visa allocations.
