United States: January 2026 Visa Bulletin – Final Action Dates Advance for All Employment-Based Categories and Countries
December 17, 2025
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At a glance
- Final Action Dates in employment-based categories will advance in the January Visa Bulletin, meaning more adjustment of status applications will become eligible for approval.
- EB-1 India and EB-5 India Final Action Dates will each advance by almost a year.
- The January employment-based Dates for Filing chart will advance for most countries and categories, though most EB-3 Dates for Filing remain unchanged from the December Visa Bulletin.
A closer look
According to the State Department’s January Visa Bulletin, Final Action cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa or approval of an adjustment of status application will be as follows:
- EB-1: China will advance one week to February 1, 2023, and India will advance by almost one year to February 1, 2023. All other countries will continue to be current.
- EB-2: China will advance by three months to September 1, 2021, and India will advance by two months to July 15, 2013. All other countries will advance by two months to April 1, 2024.
- EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers: China will advance by one month to May 1, 2021, and India will advance by almost two months to November 15, 2013. All other countries will advance by one week to April 22, 2023.
- EB-5: For the EB-5 Unreserved categories, China will advance by one month to August 15, 2016, and India will advance by ten months to May 1, 2022. All other countries will remain current. The EB-5 set-aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure) will also remain current.
The January Visa Bulletin employment-based Dates for Filing chart shows advancement in almost all countries and categories. However, the EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers category for all countries will remain the same as the December Visa Bulletin, as will the EB-3 Other Workers category for all countries except China. The China EB-3 Other Workers category will advance by one year to October 1, 2019.
The India EB-2 Date for Filing will remain the same at December 1, 2013, and the largest advancement in the Dates for Filing chart will be for India EB-5 (Unreserved), which will advance by more than two years to May 1, 2024.
In the coming days, USCIS will announce on its own Visa Bulletin web page whether the agency will accept adjustment of status applications based on the Visa Bulletin Final Action Dates chart or the Dates for Filing chart in January.
EB-4 Certain Religious Worker program
The Certain Religious Workers (SR) Program is set to expire on January 30, 2026. If there is no legislative action extending the SR category beyond that date, the category will immediately become “Unavailable.” This would mean that after midnight on January 29, 2026, no SR visas would be issued overseas, or final action taken on adjustment of status cases by USCIS. Immigrant visas issued prior to that date would be valid only until January 29, 2026, and all individuals seeking admission in the category must be admitted into the United States no later than midnight on January 29, 2026. If the program is extended beyond January 30, however, the published Final Action date of January 1, 2021 will continue to be in effect for the category for the remainder of January.
Final Action Dates for January 2026
EB-1
China: February 1, 2023
India: February 1, 2023
All other countries: Current
EB-2
China: September 1, 2021
India: July 15, 2013
All other countries: April 1, 2024
EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers
China: May 1, 2021
India: November 15, 2013
All other countries: April 22, 2023
EB-3 Other Workers
China: December 8, 2018
India: November 15, 2013
All other countries: September 1, 2021
EB-4 (except SR Certain Religious Workers)
All countries: January 1, 2021
EB-4 SR Certain Religious Workers
All countries: January 1, 2021*
*The EB-4 Certain Religious Workers (SR) category will expire on January 30 unless the program is reauthorized by legislation.
EB-5 Unreserved (Regional Center and Non-Regional Center)
China: August 15, 2016
India: May 1, 2022
All other countries: Current
EB-5 Set-Asides
Rural: Current for all countries
High Unemployment: Current for all countries
Infrastructure: Current for all countries
Dates for Filing for January 2026
EB-1
China: August 1, 2023
India: August 1, 2023
All other countries: Current
EB-2
China: January 1, 2022
India: December 1, 2013
All other countries: October 15, 2024
EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers
China: January 1, 2022
India: August 15, 2014
All other countries: July 1, 2023
EB-3 Other Workers
China: October 1, 2019
India: August 15, 2014
All other countries: December 1, 2021
EB-4 (except SR Certain Religious Workers)
All countries: March 15, 2021
EB-4 SR Certain Religious Workers
All countries: March 15, 2021
EB-5 Unreserved (Regional Center and Non-Regional Center)
China: August 22, 2016
India: May 1, 2024
All other countries: Current
EB-5 Set-Asides
Rural: Current for all countries
High Unemployment: Current for all countries
Infrastructure: Current for all countries
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.
