United States: March 2026 Visa Bulletin – EB-2 Dates for Filing For All Countries Except China Jump Ahead; USCIS to Honor Dates for Filing
February 19, 2026
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At a glance
- The Dates for Filing EB-2 category will become current in March for all countries except India and China; the Date for Filing for EB-2 India will advance by 11 months.
- USCIS will accept employment-based adjustment of status applications in March from foreign nationals with a priority date that is earlier than the Dates for Filing listed in the March Bulletin.
- All other employment-based categories will either moderately advance or remain the same in the Final Action and Dates for Filing charts.
A closer look
The State Department’s March Visa Bulletin shows advancement in almost all employment-based immigrant visa categories, with especially large advances in the EB-2 Dates for Filing category for all countries except China. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced on its own Visa Bulletin-related web page that the agency will accept employment-based adjustment of status applications based on the Visa Bulletin Dates for Filing chart in March.
The Dates for Filing cutoff dates govern when a foreign national may be eligible to submit an adjustment of status application to USCIS. To be eligible to file an employment-based adjustment application in March, foreign nationals must have a priority date that is earlier than the Date for Filing listed for their preference category and country below:
- EB-1: China and India will advance by four months to December 1, 2023. All other countries will continue to be current.
- EB-2: All countries except India and China will become current. India will advance by 11 months to November 1, 2014. China will remain at January 1, 2022.
- EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers: China will remain at January 1, 2022, and India will remain at August 15, 2014. The Philippines will advance three months to January 1, 2024. All other countries will advance by three and half months to January 15, 2024.
- EB-5: For the EB-5 Unreserved categories, China will advance by five weeks to October 1, 2016, and India will remain at May 1, 2024. All other countries will remain current. The EB-5 set-aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure) will also remain current.
Under the March 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 and India will advance by one month to March 1, 2023. All other countries will continue to be current.
- EB-2: China will remain at September 1, 2021, and India will advance by two months to September 15, 2013. All other countries will advance by six and a half months to October 15, 2024.
- EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers: China will remain at May 1, 2021, and India will remain at November 15, 2013. The Philippines will advance by two months to August 1, 2023. All other countries will advance by four months to October 1, 2023.
- EB-5: For the EB-5 Unreserved categories, China will remain at August 15, 2016, and India will remain at 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 complete list of dates for each chart is located below.
State Department comments on availability of immigrant visas
In the March Visa Bulletin, the State Department notes that U.S. consulate immigrant visa issuance rates for foreign nationals from certain countries have decreased due to various actions the Trump administration has taken, such as the nationality-based travel ban affecting nationals of almost 40 countries and the immigrant visa processing pause affecting nationals of 75 countries (some of which overlap with travel ban countries).
The agency notes that due to this decrease in issuance, the March Visa Bulletin cutoff dates have advanced for many countries and categories. The Department also notes, however, that as demand for immigrant visa numbers increases and/or should the government revise its restrictive immigrant visa actions, it may be necessary to retrogress some of these dates later in the fiscal year. The fiscal year ends on September 30, 2026.
Dates for Filing for March 2026
EB-1
China: December 1, 2023
India: December 1, 2023
All other countries: Current
EB-2
China: January 1, 2022
India: November 1, 2014
All other countries: Current
EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers
China: January 1, 2022
India: August 15, 2014
Philippines: January 1, 2024
All other countries: January 15, 2024
EB-3 Other Workers
China: October 1, 2019
India: August 15, 2014
All other countries: June 22, 2022
EB-4
All countries: January 1, 2023
EB-5 Unreserved (Regional Center and Non-Regional Center)
China: October 1, 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
Final Action Dates for March 2026
EB-1
China: March 1, 2023
India: March 1, 2023
All other countries: Current
EB-2
China: September 1, 2021
India: September 15, 2013
All other countries: October 15, 2024
EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers
China: May 1, 2021
India: November 15, 2013
Philippines: August 1, 2023
All other countries: October 1, 2023
EB-3 Other Workers
China: December 8, 2018
India: November 15, 2013
All other countries: November 1, 2021
EB-4
All countries: July 15, 2021
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
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.
