April 2026 Visa Bulletin: EB-2 India Jumps 10 Months, EB-2 ROW Goes Current

The April 2026 Visa Bulletin just dropped, and it's one of the most significant bulletins we've seen in months. The headline: EB-2 India advances a full 10 months in a single jump, EB-2 for the rest of the world goes current, and EB-3 All Other surges forward 8 months. Here's the full breakdown of what moved, what didn't, and what it means for your green card timeline.

Employment-Based Final Action Dates: April 2026

Here are the Final Action Dates for April 2026 compared to March 2026. These are the dates that determine when USCIS will actually adjudicate your I-485 application.

The Big Story: EB-2 India Advances 10 Months

The Final Action Date for EB-2 India moved from September 15, 2013 to July 15, 2014. That's a 10-month jump in a single bulletin. For context, EB-2 India moved roughly 8 months total across the entire previous fiscal year. Getting 10 months in one shot is unusually aggressive.

What does this mean practically? If your EB-2 India priority date is between September 15, 2013 and July 15, 2014, your case is now current for Final Action. You can expect your I-485 to move forward if it's been pending, or you can now file one if you haven't already.

Don't celebrate too hard though. Even with this jump, the EB-2 India Final Action Date is still sitting at July 2014. That's roughly 12 years behind. The backlog remains massive, and a single good month doesn't mean the pace will continue. Retrogression is always possible later in the fiscal year as demand data comes in.

EB-2 Rest of World Goes Current

This is huge news if you're born outside the "big four" backlogged countries (India, China, Mexico, Philippines). EB-2 for All Other countries, Mexico, and Philippines all jumped from October 15, 2024 to fully current.

That means if you have an approved I-140 in the EB-2 category and you're born in any country other than India or China, there's no backlog at all. Your priority date doesn't matter. You can file I-485 immediately (or your pending I-485 can be adjudicated now).

EB-3 All Other Jumps 8 Months

EB-3 for All Other countries (and Mexico) advanced from October 1, 2023 to June 1, 2024. That's an 8-month leap - unusual for EB-3, which typically moves in smaller increments.

This tracks with the broader pattern this bulletin is showing: the Department of State is pushing dates forward aggressively for non-backlogged countries. Section D of the bulletin explicitly mentions that "immigrant visa issuance rates for aliens from certain countries have decreased" due to administration actions, and to compensate, DOS has "advanced dates for filing and final action dates across various immigrant visa categories."

In plain English: fewer people from some countries are using their visa numbers, so those numbers are being redistributed. That's why we're seeing these large jumps.

What Didn't Move

Not everything advanced this month. A few categories stayed flat:

• EB-2 China: Stuck at September 1, 2021. No movement at all. If you're EB-2 China, this is a disappointing month.
• EB-3 India: Frozen at November 15, 2013. While EB-2 India got a 10-month boost, EB-3 India got nothing. The gap between EB-2 and EB-3 India is now only about 8 months, which raises interesting strategic questions about the EB-2 to EB-3 downgrade strategy.
• EB-3 Philippines: No movement, holding at August 1, 2023.
• EB-4 (Special Immigrants): Unchanged across the board at July 15, 2022.

Dates for Filing: April 2026

The Dates for Filing chart (Chart B) determines when you can submit your I-485 application. Check USCIS's website at uscis.gov/visabulletininfo to confirm whether USCIS accepts Dates for Filing this month.

Key Dates for Filing changes:

• EB-1 China/India: December 1, 2023 (unchanged)
• EB-2 India: January 15, 2015 (was November 1, 2014 - advanced ~2.5 months)
• EB-3 All Other: Current (was January 15, 2024 - went current)
• EB-3 India: January 15, 2015 (was August 15, 2014 - advanced ~5 months)

The Dates for Filing improvements for India are notable. EB-3 India's filing date advanced 5 months, which means more people can get their I-485 applications into the queue even if Final Action hasn't reached them yet.

EB-5 Investor Category

For the EB-5 unreserved category:

• All Other: Current
• China: September 1, 2016 (unchanged)
• India: May 1, 2022 (unchanged)

All EB-5 set-aside categories (rural, high unemployment, infrastructure) remain current for all countries.

What This Means for Your Strategy

If you're EB-2 India with a priority date before July 2014: Your case is now current for Final Action. If your I-485 is pending, it can be adjudicated. If you haven't filed, do it now.

If you're EB-2 India with a priority date after July 2014: The 10-month jump is encouraging, but don't assume this pace continues. Plan for the long haul. Consider whether an EB-1A self-petition makes sense as a parallel strategy.

If you're EB-3 India: Your Final Action Date didn't move, but your Date for Filing advanced 5 months. If your priority date is before January 15, 2015, you can potentially file your I-485 (if USCIS accepts Chart B this month). Getting that I-485 filed gives you EAD and Advance Parole benefits.

If you're EB-2 or EB-3 born outside India/China: This is your month. EB-2 is fully current, and EB-3 jumped 8 months. If you have an approved I-140 and haven't filed I-485, the window is wide open.

If you're EB-2 China: Frustrating month with zero movement. The EB-2 China backlog has been stubbornly slow. If you're stuck, consider the EB-1 route (either EB-1A self-petition or EB-1C if you qualify) where China dates are also backlogged but at a more recent date (April 2023).

Administration Actions and Visa Availability

Section D of the bulletin includes an important note: the administration's actions have reduced visa issuance for aliens from certain countries. To compensate, DOS has advanced dates across multiple categories so that visa numbers available in FY-2026 can still be used by applicants from other countries.

This is a double-edged sword. The aggressive date advancement we're seeing for non-backlogged countries is partly because visa numbers aren't being used by some applicants due to policy changes. If those policies change, or if demand suddenly increases, retrogression could happen later in the fiscal year.

The bulletin also warns: "as additional immigrant visa demand materializes, or administration actions are amended, retrogression may be necessary later in the fiscal year to keep issuances within annual limits."

Translation: enjoy these current dates while they last. There's no guarantee they'll hold through September 2026.

Quick Reference: April 2026 vs March 2026

Here's the full month-over-month comparison for employment-based Final Action Dates: