The U.S. Department of State released the June 2026 Visa Bulletin, with USCIS confirming the use of the Final Action Dates chart. This monthly announcement affects how you file adjustment of status applications, which visa categories remain open, and whether your clients can proceed with employment-based or family-based filings in June.
What changed
The U.S. Department of State has released its June 2026 Visa Bulletin outlining per-country priority date cutoffs that regulate immigrant visa availability and the flow of adjustment of status application and consular immigrant visa application filings and approvals. The bulletin includes both a Dates for Filing Visa Applications chart and an Application Final Action Dates chart.
For family-sponsored preference categories, you must use the Dates for Filing chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin for June 2026. For employment-based preference categories, you must use the Final Action Dates chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin for June 2026.
The State Department also issued critical warnings about visa availability:
- The Department of State announced that the annual limit for immigrant visa issuance in the India EB-2 category had been reached. While India EB-2 applicants may continue to file their applications if their priority dates are current in the visa bulletin, they will not receive immigrant visas for the rest of FY2026, which ends on September 30.
- For India EB-1 and EB-2: high demand has already required retrogression of final action dates; further retrogression or an “unavailable” designation may follow if India’s pro-rated annual limits are reached.
- Due to the increased number of applications in China EB-2 and Philippines EB-3 visa categories, retrogression may occur in the final action dates for China EB-2 and Philippines EB-3. The Department also anticipates that immigrant visas within these categories may become unavailable in the upcoming months based on annual per-country limits.
Diversity visa (DV) applicants should note that the year of entitlement for all applicants registered for the DV-2026 program ends as of September 30, 2026, and DV visas may not be issued to DV-2026 applicants after that date.
Why it matters
The switch to Final Action Dates for employment-based filings has real consequences for your clients. Applicants who were eligible to file under the Dates for Filing chart but whose priority dates are not yet current under the Final Action Dates chart will be unable to file in June 2026. This means some clients with dates that looked “current” under the Dates for Filing chart must now wait longer to file their I-485s.
The India EB-2 visa number exhaustion is a watershed moment. Even if your client’s priority date is current, India EB-2 applicants will not receive visas for the remainder of FY2026. This eliminates the financial incentive to file now and shifts strategy to either waiting for the new fiscal year (October) or exploring alternative visa categories.
For China EB-2 and Philippines EB-3 applicants, prepare for volatility. Sufficient demand and increased usage may require retrogression of the final action date in upcoming months, which can trap applicants who file on a current date only to see their priority date slip backward before approval.
DV-2026 applicants are in a time crunch; the six-month window to obtain an interview or adjustment approval closes September 30, 2026.
Way forward
- Check the chart that applies to your client’s category. Family-based filers use Dates for Filing; employment-based filers use Final Action Dates. Confirm your client’s priority date against the correct chart before advising on filing timing.
- For India EB-2 clients: counsel that filing now will not result in visa issuance in FY2026. Consider whether a July filing (in the new fiscal year) or switching to EB-3 or another category makes sense for the client’s circumstances.
- For China EB-2 and Philippines EB-3: monitor retrogression risk. If your client’s priority date is close to the current cutoff, discuss the risk that the date may move backward mid-month, potentially making an I-485 filed at the beginning of June ineligible by month’s end.
- For DV-2026: advise clients that they have until September 30, 2026 to obtain a visa interview or adjustment approval. If an interview is scheduled after that date, the applicant loses DV status and visa entitlement.
Disclaimer
Fola is not a law firm and this article is not legal advice. Visa bulletin rules are complex and change monthly; always verify the current priority dates and applicable chart against the official State Department Visa Bulletin before advising a client on filing timing or strategy. Consult a licensed immigration attorney for advice on your specific case. Policy and visa availability can change without notice.