US Visa Bulletin March: EB-2 India up 11 months for green card applicants
US Visa Bulletin March 2026: USCIS will accept employment-based adjustment filings in March as EB-1 and EB-2 India categories move forward
 "US Visa Bulletin March: EB-2 India up 11 months for green card applicants")
Visa Bulletin March 2026: In a major relief for Indian green card applicants, the US State Department’s March 2026 Visa Bulletin shows forward movement in key employment-based categories, with EB-2 for India advancing by 11 months and EB-1 moving ahead by four months. China, however, saw no movement in EB-2. The update shows forward movement across several employment-based categories and confirms that US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will accept employment-based adjustment of status applications in March using the Dates for Filing chart.
What the visa bulletin means for applicants
The Visa Bulletin remains the primary reference for individuals waiting to adjust status or obtain an immigrant visa. It contains two key charts serving different purposes.
> Dates for filing indicate when applicants may submit their adjustment of status or immigrant visa applications.
> Final action dates show when a green card can actually be approved, effectively reflecting visa availability and demand.
For employment-based green cards, applicants must have a priority date earlier than the listed cut-off in the Dates for Filing chart when USCIS authorises its use, as it has done for March.
Dates for filing: Key movement
Under the March 2026 visa bulletin:
EB-1: China and India will advance by four months to December 1, 2023. All other countries remain current.
EB-2: All countries except India and China will become current. India advances by 11 months to November 1, 2014. China remains at January 1, 2022.
EB-3 professionals and skilled workers
> China remains at January 1, 2022, and India remains at August 15, 2014. All other countries except the Philippines advance by three and a half months to January 15, 2024.
> State Department sources for EB-3 Philippines differ: the official Visa Bulletin PDF lists January 1, 2024, while the website lists January 15, 2024.
EB-5 unreserved: China advances by five weeks to October 1, 2016. India remains at May 1, 2024. All other countries remain current. EB-5 set-aside categories also remain current.
Final action dates: March 2026
Final action dates determine when immigrant visas can actually be issued or adjustment applications approved.
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
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
How are employment-based green cards divided?
Employment-based immigrant visas are split across five preferences, each with a fixed share of the annual global quota and its own eligibility rules.
EB-1 – Priority workers
– Individuals with extraordinary ability
– Outstanding professors and researchers
– Certain multinational executives and managers
EB-2 – Professionals with advanced degrees or individuals of exceptional ability
– Professionals with advanced degrees
– Individuals with exceptional ability in sciences, arts or business
EB-3 – skilled workers, professionals and Other Workers
– Skilled workers and professionals
– “Other Workers” doing unskilled labour, subject to a 10,000 visa cap
EB-4 – Certain special immigrants
– Some religious workers
– Certain employees of US foreign service posts
– Other special categories set by statute
EB-5 – Employment creation
– 20 per cent reserved for rural projects
– 10 per cent for high unemployment areas
– 2 per cent for infrastructure projects
– The remaining 68 per cent unreserved and open to other qualifying investments
EB-5 set-aside categories have their own pools of numbers, separate from the unreserved EB-5 quota. Because these set-aside pools are current for India, investors who qualify for rural, high unemployment or infrastructure projects can proceed more quickly than those in the unreserved track.