Representative image / IANS

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) publishes current immigrant visa availability information on its Visa Bulletin. The Visa Bulletin shows when immigrant visas are available for issuance to prospective immigrants based on their individual priority dates. Every month, the DOS publishes two charts per visa preference category on its Visa Bulletin. The charts are based on the Application Final Dates and Dates for Filing Applications. 

The Final Action Dates chart illustrates the dates when visas may finally be issued, and the Dates for Filing Applications demonstrate the earliest dates when applicants may be able to apply.  

For March 2026, USCIS has decided to continue to use the Dates for Filing for Employment-Based Adjustment of Status Applications.  Moreover, USCIS has decided to continue to follow the Dates for Filing for Family-Sponsored Adjustment of Status Applications table.  Also note that U.S. Congress has passed legislation that extends the Employment Fourth Preference Certain Religious Workers (SR) category to September 30, 2026.  

Finally, while the March 2026 visa bulletin continues to show varying degrees of movement of dates for individuals across the globe, this article will specifically focus on the dates that impact Indian nationals.
 

Family-Sponsored Preference Cases Specific for Indian Nationals / USCIS

• Family-based First Preference Category (F-1 – Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens): India’s visa cut-off date stays on November 8, 2016. 
• Family-based Second Preference Category (F2A – Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents): India’s visa cut-off date stays on February 1, 2024. 
• Family-based Second Preference Category (F2B – Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older) of Permanent Residents: India’s visa cut-off date remains on December 1, 2016. 
• Family-based Third Preference Category (F3 – Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens): India’s visa cut-off also stays on September 8, 2011.  
• Family-based Fourth Preference Category (F4 – Brothers and Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens): India’s visa cut-off date remains on November 1, 2006.  

Employment-Sponsored Preference Cases Specific for Indian Nationals / USCIS

• Employment-based First (Priority Workers): There is some movement in the EB-1 cutoff dates for March 2026 visa bulletin for India.  The visa availability date moves ahead to March 1, 2023.    

• Employment-based Second (Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability): The visa availability date for EB-2 for India also advances by two (2) months to September 15, 2013.  It is hard to say whether there will be any further movements in this visa category in the coming months, especially as demand for this visa continues to exceed quota limits.  This certainly is a category that needs further monitoring.

• Employment-based Third (Skilled Workers, Professionals): EB-3 India’s visa availability date stays on November 15, 2013.

• Employment-based Fourth (Certain Special Immigrants): This preference category advances to July 15, 2021.   

• Certain Religious Workers: As of March 2026, the visa cut-off date for this category is July 15, 2021.  This program has been extended by the U.S. Congress to September 30, 2026.

• Employment-based Fifth (Employment Creation – which is the EB-5 immigrant investor visa category): The EB-5 date under the unreserved category (which includes the set aside categories of rural, high unemployment, and infrastructure) stays on May 1, 2022.  It will be interesting to see whether this date will move further in the coming months.

With the first few months of the new Fiscal Year 2026, the U.S. Department of State’s primary goal continues to try its best to keep the various employment-based visa numbers in steady movement and to not have the visa numbers be used up too quickly. 

Importantly, the EB-4 certain religious worker visa category is now available and will be so until September 30, 2026. 

Due to the rather fluid nature of visa allotments in the beginning part of the fiscal year, it will be important to keep track of how USCIS decides to either use Dates of Filing or Final Action Dates table in the upcoming few months.

 

Clement C. Chang Esq is a Senior Associate at Pasricha & Patel, LLC. He has spent several years providing exceptional legal services in employment-based immigration, labor certification, family-based immigration, and immigrant and nonimmigrant visa petitions.  Visit Pasricha & Patel, LLC’s website here: www.pasricha.com