July 2026 China EB-3 Priority Date Advances Nearly 5 Months, EB-5 Set-Asides Remain Current

July 2026 China EB-3 Priority Date Advances Nearly 5 Months, EB-5 Set-Asides Remain Current. The Department of State's July 2026 Visa Bulletin brings meaningful forward movement for Chinese nationals in the EB-3 category and continued availability across the EB-5 set-aside categories. Employers with affected beneficiaries should act promptly to capture the benefit of these advances.

China EB-3 Advances, EB-5 Set-Asides Stay Current

The headline development is the EB-3 Final Action Date for China, which advances to December 22, 2021—a forward movement of about four months and 21 days (143 days). Chinese nationals with EB-3 priority dates before that cutoff may now have an immigrant visa number available for final action. The EB-3 China date now sits ahead of the EB-2 China Final Action Date of September 1, 2021 (no change), a cross-category relationship worth confirming for any beneficiary weighing a downgrade or upgrade strategy.

Equally significant, all three EB-5 set-aside categories—Rural, High-Unemployment, and Infrastructure—remain Current for China, India, and all other countries, with no change this month. Investors filing under these reserved categories continue to face no priority date backlog. By contrast, the EB-5 unreserved (C5/T5) Final Action Date for China advances to December 1, 2016 (a movement of about two months and nine days, or 70 days), while EB-5 unreserved for India is Unavailable this month and remains Current for all other countries.

Movement Across the Remaining Categories

EB-1: The China Final Action Date advances to June 1, 2023 (about two months, or 61 days), while India retrogresses to October 15, 2022 (about two months, or 61 days). All other countries remain Current.

EB-2: China holds at September 1, 2021 with no change. India becomes Unavailable this month. All other countries remain Current.

EB-3: In addition to the China advance noted above, India moves forward 17 days to January 1, 2014, and all other countries advance about two months (61 days) to August 1, 2024. For the EB-3 Other Worker subcategory, China holds at April 1, 2019, India advances 17 days to January 1, 2014, and all other countries advance 28 days to March 1, 2022.

EB-4: The Final Action Date advances uniformly to September 15, 2022 for China, India, and all other countries (about two months, or 62 days).

Dates for Filing Hold Steady

The Dates for Filing chart is largely unchanged this month. EB-1 remains December 1, 2023 for both China and India and Current for all others. EB-2 and EB-3 both hold at January 1, 2022 for China and January 15, 2015 for India, Current for all others. EB-5 Dates for Filing remain March 1, 2017 for China and May 1, 2024 for India, Current for all others.

Which Chart Applies

Two charts govern different steps. Final Action Dates control when an immigrant visa may actually be issued and when USCIS may approve an adjustment of status. Dates for Filing control the earlier point at which an I-485 application may be submitted. Critically, USCIS announces each month which chart it will accept for adjustment filings, so employers must confirm the applicable chart for July 2026 before relying on either set of dates.

What Employers Should Do Now

• Verify each beneficiary's priority date against both the Final Action and Dates for Filing charts for the correct category and country of chargeability.
• Prepare I-485 packages now where a date is reachable—particularly for Chinese EB-3 beneficiaries positioned to benefit from this month's advance and for EB-5 investors in the set-aside categories.
• Maintain nonimmigrant status for beneficiaries whose dates are not yet current or whose categories are Unavailable, ensuring continued work authorization and lawful status while they wait.
• Reassess strategy for beneficiaries affected by the EB-1 India retrogression and the EB-2 India unavailability, where filing windows have narrowed.

Source: U.S. Department of State, July 2026 Visa Bulletin, available at travel.state.gov.

Final Action Dates — July 2026

Dates for Filing — July 2026