June 2026 Visa Bulletin - EB-2 India Retrogresses, EB-3 Advances

Complete June 2026 Visa Bulletin Numbers

Side-by-side comparison of May 2026 vs the actual June 2026 Final Action Dates released by the State Department on May 13, 2026:

USCIS confirmed June will use Chart A (Final Action Dates) only for employment-based filings. Chart B is not available for EB in June. Family-based applicants may use Dates for Filing.

EB-2 India Retrogression: Who Loses Eligibility

Anyone with an EB-2 India priority date between September 1, 2013 and July 15, 2014 was eligible to file in May, but is NOT eligible in June. That is roughly ten months of applicants who lost the filing window overnight.

What this means practically:

• Cannot file new I-485 applications until the date becomes current again
• Pending I-485 applications: NOT affected - they remain in the queue and continue processing
• New EAD/AP filings: cannot file if there is no pending I-485
• H-1B extensions: still available based on an approved I-140

If you filed I-485 in May while your date was current, your case continues. The retrogression only blocks NEW filings. The State Department explicitly says it expects further retrogressions for EB-1 India, EB-2 India, and EB-5 India before the fiscal year ends September 30.

EB-3 Is Now Ahead of EB-2: Should You Downgrade?

EB-2 India: September 1, 2013. EB-3 India: December 15, 2013. For the first time in recent memory, EB-3 India is 3.5 months ahead of EB-2 India. This is extraordinary and may trigger a wave of EB-2 → EB-3 downgrade filings.

Pros of downgrading from EB-2 to EB-3 right now:

• EB-3 India is 3.5 months ahead of EB-2 India today
• EB-3 India showed forward movement in June while EB-2 retrogressed
• Downgrade uses the same approved I-140 priority date - no new PERM needed

Cons and risks:

• EB-3 has a lower annual visa allocation than EB-2
• EB-3 itself could retrogress in July or August
• The State Department may re-align EB-2 and EB-3 in a single future bulletin
• Filing the downgrade costs USCIS fees and triggers a new I-140 review

Consult an immigration attorney before downgrading. This reversal may be temporary - the State Department could re-align in July. Read our full H-1B to Green Card guide for the full downgrade procedure.

EB-1 India Retrogression: EB-1A and EB-1B Affected

EB-1 India moving from April 1, 2023 back to December 15, 2022 is unusual and alarming. EB-1 is typically the 'safe' category for extraordinary ability - when it retrogresses, demand pressure has reached every India EB category.

Who is affected:

• O-1 → EB-1A self-petitioners with priority dates in early 2023: delayed
• EB-1B outstanding professors and researchers: delayed
• EB-1C multinational managers and executives: delayed
• EB-1 was supposed to be the 'fast track' for India; backlog is now ~3.5 years (Dec 2022 from May 2026)

For high-achievers exploring alternative routes, see our H-1B alternatives guide (O-1 → EB-1A section) and consider parallel filings in Canada and the UK.

State Department Warning: What's Coming Next

The June bulletin explicitly warns of further negative movement:

• EB-1 India: further retrogression or 'unavailable' possible
• EB-2 India: further retrogression or 'unavailable' possible
• EB-5 India: retrogression or 'unavailable' possible
• General warning: 'visa categories may become unavailable' before September 30

Translation: July and August could be worse. Prepare for the possibility that EB-1 and EB-2 India become 'U' (unavailable) before September 30. Once a category goes U, no new I-485 can be filed at all for that category and country until the new fiscal year begins October 1.

What to Do Right Now: Action Plan by Category

If your date was current in May AND you filed I-485:

• Your case continues - retrogression does NOT affect pending I-485s
• Continue monitoring USCIS processing: USCIS processing times 2026

If your date was current in May but you did NOT file:

• You missed the window. Wait for your date to become current again
• This could take months or years depending on future movement

If your EB-2 India date is between Sep 1, 2013 and Jul 15, 2014:

• You lost eligibility this month - consider EB-3 downgrade (attorney review essential)
• Consider EB-1A if you qualify (self-petition, no PERM required)
• Build a parallel path: Canada Express Entry CRS calculator

If your EB-1 India date is between Dec 15, 2022 and Apr 1, 2023:

• Wait for the next bulletin - EB-1 historically recovers
• Consider filing in EB-2 if you have an approved EB-2 I-140 with an earlier priority date

Everyone:

• Check your wait time: Green Card Calculator
• Monitor the bulletin monthly: Visa Bulletin tracker
• Build a Canada backup: CRS score calculator

Historical EB-2 India tracker

The April 2026 advance of 303 days has been completely erased - and then some. June is 14 days BEHIND where January started. Use our Green Card Calculator to model what this means for your priority date.