An advance copy of the July 2026 U.S. Visa Bulletin, analysed by immigration attorney Michael Gurfinkel and published on 21 June, confirms that the Employment-Based First Preference (EB-1) category for India will retrogress by one full year, to 1 July 2022. The Employment-Based Second Preference (EB-2) cut-off remains frozen at 15 April 2012, while EB-3 advances by three months to 1 January 2014.
![July 2026 U.S. Visa Bulletin Signals Further EB-1 Retrogression for India—What Employers Need to Know]()
For those who may need to recalibrate their international mobility plans altogether, VisaHQ offers a fast, digital solution for obtaining Indian visas and many other travel documents. Their platform (https://www.visahq.com/india/) provides clear instructions, real-time tracking and concierge assistance—an efficient back-up when shifting staff between global offices becomes necessary because of U.S. green-card slowdowns.
For Indian nationals already in the United States on H-1B or L-1 status, the change means new I-485 adjustment filings in EB-1 will be impossible until a future bulletin moves dates forward again. Those whose priority dates were current in May or June but who have not yet filed must do so before 30 June 2026 or lose the window. Corporate mobility managers should immediately audit green-card pipelines, prioritise medical exams and reach out to dependants abroad who plan to consular-process. India-based multinationals planning U.S. assignments will feel ripple effects: many rising managers who would normally qualify for an EB-1 multinational-manager petition may now face waits exceeding four years. Companies may need to extend H-1B or L-1 visas, triggering additional wage-obligation and compliance costs. Some employers are exploring Canada Global Skills Strategy transfers as stop-gaps. The bulletin offers one silver lining: the Dates-for-Filing chart, which governs when applicants can submit preliminary paperwork (but not receive the green card), remains unchanged, allowing continued pre-filing under EB-1 India for priority dates before 1 January 2023. However, USCIS has yet to announce whether it will honour that chart in July; a negative decision would close even that administrative pathway.
For those who may need to recalibrate their international mobility plans altogether, VisaHQ offers a fast, digital solution for obtaining Indian visas and many other travel documents. Their platform (https://www.visahq.com/india/) provides clear instructions, real-time tracking and concierge assistance—an efficient back-up when shifting staff between global offices becomes necessary because of U.S. green-card slowdowns.
For Indian nationals already in the United States on H-1B or L-1 status, the change means new I-485 adjustment filings in EB-1 will be impossible until a future bulletin moves dates forward again. Those whose priority dates were current in May or June but who have not yet filed must do so before 30 June 2026 or lose the window. Corporate mobility managers should immediately audit green-card pipelines, prioritise medical exams and reach out to dependants abroad who plan to consular-process. India-based multinationals planning U.S. assignments will feel ripple effects: many rising managers who would normally qualify for an EB-1 multinational-manager petition may now face waits exceeding four years. Companies may need to extend H-1B or L-1 visas, triggering additional wage-obligation and compliance costs. Some employers are exploring Canada Global Skills Strategy transfers as stop-gaps. The bulletin offers one silver lining: the Dates-for-Filing chart, which governs when applicants can submit preliminary paperwork (but not receive the green card), remains unchanged, allowing continued pre-filing under EB-1 India for priority dates before 1 January 2023. However, USCIS has yet to announce whether it will honour that chart in July; a negative decision would close even that administrative pathway.
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