The January 2026 Visa Bulletin (Visa Bulletin Number 10, Volume XI) is the Department of State’s monthly notice of immigrant visa availability for January 2026. For EB-2 (Employment-Based Second Preference) applicants charged to India, the most important line is the Final Action Date listed as 15JUL13. This single cutoff controls when a green card can be finally approved (or an immigrant visa can be issued) in that month.
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, readers often mix up “filing” movement with “approval” movement, but The bulletin separates them on purpose. In the January 2026 A. Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Preference Cases table, the EB-2 row (“2nd”) lists India: 15JUL13, while other entries include All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed: 01APR24, China (mainland born): 01SEP21, Mexico: 01APR24, and Philippines: 01APR24. For an India EB-2 case, that 15JUL13 entry is the approval gate for January 2026, regardless of where your case “is” in the paperwork pipeline.
The cutoff-date rule is strict: “earlier than” decides “current” or “not current”
The bulletin’s own language explains how to read a listed date: when a category is oversubscribed,
“numbers are authorized for issuance only for applicants whose priority date is earlier than the final action date listed.”
That wording matters because it creates a bright line.
- If your priority date is earlier than 15JUL13, you are current for final action in EB-2 India for January 2026. A visa number can be used for final approval in that month (if everything else is ready).
- If your priority date is 15JUL13 or later, you are not current for final action in January 2026. Final approval cannot happen under that chart in that month.
Many applicants assume the cutoff date is inclusive. The bulletin does not support that. A priority date of 15JUL13 is not earlier than 15JUL13. A priority date of 14JUL13 is earlier than 15JUL13. Planning around this strict “earlier than” standard prevents painful surprises when you think you are at the front of the line but the government still treats you as not yet eligible for final action.
Two clocks run at once: the filing window and the approval gate
The Visa Bulletin contains two different charts that create two different timelines for employment-based green cards:
- Final Action Dates — controls approval/issuance timing (when a visa number can be used).
- Dates for Filing — controls when the government may allow you to start submitting documents.
The January 2026 bulletin states it includes both “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications.” It also says that, unless USCIS indicates otherwise on its website, adjustment-of-status applicants must use the Final Action Dates chart to decide when they can file. USCIS sometimes allows the Dates for Filing chart when there are more visas available than known applicants.
That means your I-485 timeline has two separate checkpoints:
- When you are allowed to file Form I-485 (Dates for Filing or Final Action Dates as directed by USCIS).
- When USCIS can approve it and allocate a visa number using the Final Action Date.
For authoritative chart-selection instructions each month, USCIS posts a dedicated page for family and employment categories: USCIS Visa Bulletin guidance.
Even when filing is allowed earlier, final approval stays locked to the EB-2 India Final Action Date: 15JUL13 for January 2026.
What moved from December 2025 to January 2026 — and what did not
Comparing the two bulletins you provided clarifies the timeline:
- Final Action Date (EB-2 India):
- December 2025: 15MAY13
- January 2026: 15JUL13
- Movement: forward by exactly two months (no retrogression between those months).
- Dates for Filing (EB-2 India):
- December 2025: 01DEC13
- January 2026: 01DEC13
- Movement: no change
So, while the Final Action Date advanced from 15MAY13 to 15JUL13, the Dates for Filing remained fixed at 01DEC13. Practically, this can create or preserve a gap where some people may be able to file (if USCIS permits that chart) but still have to wait for approval until the Final Action Date reaches their priority date.
The EB-2 adjustment “journey”: where 15JUL13 fits in the real workflow
Most EB-2 India applicants experience the process as a chain of milestones. The Visa Bulletin controls when the final milestone is possible.
Typical stages include:
- PERM labor certification
- I-140 immigrant petition (filed by the employer)
- Adjustment of status via Form I-485 if you are in the United States 🇺🇸
The bulletin’s key impact is not that it “starts” your case; it controls whether a visa number can be used for final approval in a given month.
- If you have not filed yet, the bulletin’s default rule is to use Final Action Dates to determine if you can file, unless USCIS says otherwise.
- If you have filed and your case is otherwise approvable, the January 2026 EB-2 India Final Action Date 15JUL13 determines whether USCIS can approve the I-485 in that month.
When interacting with the government in this phase, you will typically deal with specific forms, including Form I-140 and Form I-485. The visa number “gate” is controlled by the Final Action Date.
Priority-date scenarios to map your I-485 timeline
Compare your priority date against these two EB-2 India lines:
- Final Action Date: 15JUL13
- Dates for Filing: 01DEC13
Use these scenarios:
- Priority date earlier than 15JUL13
- You are current for final action in January 2026.
- If your I-485 is filed and otherwise approvable, a visa number is available for final approval in that month (subject to processing).
- If you have not filed, filing depends on which chart USCIS authorizes (default: Final Action Dates unless USCIS posts otherwise).
- Priority date exactly 15JUL13
- You are not current for final action in January 2026 because the rule is “earlier than.”
- Your timeline remains on hold for approval until the Final Action Date moves past 15JUL13.
- Priority date after 15JUL13 but earlier than 01DEC13
- You are not current for approval in January 2026.
- You might fall within the filing window only if USCIS allows use of the Dates for Filing chart.
- Priority date on/after 01DEC13
- January 2026 does not support filing or approval under the listed EB-2 India cutoffs.
Why EB-2 India has a cutoff at all: oversubscription, reporting, and retrogression risk
The bulletin’s framework explains the reason for a date like 15JUL13:
- Consular officers report documentarily qualified applicants.
- USCIS reports adjustment applicants.
- Allocations are then made as much as possible in chronological order of reported priority dates for demand received by a specified cutoff date (for January 2026, demand was received by December 2nd).
If all reported demand cannot be met within the numerical limits, the category becomes oversubscribed. In that situation:
- The Final Action Date becomes the priority date of the first applicant who could not be reached with available numbers.
- That is why EB-2 India shows a date instead of “C” (current).
The same framework also explains why your I-485 approval timeline can move in small steps and sometimes backward. The bulletin explicitly warns that retrogression can occur during monthly allocation, and that supplemental requests will be honored only if the priority date falls within the newly retrogressed date. For applicants, this means: even after filing, the ability to finish depends on monthly number availability and where your priority date sits versus the Final Action Date.
Actions to take now, and what to expect as the bulletin changes
Because the EB-2 India Final Action Date 15JUL13 is the controlling fact for January 2026 final approval, take these practical, date-driven steps:
- Confirm your exact priority date (the bulletin logic depends on it).
- Confirm which chart USCIS permits for the month—Final Action Dates by default, unless USCIS posts otherwise on its website.
- If you are eligible to file (under the chart USCIS authorizes), prepare to enter the I-485 processing pipeline knowing that filing does not guarantee approval until you are current under Final Action Dates.
- If you are already filed and your priority date is earlier than 15JUL13, January 2026 is a month where final action is allowed on the bulletin’s terms, assuming the case is otherwise approvable.
- If your date is 15JUL13 or later, expect to continue waiting for the Final Action Date to advance beyond your date. The December 2025 to January 2026 shift from 15MAY13 to 15JUL13 shows forward movement, but it does not guarantee the pace of future movement.
Key takeaway: For January 2026, final approval for EB-2 India is strictly controlled by the Final Action Date 15JUL13. Filing earlier (under Dates for Filing) does not override this approval gate.
The January 2026 Visa Bulletin lists EB-2 India Final Action Date as 15JUL13, moving forward from 15MAY13. Final Action Dates control approval timing; Dates for Filing remained 01DEC13. Applicants must be earlier than 15JUL13 for final approval in January 2026. USCIS decides which chart (Final Action or Dates for Filing) applicants must use. Filing earlier does not guarantee approval until the Final Action Date permits a visa number.
