New Visa Bulletin for April 2026: When Will Green Cards Finally Move?

The U.S. State Department published the Visa Bulletin for April 2026 on March 17, indicating that Indian employment green cards are moving forward. The EB-2 Final Action dates are moving forward to July 15, 2014, and Dates for Filing are jumping forward to January 15, 2015.

Family-sponsored and employment green cards are affecting millions of people, mainly Indians and Chinese, as USCIS uses Dates for Filing, allowing I-485 adjustment applications for eligible applicants with priority dates under the annual 140,000 EB visas. 

Experts are hailing this as "real progress" after months of stalled movement, guiding consulate processing and status changes for applicants, mainly tracking dates for filing as early as possible for EAD benefits.

New Visa Bulletin for April 2026: When Will Green Cards Finally Move?

The bulletin has EB-2 India Final Action on July 15, 2014, 10 months forward from September 2013, and Dates for Filing on January 15, 2015, from November 1, 2014. 

EB-3 is unchanged for India, but all other countries see EB-2 current except China/India, with all family-based dates current, according to State Department charts that balance out fiscal year allocations.

Rahul Reddy, a lawyer, says this is a "huge" change that will free up EAD/AP for thousands after 10 years.

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Key Changes for Indian EB Categories

USCIS has acknowledged that Dates for Filing are being utilized, permitting EB-2/3 Indians prior to Jan 15, 2015, to submit I-485s to seek work/travel benefits as Final Actions remain behind in approval. 

The two-month jump indicates a smooth utilization of visas or low demand, despite backlogs below 7% per-country limit, leading to ten-year waits. Other countries are using current dates, showing differences between India/China Changes.

2026 April Visa Bulletin Impact on Backlogged Applicants

The Visa bulletins control when petitions move forward, with Final Action for approvals and Filing for submissions. 

The gains in April are a continuation of March’s stability, suggesting that May will see increases according to analysts tracking FY2026 quotas. 

Immigrants monitor travel.state.gov monthly, as retrogression risks are always on the horizon in case of increased demand, affecting H-1B extensions as well as family unity.

The bulletin brings hope to green card aspirations as queues stretch on forever. Filings are being prepared as the queues continue to erode steadily.