February 2026 US Visa Bulletin: Limited Movement In Employment-Based Green Card Categories

[Editor2]

The February 2026 US Visa Bulletin brings relatively little change across most employment-based (EB) immigrant visa categories. Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing largely remain unchanged, with one notable exception: modest forward movement in the EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers category for most countries.


For employers and foreign nationals monitoring green card timelines, the bulletin reflects continued backlogs in key categories and countries, underscoring the importance of close planning and timely filing.

Key Highlights at a Glance​

• Most EB categories remain unchanged from the prior month
• EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers sees advancement for all countries except India and China
• EB-4 Certain Religious Workers faces potential expiration at the end of January 2026
• EB-5 set-aside categories remain current for all countries

Employment-Based Final Action Dates for February 2026​

Final Action Dates determine when an immigrant visa may be issued or an adjustment of status application may be approved.

• EB-1 (Priority Workers)
  
  • China: February 1, 2023
  • India: February 1, 2023
  • All other countries: Current
• EB-2 (Advanced Degrees / Exceptional Ability)
  
  • China: September 1, 2021
  • India: July 15, 2013
  • All other countries: April 1, 2024
• EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers
  
  • China: May 1, 2021
  • India: November 15, 2013
  • All other countries: June 1, 2023 (advanced by five weeks)
• EB-3 Other Workers
  
  • China: December 8, 2018
  • India: November 15, 2013
  • All other countries: September 1, 2021
• EB-4 (except Certain Religious Workers)
  
  • All countries: January 1, 2021
• EB-4 Certain Religious Workers (SR)
  
  • All countries: Unavailable*
• EB-5 Unreserved (Regional Center and Non-Regional Center)
  
  • China: August 15, 2016
  • India: May 1, 2022
  • All other countries: Current
• EB-5 Set-Aside Categories (Rural, High Unemployment, Infrastructure)
  
  • All countries: Current

*The EB-4 Certain Religious Workers category is set to expire on January 30, 2026, unless reauthorized by legislation.

Dates for Filing: February 2026​

Dates for Filing indicate when applicants may submit adjustment of status applications, subject to confirmation from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

• EB-1
  
  • China: August 1, 2023
  • India: August 1, 2023
  • All other countries: Current
• EB-2
  
  • China: January 1, 2022
  • India: December 1, 2013
  • All other countries: October 15, 2024
• EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers
  
  • China: January 1, 2022
  • India: August 15, 2014
  • All other countries: October 1, 2023 (advanced by three months)
• EB-3 Other Workers
  
  • China: October 1, 2019
  • India: August 15, 2014
  • All other countries: December 1, 2021
• EB-4 (except Certain Religious Workers)
  
  • All countries: March 15, 2021
• EB-4 Certain Religious Workers (SR)
  
  • All countries: Unavailable*
• EB-5 Unreserved
  
  • China: August 22, 2016
  • India: May 1, 2024
  • All other countries: Current
• EB-5 Set-Aside Categories
  
  • All countries: Current

USCIS will confirm whether applicants may use the Final Action Dates chart or the Dates for Filing chart for adjustment of status filings in February.

Spotlight: EB-4 Certain Religious Workers Program​

The Certain Religious Workers program is scheduled to expire on January 30, 2026. If it is not extended by legislation:

• The category will immediately become unavailable
• No immigrant visas may be issued or adjustment applications approved after January 29, 2026
• Visas issued prior to expiration would only be valid until January 29, 2026
• Individuals must be admitted to the US by that date

If the program is extended, the general EB-4 Final Action Date of January 1, 2021 would apply through February 2026.

Practical Implications​

The limited movement in most categories reflects continued high demand and constrained visa availability. The modest advancement in EB-3 Worldwide categories offers some relief for applicants outside India and China, while long backlogs persist for those countries across EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3.


Employers and applicants should continue to monitor monthly bulletins closely, particularly with respect to filing eligibility and category expirations.

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Pros and Cons Summary​

Pros​

• Modest forward movement for EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers (Worldwide)
• EB-5 set-aside categories remain current for all countries
• Greater predictability month over month for planning purposes

Cons​

• No advancement for India and China in most EB categories
• Continued long backlogs in EB-2 and EB-3
• Uncertainty surrounding the EB-4 Certain Religious Workers program
• Limited opportunities for new filings in stalled categories

 

[nickdev]

I’m trying to understand the EB-3 movement this month. If the Final Action Date moved to June 1, 2023 for most countries, does that mean people with priority dates before that can finally get approvals? Or does USCIS still decide which chart to use?

 

[sophia_l]

If we break it down logically, the advancement in EB-3 Worldwide is relatively small but still meaningful. A five-week shift in Final Action Dates and a three-month shift in the Filing chart suggests incremental demand management rather than a major policy change. Meanwhile, the lack of movement for India and China reflects persistent oversubscription in those categories.

 

[jeremy_k]

Honestly this bulletin just highlights the same problem again. Huge backlogs, tiny movements, and people waiting a decade or more. For applicants from India especially, the timeline still looks pretty bleak.

 

[oliver_twist]

One thing I’m curious about is the EB-4 Certain Religious Workers situation. If the program expires and then later gets extended by Congress, do the pending cases just resume from the same priority dates? Or would applicants need to refile entirely?

 

[mattm]

I’ve seen similar situations before with temporary program expirations. Usually filings pause until legislation renews the category. In practice, many applicants just have to wait for the extension, which can create a lot of uncertainty for both employers and sponsoring organizations.

 

[greg_philips]

From a planning perspective, the bulletin reinforces three clear realities: demand exceeds supply, priority dates move slowly, and country caps remain a major limiting factor. Until structural changes occur in visa allocation, incremental monthly shifts like this are likely to continue.