India's EB-1 and EB-2 Just Retrogressed. The June 2026 Visa Bulletin Has More Warnings Than Any Month This Year.

The June 2026 Visa Bulletin arrived with something that has not appeared in prior months this fiscal year: an actual, confirmed retrogression. Not a warning. Not a possibility flagged for future consideration. India's EB-1 Final Action Date retrogressed by three and a half months, and India's EB-2 Final Action Date retrogressed by more than 10 months. For Indian nationals in those categories, the ground shifted overnight.

Against that backdrop, EB-5 reserved categories held exactly where they have been all year. Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure remain current for every country worldwide. The divergence between what is happening in other employment-based categories and what is happening in EB-5 reserved has never been more visible in a single bulletin than it is this month.

What the June Bulletin Actually Shows

USCIS has confirmed it will require use of the Final Action Dates chart (Chart A) for employment-based adjustment of status filings in June. Chart B is not available. This is the second consecutive month where USCIS has designated Chart A as the operative chart, meaning applicants whose priority dates fall between the two charts remain unable to file an I-485 and access work authorization and advance parole through a pending adjustment application.

Final Action Dates: June 2026

Source: U.S. Department of State, June 2026 Bulletin

Unreserved EB-5

• All Other Countries: Current

• China: Remain unchanged in September 22, 2016

• India: Remain unchanged in May 2022

Reserved Categories (Rural, High Unemployment, Infrastructure)

• All Current for every country

Final Action status unchanged from February, meaning there is no retrogression this month and visa availability remains stable.  

Backward Final Action Dates for Pending EB-2 and EB-3 (India):

EB-1 Final Action Date Movement:

• Month/Month: Backward 4 months (April 2023 to December 2022)

• Trailing 12 Months: Advanced 10 months (February 2022 to December 2022)

EB-2 Final Action Date Movement:

• Month/Month: Backward 10 months (July 2014 to September 2013)

• Trailing 12 Months: Advanced 8 months (January 2013 to September 2013)

EB-3 Final Action Date Movement:

• Month/Month: Advanced 1 month (November 2013 to December 2013)

• Trailing 12 Months: Advanced 8 Months (April 2013 to December 2013)

Dates for Filing (Chart B)

As USCIS has designated the Final Action Dates chart as the operative chart for June 2026, the Dates for Filing chart is not available for employment-based adjustment of status applications this month. Applicants who were eligible to file under the Dates for Filing chart but whose priority dates are not yet current under the Final Action Dates chart will be unable to file in June 2026.

The Employment-Based Retrogression That Landed This Month

The most significant development in June is a confirmed retrogression for India in two categories.

For Indian nationals who have been building their green card strategy around EB-2 or EB-1 progression, June is the month where that strategy became materially more uncertain. The State Department stated directly that high demand and visa number usage by India-chargeable applicants in EB-1 and EB-2 made the retrogression necessary, and that further retrogression may follow if India's pro-rated limits are reached before September 30, 2026.

This is not a distant risk being flagged as a precaution. Retrogression has already happened. The warning now is that it could happen again, or get worse, before the fiscal year closes.

The EB-5 Unreserved India Warning Just Got More Urgent

Last month's bulletin included the first explicit warning about India's unreserved EB-5 demand. June's bulletin escalates that language.

The State Department now states that retrogression or unavailability for India in the EB-5 unreserved category may be necessary as early as next month, a more specific and more immediate warning than anything that appeared in May.

This is not a hypothetical. The May bulletin said retrogression was possible before the fiscal year end. The June bulletin says it may happen in July. For Indian nationals in the unreserved EB-5 category who have been waiting, or who were planning to file without urgency, that language is a direct signal that the timeline has compressed significantly.

Why Reserved Categories Tell a Completely Different Story

Against everything happening in EB-1, EB-2, and unreserved EB-5 for India, the reserved EB-5 categories remain exactly where they have been all year. Current for every country on both the Final Action Date and the Dates for Filing chart. No retrogression. No warnings specific to reserved categories.

The structural contrast this month could not be sharper. Indian nationals in EB-1 just absorbed a confirmed retrogression. Indian nationals in EB-2 absorbed an even larger confirmed retrogression. Indian nationals in unreserved EB-5 are now looking at a possible retrogression or unavailability as early as next month. And Indian nationals in reserved EB-5 (Rural, High Unemployment, or Infrastructure) face none of that. Their category is current. Their path is unchanged.

What This Means for Investors Evaluating EB-5 Now

With Chart B unavailable in June, what happens to investors who missed the April 30 window?

For investors whose priority dates are current under Chart B but not under Chart A, June offers no new filing opportunity. The next chance to file under the Dates for Filing chart depends on USCIS's monthly determination, which can change from month to month. Monitoring the USCIS website at the start of each month for the current chart determination is the only reliable way to know when that window reopens.

Are reserved categories at risk of similar retrogression?

The June bulletin does not include any retrogression warning specific to reserved EB-5 categories. They remain current worldwide. However, the broader warning about potential retrogression across employment-based categories before fiscal year end applies to all categories. Reserved EB-5 has demonstrated consistent stability throughout FY2026, but that stability is a function of the pipeline as more investors become visa-ready, pressure on reserved categories will grow. Filing while they remain current is not just strategically advantageous, it is how investors protect themselves against conditions that may be different in six months.

Final Thought

The June 2026 Visa Bulletin is the most consequential monthly update of the fiscal year so far. Confirmed retrogression in EB-1 and EB-2 for India. An escalated, time-specific warning about India unreserved EB-5. Chart B unavailable for a second consecutive month. And reserved categories continue to hold steady while everything around them shifts.

September 30, 2026 is now less than four months away. Investment minimums are projected to rise in January 2027. The window that exists today with reserved categories current, grandfathering protections still available, and current investment thresholds still in place is narrower than it was a month ago, and the June bulletin makes that clear. The investors best positioned for what comes next are the ones who read this bulletin for what it is, not a monthly data update, but a signal that the time to act is running out.

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