The April Visa Bulletin Moved Forward for India. EB-5 Reserved Categories Stayed Current

Every month, thousands of employment-based applicants scan the Visa Bulletin, hoping for a sign that their wait is finally getting shorter. The April 2026 bulletin brought some of that hope. India's EB-2 Dates for Filing advanced two months to January 2015, and EB-3 moved forward five months to the same date. Meanwhile, China's unreserved EB-5 Final Action Date ticked forward another month to September 2016.

On the surface, that sounds like progress. But zoom out, and the picture looks very different. The dates those categories just reached mean Indian nationals filing today under EB-2 or EB-3 are still working with a priority date that is more than a decade behind where EB-5 reserved categories sit right now. The bulletin moved, but the gap did not close.

Final Action Dates: April 2026

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

Unreserved EB-5

• All Other Countries: Current

• China: Advanced 1 month (August 2016 to September 2016)

• India: Remains unchanged at May 1, 2022

  
  

Reserved Categories (Rural, High Unemployment, Infrastructure)

• All Current for every country

  
  

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

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

EB-2 Final Action Date Movement

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

• Trailing 12 Months: Advanced 18 months (January 2013 to July 2014)

  
  

EB-3 Final Action Date Movement

• Month/Month: Unchanged (November 2013)

• Trailing 12 Months: Advanced 7 months (April 2013 to November 2013)

  
  

Dates for Filing: April 2026

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

Unreserved EB-5

• All Other Countries: Current

• China: Remains unchanged at October 2016

• India: Remains unchanged at May 2024

  
  

Reserved EB-5 Set-Aside Categories

• All Current for every country

  
  

Movement for Pending EB-2 and EB-3 (India)

EB-2 Dates for Filing

• Month/Month: Forward 2 months (November 2014 to January 2015)

• Trailing 12 Months: Forward 23 months (February 2013 to January 2015)

  
  

EB-3 Dates for Filing

• Month/Month: Forward 5 months (August 2014 to January 2015)

• Trailing 12 Months: Forward 19 months (June 2013 to January 2015)

  
  

Why the EB-2 and EB-3 Movement Is Less Than It Appears

Two months forward for EB-2 and five months forward for EB-3, both landing in January 2015. On paper, that is movement. In practice, it is a reminder of how deep the backlog runs.

Final Action Dates for India in EB-2 and EB-3 remain anchored in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Being eligible to file on the Dates for Filing chart offers real procedural benefits: access to work authorization and advance parole. However, it does not change how long most applicants will wait for an actual green card. The underlying backlog has been accumulating for decades. Monthly movements of a few months do nothing to address that structural reality.

For Indian nationals watching these dates move two to five months at a time, the honest projection is a wait measured in years, not months. It’s a wait that can move backward just as easily as it moves forward.

The Nine-Year Gap Nobody Is Talking About

India's EB-5 Dates for Filing sit at May 2024. In contrast, India's EB-2 and EB-3 Dates for Filing now sit at January 2015 after this month's advancement.

That is still a nine-year gap, and it did not narrow this month. For Indian nationals, EB-5 through a reserved category offers a priority date nearly a decade more current than EB-2 or EB-3. This means earlier access to adjustment of status, faster eligibility for work authorization and advance parole, and a path to permanent residence that is not dependent on employer sponsorship or annual lottery selection.

Reserved EB-5 categories remain fully current worldwide. There is no backlog and no waiting for a priority date to become current. While EB-2 and EB-3 inch toward 2015, reserved EB-5 is already operating in 2024.

Questions Worth Asking If You Are Evaluating EB-5

What Does "Reserved Categories Remain Current" Mean in Practice?

It means there is no backlog for rural, high unemployment, and infrastructure EB-5 projects for investors from any country. Eligible applicants can move through the process without waiting for a priority date to catch up. This is a significant practical advantage over oversubscribed EB-2 and EB-3 categories.

Should the Retrogression Warning in This Bulletin Concern Me?

It is worth monitoring. The State Department has carried this language for several months now. While reserved EB-5 has remained stable throughout FY2026, the warning is a reminder that current conditions are not guaranteed to last. Investors with established priority dates should move promptly rather than assume the window stays open indefinitely.

What This Month Tells You

April's bulletin brought forward movement for India in EB-2 and EB-3. It also brought stability for EB-5. Reserved categories remain current worldwide. China continues to see incremental progress. However, the structural gap between EB-5 and traditional employment-based pathways for Indian nationals remains as wide as it has been all year.

For applicants who have spent years watching EB-2 and EB-3 dates move one or two months at a time, this bulletin is worth reading for what it confirms rather than what it promises. The road through EB-2 and EB-3 is long, unpredictable, and still measured in decades for many Indian nationals. The reserved EB-5 path is current today, and the question worth asking is how long that remains true.

Because your Green Card shouldn't take a lifetime.