US January 2026 Visa Bulletin: Gains for EB Indian applicants but family green card queues stay frozen

The US travel state department has released its first visa bulletin for 2026, with all eyes on categories moving ahead for Indian visa applicants. January 2026 visa bulletin keeps India’s green card story sharply split: another month of gains for workers and investors, and a largely frozen picture for families.

With EB‑1, EB‑3, EB‑4 and EB‑5 all holding or building on late‑2025 momentum, the new bulletin quietly cements one of the strongest multi‑month stretches India has seen in recent years, even as most relatives remain stuck in queues that barely move.​

Employment-based India at a glance

The latest tables show India’s employment-based queues pushing forward or at least holding steady on both approval and filing timelines. Final Action Dates determine when a green card can be approved, while the Dates for Filing chart frames when applicants can lodge paperwork and unlock work and travel benefits.​

Employment-based Final Action Dates – India (January 2026)

Category	Dec 2025 FAD – India	Jan 2026 FAD – India	Approx. Movement
EB‑1	15Mar22	01Feb23	+10.5 months forward​ Advertisement
EB‑2	15May13	15Jul13	+2 months
EB‑3	22Sep13	15Nov13	+1 month 3 weeks​
EB‑3 Other Workers	22Sep13	15Nov13	Mirrors EB‑3 movement​
EB‑4	01Sep20	01Jan21	+4 months
Certain Religious Workers (SR)	01Sep20	01Jan21	+4 months
EB‑5 Unreserved (C5/T5/I5/R5/NU/RU)	01Jul21	01May22	+10 months​

Employment-based Dates for Filing – India (January 2026)

Category	Filing date	Practical impact
EB‑1	1Aug23	Many Indian EB‑1 applicants can file months before their case is actually approvable​
EB‑2	1December13	Filing remains ahead of final action, allowing earlier AOS in a deeply backlogged line.travel.state​
EB‑3	15Aug14	Extra lead time to file for professionals and skilled workers.travel.state​
EB‑3 Other workers	15Aug14	Same filing runway as EB‑3.travel.state​
EB‑4	15Mar21	Modest gap between filing and approval dates.travel.state​
Certain religious workers (SR)	15Mar21	Applicants must race filing and admission against the January 30, 2026 statutory sunset.travel.state​
EB‑5 Unreserved	01May24	A two‑year filing cushion over the final action date gives investors substantial procedural breathing room.travel.state Advertisement

Together, these charts make January another month where EB‑1 through EB‑5 India look relatively constructive: no fresh retrogressions, preserved gains in the backlogged middle, and a standout filing horizon for EB‑5. For many, the strategy now revolves around using the filing chart as soon as permitted to secure work authorisation, advance parole and age‑out protection for children while waiting for final action to catch up.​

Family-based India: long lines, thin movement

For Indian family-sponsored applicants, the January 2026 Visa Bulletin essentially serves as a holding pattern. None of the Final Action Dates move, which means no one in the family queues gets any closer to an actual green card approval this month.

The dates themselves underscore just how structurally backlogged the system is: F1 and F2B are still stuck around late 2016, F3 sits in 2011, and F4 is anchored in 2006. That translates into wait times measured in well over a decade for many categories, especially married children and siblings of U.S. citizens, and signals that demand continues to far outstrip the statutory visa caps.

Family-based Final Action Dates – India (January 2026)

Category	Relationship (simplified)	Final action date	Status vs recent months
F1	Unmarried adult children of citizens	08Nov16	Frozen; no recent forward movement​ Advertisement
F2A	Spouses/children of permanent residents	01Feb24	Relatively recent but unchanged.​
F2B	Unmarried adult children of residents	01Dec16	Deep backlog, no change.​
F3	Married children of citizens	08Sep11	Stagnant, reflecting heavy demand.​
F4	Siblings of citizens	01Nov06	Among the oldest dates in the bulletin.​

Family-based Dates for Filing – India (January 2026)

Category	Filing date	Key takeaway	Status vs recent months
F1	01Sep17	Slightly ahead of final action but still a long wait.​	Frozen; no recent forward movement​
F2A	22Dec25	A “technical improvement” that lets qualified families file earlier even though approvals are tied to 01FEB24.​	Relatively recent but unchanged.​
F2B	15Mar17	Limited procedural relief amid a persistent backlog.​	Deep backlog, no change.​
F3	22Jul12	Filing and final action remain far apart.​	Stagnant, reflecting heavy demand.​
F4	15Dec06	One of the slowest‑moving queues for India.​	Among the oldest dates in the bulletin.​

For Indian families, the real story is what does not change: no fresh Final Action movement and only narrow filing‑chart flex in F2A and F2B. That makes January more about maintaining options, earlier adjustment filing, EAD and advance parole, rather than unlocking near‑term green card approvals.​

Reading January's charts as an Indian applicant

The Visa Bulletin is essential in guiding applicants through the U.S. immigration queue. It comprises two main components:

1. Final Action Dates dictate when visa numbers are available and when authorities can approve applications; essentially, the green card “gate opens.”

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2. Dates for Filing specify when applicants may submit their adjustment of status or visa applications, even if a number is not yet available.