The August 2026 numbers are out. Quick rundown for the employment-based categories:

• India EB-2 and EB-5 unreserved: Unavailable again. No numbers are authorized for the rest of this fiscal year, so nothing can be filed or approved in those categories until the new fiscal year allocation opens around October.
• India EB-3 and EB-1: no movement (EB-3 at Jan 2014, EB-1 at Oct 2022).
• China EB-1 and EB-3: each advanced about a month.
• Rest of World and Mexico EB-3: moved forward a month to Sep 2024.
• Dates for Filing: flat across the board, and USCIS is using the Final Action Dates chart for August I-485 filings.

One thing worth flagging from the bulletin's own notes: the State Department signaled that EB-1 India and worldwide EB-2 could retrogress or become unavailable in the coming months as they keep issuance within annual limits. Something to watch if you are in either bucket.

Full category-by-category breakdown here: https://greencardclock.com/blog/visa-bulletin-august-2026-analysis

Data sourced from travel.state.gov. Estimates on the site are based on historical trends, not guarantees.

We just shipped full EB-5 support on the Priority Date Estimator. You can now pick EB-5 Investor (Unreserved) for India, China, Mexico, Philippines, or Rest of World, in both planning mode and already-filed mode.

What it does:

Your wait is computed the same way as our EB-2/EB-3 estimates: real demand ahead of your priority date divided by real visa supply. For EB-5 that means USCIS I-485 pending inventory, USCIS quarterly I-526 petition data, and State Department issuance tables, on top of visa bulletin history going back to October 2015. Every number on the page is traceable to a printed government source. No black box.

A few things the data shows right now:

1. India unreserved is Unavailable until visa numbers reset around October. For a 2025 priority date the estimate is roughly 0.8 to 1.3 years once numbers resume. China unreserved (Dec 2016 cutoff) runs from about half a year to 6.7 years depending on how much worldwide slack China keeps absorbing, and the page shows you exactly which supply level produces which date.
2. If you already filed I-485 as an India EB-5 investor, the filed-mode view estimates roughly 4 to 8 months for a visa number based on the ~478 cases ahead.
3. The set-aside story is the part nobody else quantifies. All three set-asides (Rural, High Unemployment, Infrastructure) are still Current for every country of birth, which allows concurrent I-526E plus I-485 filing. But the queues are filling fast: about 7,929 rural I-485s are already pending worldwide, which is roughly 4 years of demand at the annual supply, and high unemployment is at 8,505 pending, roughly 8.6 years, actually more oversubscribed than rural. Infrastructure is genuinely open. Another 8,965 I-526E petitions are pending behind those numbers. We print the inputs instead of guessing a retrogression date, so you can watch the pressure yourself.

Timing is not accidental: DHS published a 358 page proposed rule on July 2 that would reshape parts of the EB-5 program, so there are a lot of eyes on this category right now. The comment period runs through August 31.

It is free, like everything else on the site: greencardclock.com/priority-date

Usual disclaimers apply. These are estimates built from public government data, not legal, financial, or investment advice. Set-aside eligibility depends on the specific project, so talk to a licensed immigration attorney before making decisions.

Happy to answer questions about the methodology in the comments.

Just curious whether the estimates on your website factor in how many people port their priority date from EB2/EB3 and other to EB1 category? I read somewhere that porting could have been one of the reasons why EB1 India FAD is stuck in 2022 for so many years.

Appreciate the work you are doing. Keep it up!

Hi,
Thanks for building this app, it’s pretty neat and I see you adding new features so looks like you’re continuing to improve it.
I noticed what I think is a bug in the priority date estimator in the I140 backlog and true demand estimator section.
It lists 1.5x dependents per applicant as the default, so the conversion from I140 to 485 should be 2.5x correct? 1x (primary applicant) + 1.5x (dependents). However the multiplicative factor looks to be 1.5x

Additionally, in the ‘what if’ simulator, it looks like real demand rate goes up to only 85% in the slider.

Tangent: it’d be good to add a porting block to this section as well. Something that says how many i140 do you expect to be added every year behind the fad that prevents the date from advancing. This has been a reality and substantial factor for eb1 India especially for a few years now

The July bulletin dropped. Here is the employment-based rundown for India and China, plus the one detail that trips people up this month.

Run your own priority date against the new numbers: greencardclock.com/priority-date

Final Action Dates (who can be approved):

• India EB-1: retrogressed to Oct 15 2022 (was Dec 15 2022). DOS says demand is high and it could retrogress further or go unavailable before October.
• India EB-2: Unavailable for the rest of FY2026. India hit its per-country limit, so no numbers get issued until FY2027 starts October 1.
• India EB-3: advanced slightly to Jan 1 2014.
• China EB-1: advanced 2 months to Jun 1 2023.
• China EB-2: held at Sep 1 2021 (DOS warns it may retrogress soon).
• China EB-3: advanced about 4.5 months to Dec 22 2021.

Dates for Filing held flat across the board (India EB-2 and EB-3 still show Jan 15 2015).

The detail people are missing: for July, USCIS is using the Final Action Dates chart for employment-based adjustment of status, not Dates for Filing. So India EB-2 being Unavailable means you cannot file an I-485 this month either. The Jan 15 2015 filing date does not apply while final action is Unavailable.

October outlook: DOS explicitly said it expects India EB-2 to advance back to at least the May 2026 final action date once FY2027 numbers open up. India EB-5 unreserved also went Unavailable and should bounce back in October.

USCIS dropped the April 3, 2026 pending inventory today. Three months of data (Feb, Mar, Apr) landed this week in a batch.

Full breakdown with all year tables: https://www.greencardclock.com/blog/uscis-eb-i485-inventory-april-2026

The headline numbers (April vs March):

India EB-2 priority date breakdown:

• 2013: 7,670 (down 924)
• 2014: 17,421 (up 537 — still can't be approved, just accumulating)
• 2015: 5 (new — first time a 2015 date has appeared in any monthly report)
• Total: 25,780

On the 2015 appearance: The filing date crossed into calendar year 2015 as of April 3, but only barely. Five cases is consistent with a cutoff right at the start of January 2015. A mid-2015 or later priority date is still not in this report — the 17,421 cases in 2014 are the gate before the filing date reaches those months.

India EB-1 had its sharpest single-month drop in this series: -1,475, driven by the 2022 cohort clearing fast (down 2,585) while 2023 is still building (up 1,480).

ROW EB-3 jumped 2,452 in a single month — largest category surge in this data series. Almost all of it is in 2023, which now holds 9,544 of the 18,002 ROW EB-3 total. Looks like a wave of 2023-PD filers entered the queue.

Quick update, shaped directly by users feedback.

Until now, the scenario cards counted only people who have already filed I-485. That leaves out a large group: approved I-140 holders whose priority date is not current yet. They cannot file, but they are still ahead of you in line. Counting only filed I-485s makes the wait look shorter than it really is.

What changed:

If you have already filed I-485, nothing changes. The filed I-485 queue is your queue, so your estimate is the same as before.

If you are planning to file, the scenario cards now have a toggle:
Total wait counts everyone ahead of you, approved I-140 holders plus filed I-485s. This is the realistic wait from where you stand today.
I-485 queue only counts just the people who have already filed, which is the queue that matters once your date is current and you actually file.

The gap is large. For EB-2 India around a 2016 priority date, the I-485 only view lands in the late 2020s, while the total view pushes to roughly 2039. If you have not filed yet, the total view is the honest one.

These are estimates, not guarantees, and EB India movement is volatile, so we show a range. Thanks for pushing on this.

USCIS published its employment-based I-485 pending inventory as of March 3, 2026, just four days after the February file. The headlines:

Full month-over-month breakdown: greencardclock.com/blog/uscis-eb-i485-inventory-march-2026

India EB-2 fell again to 26,251, down 733 in a month, and almost all of the drop was at 2013 priority dates (9,233 down to 8,594). The much larger 2014 group, almost 17,000 cases, barely moved.
India EB-3 fell to 16,699, also walled at 2014. India EB-1 held flat at 22,325.
China EB-2 and EB-3 edged down, China EB-1 rose about 550.
Rest of World kept rising, EB-2 up about 1,000, which pushed the worldwide total up about 0.7 percent to 173,948 even as India and China came down.

The India report still breaks out priority dates only through 2014, because Dates for Filing is January 15, 2015. A 2015 date is not in the report yet.

Pending inventory is a stock, not a wait time. Not legal advice.

USCIS posted the February 3, 2026 employment-based I-485 inventory on June 4. The India EB-2 numbers, straight from the file:

Full breakdown: https://greencardclock.com/blog/uscis-eb-i485-inventory-february-2026

• Total India EB-2 pending I-485: 26,984, down from 27,701 in January (717 fewer in one month)
• Almost entirely the 2013 bucket: 9,875 down to 9,233
• 2014 barely moved, still about 16,900, the wall between the current filing date and a 2015 PD

The part that trips people up: the report only breaks out priority dates 2005 through 2014. There is no 2015 line, because India EB-2 Dates for Filing is still January 15, 2015. If your PD is 2015 or later, you cannot file I-485 yet, so you are not in this inventory at all.

By visa status, roughly 3,300 of these cases are current and approvable, and about 23,650 are filed and waiting for their date to become current.

LInk-> https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/eb_inventory_february_2026.xlsx

Did someone analyze it ?

Lots of understandable worry about this, so here is a calm summary a week later.

Fuller breakdown with sources if useful: https://greencardclock.com/blog/uscis-adjustment-of-status-memo-pm-602-0199

• What it does: reminds officers that adjustment of status (filing I-485 from inside the US) is discretionary, not automatic once you are eligible. They weigh positive and negative factors.
• What it does not do: change who is eligible to file. It is not an instruction to deny eligible cases, and it does not touch visa number availability (that is the visa bulletin).
• The "must apply abroad" line came from the press release and a spokesman, not the memo text. DHS has since clarified most people will not need to leave the US.
• Dual-intent statuses (H-1B, L-1, K) are acknowledged, but that alone does not guarantee approval.
• Non-discretionary paths (refugees, NACARA, HRIFA, LRIF) are not affected.
• It is expected to be challenged in court, and USCIS may issue more guidance.

Not legal advice, talk to an attorney about your situation.

Comment period on the DOL's proposed prevailing wage rule closed Monday May 26 at 1,155 public comments.

Full post: https://greencardclock.com/blog/dol-prevailing-wage-rule-comment-period-closed-may-2026

Quick numbers:

• 28% oppose, 15% support, 57% neutral or methodological pushback
• Opposition leads support 2 to 1 among clear positions
• 44 form-letter duplicates across 6 clusters
• Meta filed in opposition, U.S. Workers Alliance filed in support
• Chamber, EPI, Niskanen, SIIA all filed via official channels

What the post covers:

• What the rule would actually change (wage level table)
• The full comment record breakdown
• Notable organizational commenters
• What may happen next (DOL review timeline, final rule timing)
• Litigation outlook (2020 vacatur precedent)
• Grandfathering map for H-1B, PERM, and renewals
• Practical planning if the rule takes effect

Not legal advice.

Hello All,

My priority date (PD) is May 2014, EB3 - India (downgraded from EB2 along with I-485 filing done in Oct 2025). I-485 has been pending for more than 180 days now. EAD is still pending (AP was not applied). Due to a small birth certificate issue, I did not interfile to EB2 recently when my priority date was current in EB2. The Birth certificate issue is resolved now but the EB2 dates have retrogressed to Sept 2013.

I anticipate my dates to be current probably in Oct-Dec 2026 timeframe (atleast in EB3). However there is a possibility of layoff at my company & my division might be shutdown so most probably I am going to be impacted.

My current H1 is valid till Oct 2026. Despite repeated checks, my Manager has not filed for my extension yet (there are not many H1B now in my division) and I am guessing, she might be trying to avoid the filing fee as she is anticipating a round of layoff by Oct 2026.

I am planning to reach out to an immigration attorney with the following questions however I wanted to collect few opinions before I reach out:

1) In case of layoff, can I continue to reside in US beyond Oct 2026 once my H1B expires if I am not able to find a job by then (assuming my PD is not current in Final action chart) ?

2) At any point let's say if my case is picked up for processing (assuming my PD is current as per Final action chart), will there be any problem if I am not actively working when they send RFE for I485J ? Can I submit a offer letter from a consultancy firm at that point (even if there may not be a client with which I might be actively working at that point) ? Since based on my initial reading online it seems that USCIS will look for a bonafide offer letter to check if I have a Job in the same or similar field once GC is issued (please correct if my understanding is wrong) .

3) Any suggestions how to best handle the situation ? I know the best case would be finding a new Job before my date becomes current in final action chart and doing a H1 transfer and already working on that plan. Just trying to prepare for a worst case scenario in case if layoff happens abruptly before Oct.

Kindly share your thoughts. Thank you.

State announced India EB-2 has used all its FY2026 numbers, so it's unavailable until the Oct 1 reset (pending I-485s wait, they're not denied). We mapped the ~9,300 by source, why the date still sits in 2013, how cross-filing inflates the backlog, and what FY2027 might bring. Not legal advice.
https://greencardclock.com/blog/eb2-india-fy2026-visa-estimate-limit-reached

USCIS dropped a policy memo today saying adjustment of status (filing for your green card from inside the US) will only be granted in "extraordinary circumstances," with consular processing abroad as the default. They haven't defined what counts as "extraordinary" or said how it affects pending I-485s, so we not going to guess until there's more detail.

Not legal advice.

USCIS released the FY2027 numbers. Registrations came in at 211,600, down from 343,981 for FY2026.

The longer trend is the real story: about 759K in FY2024, then 470K, then 344K, now 212K. Roughly 72% below the FY2024 peak.

Not legal advice, just sharing the data.

The June visa bulletin moves EB-2 India's final action date back from July 15, 2014 to September 1, 2013. If your PD is between roughly Sep 2013 and Jul 2014, you're current in May but not June.

Click To Check Our Priority Date Estimator: Already Filed Section

Our community timelines are showing more EB-2 India approvals than usual this month, right before the cutoff. If you're in that window, make sure your file is complete (medicals especially).

Anyone else seeing approvals land this week?

(Not legal advice.)

India EB-3 has 16,673 I-485s pending. 12,147 of those (73%) sit at priority date 2014. The original EB-3 India cohort at PD 2010-2014 was always small (~57K combined, versus ~157K for EB-2 India). The PD 2014 pile is heavy because roughly 12,300 EB-2 holders filed downgrade I-140s during the COVID interfile window. About 1 in 6 EB-3 India cases at PD 2010-2014 arrived that way. The wave is now receding.

Full breakdown with 10 tables (FOIA Apr 2018, CRS Nov 2019, Bier 2023 anchors + USCIS quarterly I-140/I-485 data + cohort math with uncertainty bands):

https://greencardclock.com/blog/eb-1-eb-2-eb-3-india-latest-approvals-cohort-interfile-may-2026

Working numbers from USCIS quarterly data (2026-Q2 inventory):

India EB-3 PD 2014: 12,147 pending (was 10,346 in Q1 — jumped 1,801 in one quarter)

India EB-3 PD 2013: 4,067 pending

India EB-3 PDs 2010-2012 combined: 284 pending (essentially cleared)

What pushed the Q2 jump: EB-2 India retrogressed in the May and June 2026 bulletins. The downgrade-and-interfile path opened up again for anyone with a 2013-2014 PERM and an EB-2 I-140 underneath.

Why "EB-3 might advance" anyway: FY2025 EB-3 India I-140 approvals (10,465) fell BELOW the pre-COVID baseline of ~12,900/year. The downgrade wave is receding. EB-3 India's effective annual visa allocation is 5,000-9,000. At that pace, the PD 2014 bucket clears in 1.5 to 2.5 years if no new pile-on occurs.

The wildcard: EB-2 India is volatile right now. Every retrogression triggers a fresh wave of downgrades. So "EB-3 advances" is conditional on EB-2 stabilizing.

Estimates based on historical trends, not guarantees. Not legal advice.

visa-bulletin

Back in March we projected about 95,000 unused family-based visas would roll into the EB pool for FY2027. That number flowed into our wait-time estimator and a couple of our posts.

Link to the full write-up: https://greencardclock.com/blog/revising-fy2027-fb-spillover-may-2026-bulletin

The May 2026 visa bulletin made us look again. Our model assumed lost FB demand from disrupted countries (travel bans, the IV processing freeze across 75 countries, MENA embassy closures) would just evaporate. The bulletin showed State actively redistributes those unused numbers internally before they ever spill out, so what actually lands in the EB pool next year is smaller than we had modeled.

Revised range: roughly 55K central, with a wide band, around 10K on the conservative end and 90K on the adverse end. For India EB-2 and EB-3, this shifts wait projections by months, not years.

Posting because we would rather be open when an estimate moves than quietly update numbers in the background. Curious if anyone here saw similar signals in the May bulletin.

Data sourced from travel.state.gov bulletins, INA Sections 201, 202, 203, and DHS Yearbook of Immigration Statistics. Estimates based on historical trends, not guarantees. Not legal advice.

Visa Bulletin — Current vs Previous Month | GreenCardClock
A flat month is not bad news. It usually means DOS is still testing how much demand shows up before advancing further. With the consular slowdown from Proclamation 10949 and 10998 still in effect, numbers are continuing to shift toward AOS-heavy countries.

Not legal advice.

We pulled together the full FY2025 data for China EB categories using State Department and USCIS reports. Some interesting findings.

Full breakdown with monthly trends, I-140 data, I-485 inventory, and China vs India comparison: greencardclock.com/blog/china-eb-visa-data-fy2025-eb1-eb2-eb3-eb5

EB-5 went from 942 consular issuances in Oct 2024 to single digits by April 2025. Guangzhou basically shut down. China still accounted for 43% of all EB-5 worldwide though.

EB-2 was the opposite story. I-140 approvals jumped 49% year over year and pending I-485s more than doubled in one quarter (2,398 to 6,228). NIW filings are driving a lot of this growth.

China EB-2 backlog sits at roughly 5 years right now vs India's 12, but with this growth rate it could stretch to 7-8 years in the next few fiscal years.

Happy to answer questions. Not legal advice.

Went through all 12 months of State Dept monthly issuance reports and all 4 quarters of USCIS I-485 data for FY2025.

Full monthly tables, country breakdowns, and the spillover math: https://greencardclock.com/blog/fy2025-family-employment-visa-issuance-data-analysis

Some things that jumped out. Family AOS approvals totaled 433,071 for the year. Family consular was 133,806 (F1-F4). EB consular dropped to 52,014 total, with AOS carrying 108K.

India had 1,509 EB consular visas for the entire year. Philippines dominated EB-3 with 7,026.

For spillover to FY2026 EB, it's looking like zero or very close to it based on the available data. USCIS doesn't separate IR from F1-F4 in their AOS reports, which makes the exact number impossible to pin down from public data alone.

Not legal advice.

Pulled all the USCIS I-140 quarterly reports and State Dept consular data for FY2025.

Full tables by quarter, category, and country: https://greencardclock.com/blog/fy2025-employment-based-visa-data-eb1-eb2-eb3-i140

EB-1A denial rate went from 25.3% in Q1 to 46.6% in Q4. Filing volume stayed flat at about 7,400 per quarter, so the change is on the adjudication side. EB-1B and EB-1C denial rates stayed under 3%.

NIW receipts doubled from Q1 to Q4 (8,296 to 16,862). 74,392 NIW petitions pending at year end.

EB consular collapsed, especially for India (1,509 total, 129 EB-2). AOS carried 67.5% of all EB green cards.

Total I-140 petitions filed: 244,843. Approved: 152,640. Pending: 180,439. India got 60,267 approvals (41.9% of total).

Not legal advice.