January 2026 Visa Bulletin – Notable Forward Movement in EB Final Action Dates

The U.S. State Department has released the January 2026 Visa Bulletin which is the fourth Visa Bulletin for the new fiscal year.  The headline in this month’s Visa Bulletin is the modest forward movement in a few employment categories for I-485 filings with notable forward movement across Final Action dates which suggests that more I485s will be up for review and approval over the coming months.

Which Employment-based Applicants Are Eligible to File I-485 in January 2026?

By using the Dates for Filing chart, USCIS will allow the following applicants to file I-485 in the month of January 2026.   The “advancement” noted below is related to the I-485 filing eligibility from the prior month.

Worldwide (ROW)

• EB-1 ROW any priority date (approved or pending I-140);
• EB-2 ROW with PD before October 15, 2024 (forward by 3 months);
• EB-3 ROW with PD before July 1, 2023 (no change).

India

• EB-1 India with priority date (PD) (approved or pending I-140) before August 15, 2023 (forward by 3 months);
• EB-2 India with PD before December 1, 2013 (no change);
• EB-3 India with PD before August 15, 2014 (no change).

China

• EB-1 China with priority date (PD) (approved or pending I-140) before August 15, 2023 (forward by 3 months);
• EB-2 China with PD before January 1, 2022 (forward by 1 month);
• EB-3 China with PD before January 1, 2022 (no change).

EB-2 to EB-3 India and China Downgrade Opportunities

January 2026 also brings a rare opportunity to certain EB-2 India applicants to downgrade their preference category to EB-3 and file I-485s.   The following candidates may benefit from EB-3 downgrade:

• EB-2 India applicants with a priority date of December 1, 2013 until August 15, 2014; and

Because the cutoff dates for EB-2 and EB-3 China are identical for I-485s filings, there is no advantage of downgrading during the month of January 2026. Applicants without pending I-485 who have a priority date noted above may benefit from EB-3 downgrade with a concurrent I-485 filing.  Please contact us for analysis and a flat fee quote for the process.  See our alert on the mechanics and benefits of downgrading EB-2 to EB-3.

Summary of the January 2026 Visa Bulletin – Employment-Based (EB)

Please note that USCIS will determine and publish, about a week after this Visa Bulletin is published, whether or not to accept I-485 filings on the basis of these filing dates.

Summary of the January 2026 Visa Bulletin – Family-Based (FB)

USCIS will determine and publish separately, a few days after this Visa Bulletin is published, whether or not to accept I-485 filings on the basis of these filing dates.

Current Date?

Our office stands ready to assist in the applicable process.  There are many applicants across many of the employment and family categories who can now process their (and their family members’) I-485 Adjustment of Status applications from within the U.S. or process their immigrant visa at a U.S. Consulate abroad.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if our office can help you take advantage of this (very time-sensitive for some) opportunity to file I-485 applications. We are also happy to provide a free quote for preparing and filing your I-485 application.

Confused About the Visa Bulletin?

We understand that the Visa Bulletin, with its the multiple publications, categories and conditions may be confusing – we invite you to review our Visa Bulletin Explained article for our attempt in helping applicants understand the Visa Bulletin and know what to look for (and when).

Further Updates and News

We invite you to subscribe to our free weekly immigration newsletter to receive timely updates on this and related topics. We also invite you to contact us if our office can be of any assistance in your immigration matters or you have any questions or comments about this month’s Visa Bulletin.