March 2026 Visa Bulletin Released

 

The Department of State (DOS) has published its March 2026 Visa Bulletin. In March, several employment-based categories will have forward movement, while family-based categories see very limited advancement. Fortunately, none of the categories will retrogress.

For employment-based final action dates, nationals of India and China will see forward movement in the EB-1 category and EB-1 remains open for the rest of the world. The EB-2 category will advance for all nationals except nationals of China. The EB-3 category will move forward for all nationals except nationals of China and India.

For family-based final action dates, only the F-4 category for the Philippines will see forward movement.

In addition, USCIS will continue to honor the Dates for Filing Chart for both employment and family-based petitions in March (charts provided further below). Many of these dates will also progress in March. Most notably, EB-2 is now current worldwide, except for nationals of China and India. These dates are also much further ahead than the Final Action Dates, so more beneficiaries of all immigrant visa petitions can get their applications filed and obtain interim employment and travel benefits until the government can actually approve their application.

Employment-Based Movement

In March, the EB-1 category remains current worldwide, except for Chinese and Indian nationals, who will both see a one-month advancement.

The EB-2 category moves forward by six months and two weeks for all nationals, and by two months for nationals of India. EB-2 China will remain the same.

The EB-3 category moves forward by four months for all nationals except nationals of China and India, whose final action dates will remain the same.

In the EB-3 Other Workers category (for positions requiring less than two years of training), there is a two-month advancement for all nationals except nationals of China and India, whose final action dates will remain the same.

Here’s a chart for easy reference:

 
 

That said, USCIS will honor the Dates for Filing (further below), which are further ahead than Final Action Dates.

Family-based Movement

In March, nationals of the Philippines will see a five-week advancement in the F-4 category.

All other final action dates remain the same.

Here’s a chart for easy reference:

 
 

As mentioned previously, USCIS will honor the Dates for Filing chart (further below) for family-based immigrant visa categories.

By way of reminder, the categories are:

  • F-1 category: unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens

  • F2-A category: spouses and children under 21 of lawful permanent residents

  • F2-B category: unmarried adult children (over 21) of lawful permanent residents

  • F-3 category: married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens

  • F-4 category: siblings of U.S. citizens

WHAT DATES IN THE VISA BULLETIN SHOULD YOU USE FOR FILING YOUR ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS APPLICATION WITH USCIS?

If USCIS determines that there are more immigrant visas available for a fiscal year than there are known applicants for such visas, then USCIS will state here that you may use the Dates for Filing Visa Applications chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin, which usually has dates later than the Final Action Dates noted above. Otherwise, USCIS will indicate on its website that you must use the Application Final Action Dates chart (above) to determine when you may file your adjustment of status application in the United States.

For March 2026, USCIS has confirmed the Dates for Filing (below) should be used for both family and employment-based categories.

 
 
 
 

If the priority date for your employment or family-based category is before the date listed above and you are in the United States, you may file your application to adjust your status along with the applications for employment authorization and travel permission (assuming you have no bars to admissibility) with USCIS in March.

The entire visa bulletin is available on the State Department’s website, which includes information on the diversity visa lottery and the EB-5 priority dates.

If you would like more information on how to understand the monthly visa bulletin, please check out our blog post on this topic and our podcast available here.

This alert is for informational purposes only. Please contact us if you would like to discuss these developments further.

 
Nadia Yakoob