April 2026 Visa Bulletin: Sweeping Forward Movement — And a Warning
- Greg V
- Apr 6
- 5 min read
The DOS Liaison Committee has released its briefing on the April 2026 Visa Bulletin, and the headline is hard to miss: USCIS has confirmed that adjustment of status applicants must file using the Dates for Filing charts for both family-based and employment-based cases this month, and nearly every preference category has advanced — some by months, some by a full year. But practitioners should read the Department of State's own caution carefully before celebrating. The broad forward movement is being fueled in large part by reduced immigrant visa issuance to nationals of countries affected by recent Presidential Proclamations, and DOS is openly warning that retrogression may be necessary later in the fiscal year.
Why Everything Is Moving — The Proclamation Effect
Section D of the April bulletin includes a notable disclosure. The Department of State explains that immigrant visa issuance rates for nationals of certain countries have decreased as a result of administration actions taken to "protect national security and public safety," citing Presidential Proclamation 10949, Presidential Proclamation 10998, and related Immigrant Visa Processing Updates. Visa numbers that would otherwise have been used by nationals of those affected countries are now available to applicants from other countries, producing the sweeping forward movement visible across both the Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing charts this month.
The accompanying caution matters: DOS expressly warns that retrogression may be necessary later in the fiscal year if additional immigrant visa demand materializes or if the underlying administration actions are amended. The situation is being continually monitored.
Family-Based Highlights
April 2026 brings broad, meaningful forward movement across most family preference categories. The F2A category under Dates for Filing is the headline development: all chargeability areas — including Mexico and the Philippines — become Current, making immediate filing available to spouses and minor children of permanent residents regardless of country of birth.
The remaining categories generally advance as well. F1 jumps forward by roughly six months across most chargeability areas, while Mexico advances by about two and a half months and the Philippines by two months. F2B, F3, and F4 each advance by three to six months for most chargeability areas. Movement for Mexico and the Philippines remains more constrained, reflecting their historically longer backlogs — only minor shifts for the Philippines, and a three-month advance for Mexico in F2B, though Mexico's F3 and F4 dates remain unchanged. In the Final Action Dates chart, movement is similarly positive but somewhat more restrained, with F1 advancing approximately six months worldwide and F4 advancing by five months across most areas.
Employment-Based Highlights
April 2026 brings some of the most dramatic employment-based advances in years. EB-2 for all chargeability areas except China and India becomes Current in the Final Action Dates chart — a particularly notable development for Worldwide, Mexico, and Philippines filers. India's EB-2 Final Action Date advances by nearly ten months, and its Dates for Filing date moves forward by about two and a half months.
EB-3 (Skilled Workers/Professionals) surges forward by eight months for Worldwide and Mexico in the Final Action Dates chart, and Worldwide and Mexico also become Current under Dates for Filing. EB-1 for China and India advances modestly by one month. EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers each advance by exactly one full year across all chargeability areas. EB-3 Other Workers for China inches forward by about two months in Final Action Dates, and EB-5 Unreserved for China advances nominally.
Family Final Action Chart — Detailed Movement
F1: Worldwide, China, and India advance nearly 6 months, from 11/08/16 to 05/01/17; Mexico advances from 12/22/06 to 02/15/07; Philippines advances from 03/01/13 to 05/01/13.
F2B: Worldwide, China, and India advance from 12/01/16 to 05/22/17; Philippines advances from 12/22/12 to 04/08/13.
F3: Worldwide, China, and India advance from 09/08/11 to 12/22/11; Philippines advances from 03/01/05 to 07/01/05.
F4: Worldwide and China advance from 01/08/08 to 06/08/08; Philippines advances 5 months, from 09/01/06 to 02/01/07.
Family Dates for Filing Chart — Detailed Movement
F1: Worldwide, China, and India advance 6 months, from 09/01/17 to 03/01/18; Mexico advances from 12/01/07 to 04/15/08.
F2A: Worldwide, China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines all become Current.
F2B: Worldwide, China, and India advance nearly 5 months, from 03/15/17 to 08/08/17; Mexico advances from 02/15/10 to 05/15/10.
F3: Worldwide, China, and India advance from 07/22/12 to 11/22/12; Philippines advances from 06/01/06 to 07/15/06.
F4: Worldwide and China advance from 03/01/09 to 05/15/09; Philippines advances from 01/15/08 to 03/22/08.
Employment Final Action Chart — Detailed Movement
EB-1: China and India advance from 03/01/23 to 04/01/23.
EB-2: Worldwide, Mexico, and Philippines become Current. India advances 10 months, from 09/15/13 to 07/15/14.
EB-3 (Skilled/Professionals): Worldwide and Mexico advance 8 months, from 10/01/23 to 06/01/24; China advances from 05/01/21 to 06/15/21.
EB-3 Other Workers: China advances from 12/08/18 to 02/01/19.
EB-4: Worldwide, China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines advance 1 year, from 07/15/21 to 07/15/22.
Certain Religious Workers: Worldwide, China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines advance 1 year, from 07/15/21 to 07/15/22.
EB-5 Unreserved: China advances from 08/15/16 to 09/01/16.
Employment Dates for Filing Chart — Detailed Movement
EB-2: India advances from 11/01/14 to 01/15/15.
EB-3 (Skilled/Professionals): Worldwide and Mexico become Current. India advances 5 months, from 08/15/14 to 01/15/15.
EB-3 Other Workers: Worldwide, Mexico, and the Philippines advance from 06/22/22 to 08/01/22; India advances 5 months, from 08/15/14 to 01/15/15.
Diversity Visas — DV-2026
For April 2026, DV-2026 immigrant numbers are available to qualified applicants across all six geographic regions, with the following cutoff numbers: Africa 55,000 (with separate lower cutoffs of 37,000 for Algeria and 30,000 for Egypt), Asia 35,000 (with a lower cutoff of 10,000 for Nepal), Europe 20,000, North America (Bahamas) 50, Oceania 1,500, and South America and the Caribbean 3,000.
Practitioners should note that the DV-2026 annual limit has been reduced from the statutory 55,000 to approximately 52,000 due to the combined effect of NACARA set-asides and the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2024, which amended NACARA's provisions to require an additional deduction from the annual DV allocation. Important: Diversity Visa issuance by DOS remains paused; however, applicants may continue to submit visa applications and attend interviews.
Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs)
Section E of the bulletin addresses Special Immigrant Visas for current and former U.S. Government employees abroad. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, signed December 22, 2023, may affect applicants in this category — as well as certain surviving spouses and children of deceased U.S. Government employees abroad — who are applying under INA § 101(a)(27)(D). The bulletin notes this provision does not affect Iraqi and Afghan nationals applying for SQ and SI SIVs, and directs affected applicants to contact the consular section where their Form DS-1884 was filed.
Practitioner Takeaway
File aggressively in April while the windows are open — especially F2A across the board, EB-2 Worldwide/Mexico/Philippines, and EB-3 Worldwide/Mexico. India EB-2 and EB-3 applicants should move quickly on the Dates for Filing advances. But counsel clients clearly: these advances are tied to proclamation-driven shifts in demand, and DOS has explicitly flagged the possibility of retrogression later in FY2026 if demand rebounds or the underlying administration actions change. We will continue monitoring the bulletin closely and will update clients promptly if the landscape shifts.
If you have questions about how these April movements affect your case or your family's filing window, please contact our office.
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