January 2026 Visa Bulletin
17 Dec 2025Today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the January 2026 Visa Bulletin. There is some forward movement, especially in the EB1 category. All cutoff dates listed below refer to the final action chart (i.e., Chart A), unless otherwise specified.
Visa Bulletin Summary
Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category
In the EB1 category, both China’s and India’s cutoff date advance to 01.Feb.2023. The EB1 category remains current for all other countries of chargeability.
Employment-Based, Second Preference (EB2) Category
In the EB2 category, India’s cutoff date pushes forward to 15.Jul.2013. EB2 China has a cutoff date of 01.Sep.2021. The EB2 cutoff date for all other countries moves up to 01.Apr.2024.
Employment-Based, Third Preference (EB3) Category
EB3 India’s cutoff date progresses to 15.Nov.2013. China’s EB3 cutoff date is 01.May.2021. The EB3 cutoff date for all other countries of chargeability is set at 22.Apr.2023.
EB3 Other Workers
In the EB3 other workers category, India’s cutoff date aligns with the standard EB3 cutoff of 22.Sep.2013. For China, the cutoff date is 08.Dec.2018. The EB3 other workers category carries a cutoff date of 01.Sep.2021 for all other countries of chargeability.
Employment-Based, Fourth Preference (EB4) Category
In the EB4 category, the cutoff date moves to 01.Jan.2021. This cutoff date also applies to the EB4 program for certain religious workers, which has been renewed through midnight of January 29, 2026. After that, if the program is not renewed by Congress, it will become unavailable.
Employment-Based, Fifth Preference (EB5) Category
The EB5 unreserved category for India advances to 01.May.2022. Meanwhile, China’s unreserved cutoff date moves to 15.Aug.2016. The EB5 category remains current for all other chargeability areas and for the three EB5 set-aside categories (rural, high unemployment, and infrastructure) across all countries.
Conclusion
The Murthy Law Firm will continue to monitor and report on movement and predictions related to the monthly visa bulletin. Subscribe to the free MurthyBulletin to receive weekly updates.
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