The April 2026 Visa Bulletin reflects forward movement in both family‑based and employment‑based immigrant visa categories.

Factors Driving Advancement

Section D of the Department of State (DOS)’s bulletin indicates that advances across categories are linked to decreased immigrant visa issuance rates for nationals of certain countries impacted by Presidential Proclamations 10949 and 10998, as well as related updates to immigrant visa processing. This reduced demand has made additional visa numbers available for redistribution across other categories.

Family‑Based Immigration Updates

The April bulletin introduces broad advancement in both the Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing charts.

Notable highlights include:

  • F2A becomes current for all chargeability areas in the Dates for Filing chart, allowing immediate filing regardless of country of birth.
  • F1 advances by approximately six months worldwide in both filing and final action charts.
  • F2B, F3, and F4 categories show advances of three to six months for most countries.
  • Mexico and the Philippines continue to experience slower movement due to longstanding backlogs, though modest forward progression is still noted.

In the Final Action chart, movement remains positive but slightly more conservative, with F1 advancing by six months and F4 advancing by five months across most chargeability areas.

Employment‑Based Immigration Updates

Employment‑based categories show notable advancement, which DOS attributes to lower visa demand from the countries subject to administration‑imposed restrictions.

EB‑2

  • Worldwide, Mexico, and the Philippines become current in the Final Action chart.
  • India advances by nearly 10 months in Final Action and by about 2.5 months in Dates for Filing.

EB‑3 Skilled Workers and Professionals

  • Worldwide and Mexico advance eight months in the Final Action chart.
  • Both become current in the Dates for Filing chart.

Other Employment‑Based Categories

  • EB‑1 China and India advance by one month.
  • EB‑4 and Certain Religious Workers categories move forward by a full year for all countries.
  • EB‑3 Other Workers (China) advances by about two months.
  • EB‑5 Unreserved (China) shows minor forward movement.

Takeaways

While these changes present opportunities for earlier filing and case progression, DOS signals that the possibility of future retrogression remains. Stakeholders should continue to monitor future visa bulletins as the fiscal year progresses.

Tags: EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, eb-4, EB-5, GT Insight, State Department, Visa Bulletin
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Photo of Kate Kalmykov Kate Kalmykov

Kate Kalmykov is based in our New York and New Jersey offices and has over two decades of experience in business immigration matters. Kate currently Co-Chairs the Global Immigration & Compliance Practice at Greenberg Traurig. In this role, she works with employers of

…

Kate Kalmykov is based in our New York and New Jersey offices and has over two decades of experience in business immigration matters. Kate currently Co-Chairs the Global Immigration & Compliance Practice at Greenberg Traurig. In this role, she works with employers of all sizes across a variety of industries in understanding and complying with the immigration laws relating to the hiring and retention of foreign talent. Specifically, her practice focuses on supporting clients and advising them on temporary and permanent residency immigration options for multi-national executive, business, scientific, and information technology personnel. In addition, her practice provides support to companies in the global transfer of personnel. Known by her clients for her out-of-the-box thinking, responsiveness and hands-on approach, Kate is often called upon to assist in developing immigration options and strategies in the most unique circumstances and to respond to complex Requests for Evidence (RFEs), Notices of Intent to Deny (NOIDs) or to appeal denied cases. Likewise, she has also been instrumental in developing employer compliance programs for DOL related filings including H-1Bs and PERMs, as well as for I-9 employment eligibility verification. To this end, she develops and conducts nationwide I-9 compliance trainings and policy manuals for human resources personnel, advises on best practices for E-Verify employers, provides guidance on avoiding immigration-related unfair employment practices claims and has defended and minimized penalties in immigration-related government audits. Kate regularly works with professionals from the firm’s labor, employment, tax and benefits groups, to provide strategic planning on immigration issues within a cross-border framework.

Kate also has deep experience working on all aspects of the EB-5 immigrant investor program. Kate has worked with real estate developers, private equity funds, and other organizations on applications to designate new EB-5 Regional Centers, applications for pre-approval of EB-5 projects; having projects adopted by existing EB-5 Regional Centers; structuring projects to be EB-5 compliant, the sale of existing EB-5 Regional Centers, preparing template I-526 petitions and advice on structuring direct EB-5 projects. Pursuant to the requirements introduced under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act, Kate works with EB-5 Regional Centers, EB-5 Projects, Overseas Migration Agents and Broker/ Dealers to develop internal programs for ongoing compliance and to prepare USCIS I-956, I-956F, I-956,G, I-956H, I-956K submissions. Kate has represented thousands of investors in obtaining their green cards through EB-5 regional center projects, as well as direct EB-5 investment opportunities. She also represented and structured the largest EB-5 offering in the Program’s history and has over the course of her career structured over $12 billion in EB-5 deals.

Within the field of immigration law, Kate is a well-known speaker and author. She is often called upon by various media outlets to comment on topics of business immigration law including the Real Deal, the Wall Street Journal, and Law360. Kate has appeared on numerous TV programs related to immigration law including CNN, the Stoler Report, Vietface TV, and China Business Network. Kate is also a prolific writer on the topic of immigration and has been published in immigration practice handbooks for the American Bar Association, American Immigration Lawyers Association, ILW, and in news periodicals that include the New Jersey Lawyer, the New York Law Journal, the New Jersey Law Journal, USA Today, GlobeSt.com, and the Commercial Observer. At the request of the American Bar Association, Kate co-authored the book “What Every Lawyer Needs to Know About Immigration Law,” a guide for non-lawyers on immigration law practice. She has sat on numerous bar association related committees including the American Immigration Lawyers Association EB-5 Practice Committee, the New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition and has chaired the American Bar Association’s, Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, Section of Administrative Law since 2011. Kate has been recognized in various legal surveys including Chambers Global, New York Super Lawyers, the New Jersey Law Journal who ranked as her as a “New Leader of the Bar,” (formerly 40 under 40) in 2012, NJBIZ “Best 50 Women in Business,” 2019, National Law Review, “Go-To Thought Leader: Immigration Law,” 2022, and Lawdragon 500, Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers, 2020-2022.

Kate is devoted to pro bono matters and has spent extensive time helping clients fleeing conflict and persecution with asylum applications, applying for and obtaining Temporary Protected Status and Humanitarian Parole.

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