USCIS April 2026 I-485 Inventory: India EB-1 Drops 1,475, EB-2 Falls for the Seventh Straight Month, First 2015 Dates Enter the Queue
On June 10, 2026, USCIS published its employment-based I-485 pending inventory as of April 3, 2026, just two days after releasing the March snapshot. This is the report that shows how many adjustment-of-status applications are sitting in the USCIS queue, broken down by country, preference category, and priority date. Here is what changed from March to April, with a focus on India EB-2 and the milestone that showed up for the first time in this month's data.
Source: USCIS "Pending Applications for Employment-Based Preference Categories as of April 3, 2026" and the prior March 3, 2026 snapshot, from the USCIS Immigration and Citizenship Data page. Figures cover EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 for India, China, Mexico, Philippines, and Rest of World. Not legal advice.
A note on timing
USCIS releases these files in batches that lag the snapshot date. The February file came out June 4, the March file June 8, and the April file June 10, so three months of data landed within a single week. "April 2026" is the as-of date, not the publication date, and the data still runs several months behind real time.
The short version
- India EB-2 pending fell to 25,780, down 471 from March. It has now declined every month since October 2025, seven consecutive months, with the total dropping from 28,365 to 25,780 over that run.
- For the first time, five cases with a 2015 priority date appear in the India EB-2 report. The filing date crossed into calendar year 2015, though only barely. A mid-2015 priority date is not yet in this report.
- India EB-1 dropped sharply by 1,475 to 20,850, the steepest single-month decline in this data series.
- Worldwide employment-based I-485 pending fell to 172,701, down 1,247 from March's 173,948.
- Rest of World EB-3 jumped 2,452 in a single month, the largest category increase in any month of this series.
India EB-2: the seventh straight monthly decline
The number most people in this community watch: pending India EB-2 I-485 applications fell to 25,780, down 471 from March's 26,251. The pace eased slightly from the 733-case drop in March and the 717-case drop in February, but the direction is unchanged. India EB-2 has not gained a single month since September 2025.
Here is the full monthly picture since October:
| Month (as-of date) | India EB-2 pending | Change |
|---|---|---|
| October 2025 | 28,365 | baseline |
| November 2025 | 28,316 | down 49 |
| December 2025 | 28,105 | down 211 |
| January 2026 | 27,701 | down 404 |
| February 2026 | 26,984 | down 717 |
| March 2026 | 26,251 | down 733 |
| April 2026 | 25,780 | down 471 |
The April breakdown by priority date year shows the same structure as recent months, but with one new entry:
| India EB-2 priority date year | March | April | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 and earlier | ~713 | ~684 | roughly flat |
| 2013 | 8,594 | 7,670 | down 924 |
| 2014 | 16,884 | 17,421 | up 537 |
| 2015 | (not reported) | 5 | new |
| Total | 26,251 | 25,780 | down 471 |
The 2015 milestone: what five cases actually means
For the first time in this monthly series, five cases with a 2015 priority date appear in the India EB-2 report. That is a concrete signal: the Dates for Filing cutoff had advanced far enough into calendar year 2015 that a very small number of early January 2015 priority dates could file their I-485 as of April 3, 2026.
Five cases is a tiny number, and that is not an accident. When the filing date sits at, say, January 8, 2015, only people with priority dates between January 1 and January 7 can file. The cohort is narrow by definition. What matters is the direction: a 2015 date is now on the board, where none existed in any prior monthly snapshot.
For anyone with a priority date later in 2015, the filing date has not reached those months yet. Your case is not in this report. The real gate right now is the 17,421 cases sitting in the 2014 column. That cohort has filed but cannot be approved until the final action date advances through 2013 and into 2014. When the 2014 wall thins, the filing date will push further into 2015 and more of that cohort will enter the queue.
Why the 2014 column grew while the total fell
The 2014 row went up 537, from 16,884 to 17,421, even as India EB-2 overall fell 471. This is not a contradiction. The Dates for Filing for India EB-2 has covered all of 2014 for several months now, meaning anyone with a 2014 priority date who is ready to file can do so. New 2014 filers keep entering the pending inventory. Meanwhile, the final action date is still moving through 2013, so almost no 2014 cases are being approved yet. The 2014 column is a waiting room with the entry door open and the exit door still closed. The 2013 column, by contrast, lost 924 cases this month because the final action date is actively clearing it.
Every country and category: where each backlog stands now
| Country and category | March | April | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| India EB-1 | 22,325 | 20,850 | down 1,475 |
| India EB-2 | 26,251 | 25,780 | down 471 |
| India EB-3 | 16,699 | 16,084 | down 615 |
| China EB-1 | 5,269 | 5,889 | up 620 |
| China EB-2 | 5,825 | 5,197 | down 628 |
| China EB-3 | 5,376 | 5,000 | down 376 |
| Mexico EB-1 | 2,074 | 1,942 | down 132 |
| Mexico EB-2 | 1,918 | 1,698 | down 220 |
| Mexico EB-3 | 2,316 | 2,506 | up 190 |
| Philippines EB-1 | 405 | 429 | up 24 |
| Philippines EB-2 | 659 | 639 | down 20 |
| Philippines EB-3 | 1,284 | 1,467 | up 183 |
| Rest of world EB-1 | 32,850 | 31,868 | down 982 |
| Rest of world EB-2 | 35,147 | 35,350 | up 203 |
| Rest of world EB-3 | 15,550 | 18,002 | up 2,452 |
| Grand EB total | 173,948 | 172,701 | down 1,247 |
India EB-1: the sharpest one-month drop in this series
India EB-1 fell 1,475 in a single month, from 22,325 to 20,850. That is the steepest one-month decline for any India category in this data series. The move was concentrated almost entirely inside the 2022 priority date cohort, which dropped from 11,645 to 9,060, a reduction of 2,585 cases. The 2023 cohort, by contrast, grew from 6,741 to 8,221, adding 1,480 cases.
The pattern is consistent with the final action date for India EB-1 moving actively through 2022 and clearing cases faster than new 2023 filers are entering. Net, the queue shrank by 1,475 in a month.
India EB-1 (April, 20,850)
| Priority date year | April pending | vs. March |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 and earlier | ~2,569 | roughly flat |
| 2022 | 9,060 | down 2,585 |
| 2023 | 8,221 | up 1,480 |
| Total | 20,850 | down 1,475 |
India EB-3: matching EB-2 on 2015 and on the 2014 wall
India EB-3 fell 615 to 16,084, and shows the exact same priority-date pattern as EB-2. The 2013 cohort declined from 3,571 to 2,972. The 2014 cohort held nearly flat at 12,582, up slightly from 12,530. And five cases with a 2015 priority date appeared for the first time. Both EB-2 and EB-3 India show the filing date crossing into 2015 simultaneously, consistent with a single filing cutoff applying across preference categories.
India EB-3 (April, 16,084)
| Priority date year | April pending |
|---|---|
| 2012 and earlier | ~366 |
| 2013 | 2,972 |
| 2014 | 12,582 |
| 2015 | 5 |
| Total | 16,084 |
China: EB-2 and EB-3 fell, EB-1 kept building in 2023
China EB-2 dropped 628 to 5,197, with the backlog concentrated in 2020 (978 cases) and 2021 (3,560 cases). China EB-3 fell 376 to 5,000, also concentrated in those same years. Both categories have been trending down as the final action dates work through the early 2020s cohorts. China EB-1, by contrast, grew 620 to 5,889. Almost all of it sits in 2023, which now holds 4,447 cases and appears to still be accumulating new filers faster than approvals are clearing it.
China EB-2 (April, 5,197)
| Priority date year | April pending |
|---|---|
| 2019 and earlier | ~159 |
| 2020 | 978 |
| 2021 | 3,560 |
| Total | 5,197 |
Rest of world: EB-3 saw the largest single-month surge in this series
Rest of world EB-3 jumped from 15,550 to 18,002, an increase of 2,452 in one month. That is the largest single-month increase for any category across this entire data series. Nearly all of the growth is in the 2023 cohort, which holds 9,544 cases and accounts for more than half the ROW EB-3 total. ROW EB-3 had been gradually rising for several months; April's jump suggests a large batch of I-485 filings landed from people with 2023 priority dates whose filing cutoff recently opened. Rest of world EB-1 pulled back 982 to 31,868 after months of growth, while ROW EB-2 was nearly flat at 35,350.
Rest of world EB-3 (April, 18,002)
| Priority date year | April pending |
|---|---|
| 2020 and earlier | ~286 |
| 2021 | 3,106 |
| 2022 | 2,336 |
| 2023 | 9,544 |
| 2024 and later | 286 |
| Total | 18,002 |
What this does and does not tell you
Pending inventory is a stock, not a wait time. It tells you how many cases are in front of you in the USCIS queue, not when you will be approved. Visa number availability, published monthly in the State Department visa bulletin, is what ultimately controls approvals, and it has to be read alongside the annual per-country limits. A shrinking inventory at your priority-date year is a healthy sign, but it is one input, not the whole answer. You can see how these figures feed your own estimate on our Priority Date Estimator, and track category movement in the visa bulletin viewer.
This article is informational only and is not legal advice. Figures are from USCIS public data as of the April 3, 2026 snapshot and prior monthly snapshots, and may change as USCIS posts new releases. For guidance about your own case, consult a licensed immigration attorney.