Visa Changes June 2026: India EB Green Cards Retrogress, Makkah Reopens, $250 US Fee Still Not Collected

Five Stories That Matter This Month

May was quiet. June is not - at least not if you are waiting on a US green card. The June 2026 Visa Bulletin retrogresses employment categories for India and exhausts an annual limit early, Saudi Arabia has reopened Makkah after Hajj, the long-promised $250 US visa fee is still nowhere to be seen, and Europe's ETIAS remains on the calendar without a firm date. Here is everything that changed, verified against official government sources.

US Visa Bulletin June 2026: India Employment Categories Retrogress

The State Department's June 2026 Visa Bulletin brings the most consequential movement of the month. For June, USCIS requires all employment-based (EB) applicants to use the Final Action Dates chart when filing adjustment of status - the slower-moving of the two charts.

The headline is India. The Department of State confirmed that the FY2026 annual limit for the EB-2 India category has been reached, meaning no further EB-2 India immigrant visas will be issued until the new fiscal year begins on 1 October 2026. Both EB-1 and EB-2 for India retrogressed, and State has explicitly warned of possible further retrogression - or unavailability - before the fiscal year closes on 30 September.

Selected Final Action cut-off dates for June 2026:

What this means for applicants:

• If you are an India EB-2 applicant, you cannot be issued an immigrant visa or have your adjustment approved until October, when fresh visa numbers become available.
• India EB-1 and EB-2 applicants should expect a backlog reset and watch the July and August bulletins closely.
• Chinese EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 applicants continue to move slowly but remain available under Chart A.
• Applicants in other countries are generally current in most categories but must still file under Final Action Dates this month.

This is a routine but painful feature of high-demand years: when a per-country annual ceiling is hit, the category simply closes until the next fiscal year resets the count.

Source: US Department of State - June 2026 Visa Bulletin

Saudi Arabia: Makkah Reopens and Umrah Resumes After Hajj

As anticipated in our May roundup, Saudi Arabia has lifted its annual pre-Hajj restrictions now that the 2026 Hajj has concluded.

Key dates for the reopening:

For travellers, this means Makkah is once again accessible to those holding the correct Umrah permit, and the suspension on the Nusuk platform has been lifted. Tourist and visit visa holders still cannot enter Makkah - that has always required an Umrah or Hajj permit, and that rule is permanent, not seasonal.

If you are travelling to Saudi Arabia this summer for tourism, Riyadh, Jeddah, AlUla, and the Red Sea coast remain fully open, and Madinah is accessible to tourist visa holders. Anyone planning Umrah should book through Nusuk and confirm permit availability before travelling.

Source: Nusuk - official Umrah platform

US: The $250 Visa Integrity Fee Still Is Not Being Collected

The $250 Visa Integrity and Border Security Fee - signed into law on 4 July 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act - remains pending implementation as of June 2026. Despite repeated speculation, the Bureau of Consular Affairs has not begun collecting it, and no implementation guidance has been issued to embassies and consulates.

The delay stems from the cross-agency coordination flagged in the original Federal Register notice: the systems to collect the fee at the point of visa issuance, and to handle the law's reimbursement provisions, are not yet in place.

What applicants should know:

• The fee is not currently charged. If you are applying for a B1/B2, F, H, or most other nonimmigrant visas right now, you pay the existing $185 MRV fee, not an extra $250.
• When it launches, the fee will be collected at visa issuance, not at application.
• The statutory backstop deadline is 30 September 2026 (the end of the fiscal year), so collection could begin in any of the coming months.

We will update our US visa fees guide the moment collection actually begins.

Source: USCIS Newsroom

ETIAS: Still Q4 2026, Still No Firm Date

Nothing has changed on the European Travel Information and Authorisation System this month, but the silence itself is the story. EU Home Affairs Ministers endorsed a Q4 2026 start, and the European Commission has committed to announcing the exact date at least six months in advance. As of mid-June, no firm launch date has been published.

The confirmed facts remain:

• Cost: EUR 20 per application (free for under-18s and over-70s)
• Validity: Three years, or until the linked passport expires
• Coverage: Multiple stays of up to 90 days per 180-day period across 30 European countries
• Launch: Q4 2026, becoming mandatory around April 2027 after a transitional period

With EES now fully operational, the main technical dependency for ETIAS has cleared - so a precise date announcement is the next milestone to watch. You cannot apply yet; the portal opens only when the system goes live.

Source: European Commission - ETIAS

UK: Student-Visa Sponsor Compliance Rules Tightened (1 June 2026)

On 1 June 2026, the UK tightened student-visa sponsor compliance requirements for universities and colleges, part of the wider reforms set out in the 2025 immigration white paper. The changes raise the compliance thresholds that sponsoring institutions must meet to keep their licence to enrol international students.

This is institution-facing, not applicant-facing - it does not change the documents or process for an individual student visa applicant. But it matters indirectly: students should confirm that their chosen institution holds a valid Student sponsor licence before paying deposits or fees, because a sponsor losing its licence can disrupt enrolment.

If you are applying for a UK Student visa this summer, check your university's sponsor status on the official Register of Licensed Sponsors before committing.

Source: GOV.UK - UK Immigration Rules

Reminders: Europe's Digital Borders Are Live

Two changes that took effect earlier in 2026 are now simply the baseline - worth a recap if you have not travelled since:

• EES has been fully operational across all 29 Schengen countries since 10 April 2026. Passport stamping is gone; non-EU visitors now have their facial image and fingerprints recorded on first entry. Expect slightly longer queues at first crossing.
• UK ETA and eVisa boarding checks are fully enforced. Visa-exempt travellers need a GBP 20 ETA before boarding, and carriers refuse boarding where the Home Office cannot confirm valid digital status linked to the passport. Apply for an ETA at least 72 hours before travel.

Sources: European Commission - EES fully operational and GOV.UK - Get an ETA

What to Watch in July 2026

• US Visa Bulletin July 2026 - whether India EB categories retrogress further or hold, and whether any FY2026 numbers free up before the 30 September year-end.
• $250 US Visa Integrity Fee - implementation guidance could land any month ahead of the 30 September deadline.
• ETIAS firm launch date - with EES live, the EU's precise go-live announcement is the next domino.
• Schengen summer processing times - peak travel season typically stretches embassy appointment waits; book early.
• UK eVisa stabilisation - four months in, watch for processing-time data on the digital switchover.

All information is sourced from official government websites and verified as of 15 June 2026. Visa policies can change at short notice - always check the official embassy or government website for your destination before applying or travelling.