US Visa bulletin brings setback for Indian Green Card applicants

The US Department of State has released the June 2026 Visa Bulletin, and it brings disappointing news for many Indian green card applicants waiting under employment-based categories. Due to high demand and heavy visa usage, the final action dates for EB-1 and EB-2 categories have moved backward, increasing waiting times for applicants from India.

As per the latest bulletin, the EB-1 final action date for Indians has shifted to December 15, 2022, from April 1, 2023. The EB-2 category has also retrogressed significantly to September 1, 2013, from July 15, 2014. Meanwhile, the EB-3 category moved slightly ahead to December 15, 2013.

The US State Department said the changes were necessary to keep visa issuance within the annual limit for the financial year 2026. It also warned that if demand continues to rise, some categories may face further retrogression or could even become temporarily unavailable before the fiscal year ends.

The bulletin further mentioned that the EB-5 unreserved category for Indian applicants may also face delays or become unavailable in the coming months due to increasing demand.

The Visa Bulletin is an important monthly update for people applying for US green cards. It helps applicants understand when they can file their applications and how long they may have to wait for approval. Two important sections in the bulletin are “Dates for Filing” and “Final Action Dates,” which decide application eligibility and processing timelines.

Apart from employment-based visas, the bulletin also includes updates for family-sponsored green card categories, where some dates remained unchanged while a few categories saw slight movement.