US Green Card: India EB-2 Date Stays Frozen, EB-3 Advances Three Weeks
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Indian professionals seeking US employment-based Green Cards under the EB-2 category face another month of delays, with the November 2026 Visa Bulletin keeping India's final action date unchanged at November 1, 2013.
The US State Department advanced the final action dates for most other countries by three months to April 1, 2025, widening the gap between Indian applicants and those from other nations.
India EB-3 advances, EB-1 and EB-5 remain unchanged
India's EB-3 final action date moved forward by three weeks to January 22, 2014. The same advance applies to the EB-3 Other Workers category.
For most other countries, the EB-3 final action date advanced to June 15, 2024.
India's EB-1 date remained at February 1, 2023, while the EB-5 unreserved category stayed at December 1, 2023.
The continued delays in employment-based Green Card processing leave many Indian professionals waiting years for permanent residency in the US.
Filing dates remain unchanged for Indian applicants
The filing dates for Indian applicants under both EB-2 and EB-3 remained unchanged at January 15, 2015.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has directed applicants seeking employment-based adjustment of status to consult the Dates for Filing chart for November.
Eligible Indian EB-2 applicants already living in the US with priority dates earlier than January 15, 2015, may file adjustment-of-status applications if they meet the applicable requirements.
However, filing an application does not guarantee immediate approval. Applicants must wait until their priority dates become eligible under the final action dates before their Green Cards can be granted.
Premium processing and H-1B proposals under review
The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is reviewing a proposal to revise premium processing deadlines for immigration applications.
The Department of Homeland Security submitted the proposal on October 13. The government has not yet released its detailed provisions, leaving applicants uncertain about the potential changes to processing timelines.
A separate proposal to modify the H-1B visa programme has been under OIRA review since August 24. The proposal has been classified as economically significant, indicating the potential for a substantial economic impact.
Neither proposal has yet provided a confirmed timeline for changes to the existing immigration process.
Family-sponsored visa categories see some movement
Indian applicants sponsoring family members have seen progress in the F1, F2B and F3 family-sponsored visa categories.
The F4 category, which covers brothers and sisters of US citizens, remained unchanged at December 15, 2006, leaving applicants in that category facing continued delays.
The developments come amid renewed efforts to remove the per-country limits governing employment-based Green Cards, which restrict the share of visas available to applicants from individual countries.
US lawmaker highlights 179-year Green Card wait
The lengthy backlog facing Indian applicants has drawn criticism from US lawmakers.
New Jersey Democratic Representative Josh Gottheimer highlighted the projected waiting period for some Indian employment-based Green Card applicants, drawing attention to the consequences of the existing system.
“Imagine waiting 179 years for a green card. That’s the projected wait for Indian green card applicants,” Gottheimer wrote on X.
The debate over per-country limits has gained attention as Indian professionals continue to face prolonged waits for permanent residency, even as applicants from several other countries benefit from substantially earlier final action dates.
