When USCIS receives your I-140 petition, it assigns a date, known as your priority date, that is unique to your application.
Every month, USCIS releases a visa bulletin with a cutoff date indicating when you can move to the next step in your petition. They also announce whether you must use the Final Action Date chart or the Dates for Filing chart to know if you are eligible to file for adjustment of status (Form I-485).
When the dates are announced, they’re basically saying the system is currently eligible to process only those cases filed before that date. Everyone else in the queue has to continue waiting.
This article is written for applicants who want to know where things currently are and what alternative options they have.
According to the June 2026 Visa Bulletin, the EB-2 Final Action Date for India is 1 September 2013, and the Date for Filing is 15 January 2015.
USCIS announced that for June 2026, all employment-based (EB-1) visa applicants must use the Final Action Dates chart. This means that only Indian EB-2 applicants with a priority date on or before 1 September 2013 may now file for a green card. You can also proceed with your consular processing if you’re outside the U.S., instead of applying for a Form I-485.
Compared to May 2026, when the Final Action Date for India was 15 July 2014, the EB-2 cutoff retrogressed by more than 10 months. While these dates are published monthly, they may be moved forward or backward.
What this means for you;
Note: If you’re not sure where your priority date stands, use this priority date tracker to monitor the Visa Bulletin each month and see when your window might open.
The “Final Action Date” is when USCIS can approve or issue your green card, or a consulate can issue your immigrant visa.
The “Dates for Filing” is an earlier date that allows you to file your Form I-485 before your priority date is current.
For June 2026, USCIS is using only the Final Action Dates chart for employment-based categories. Your priority date must be before September 1, 2013, to continue your application.
Here’s what the June 2026 visa bulletin shows for India across all employment-based visa categories:
If your I-140 was approved in, say, October 2013, you are not yet eligible to file for your green card. If it was approved in 2018, 2019, or 2022, you may be waiting another decade or more.
The backlog is so severe because there is a cap on the total number of employment-based green cards a country can receive, regardless of how many applicants come from that country.
The total number of EB visas available worldwide for 2026 is 140,000. With the 7% cap, India has approximately 9,800 visas shared across the EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 categories.
However, this number is very small compared to the large number of skilled Indian workers in the United States. Tens of thousands of Indian nationals file employment-based petitions every year, exceeding the country's available visas and compounding the backlog.
Additionally, each visa issued includes the principal applicant’s spouse and children. Meaning, a family of four uses four visas from India’s annual allocation, further reducing the number of people who can clear the backlog each year.
In May 2026, the EB-2 India Final Action Date was July 15, 2014. But by June 2026, it had dropped to September 1, 2013, erasing all progress in a single month.
The State Department said the retrogression was due to increased demand in the EB-2 visa category, exceeding the annual supply. They’ve also warned that there may be future retrogressions, or the category may become outright unavailable.
The U.S. Department of State confirmed in May 2026 that it has issued all available EB-2 visas for India for FY 2026.
Every fiscal year, the U.S. government allocates a fixed number of employment-based immigrant visas, which run from October 1 to September 30. Once those numbers are used up for a given country and category, they can no longer issue new visas, regardless of your position in the queue.
This is why, despite the June 2026 Visa Bulletin publishing a Final Action Date of 01 September 2013, no additional green cards will be issued to EB-2 India applicants.
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FY 2027 begins on October 1, 2026. This is when a new supply of employment-based visas will be available, allowing applicants to resume processing. Based on historic trends and current data, here’s our forecast for the EB-2 India Priority date;
While all three outcomes are possible, the base scenario is the most likely given recent historical trends.
Note: The forecasts below are not guarantees or legal predictions; they are solely based on current data and trends.
Sometimes, not all available EB-1 visas are used. If that happens, the unused visa numbers can be transferred to EB-2 applicants. This can help to reduce wait times for people in the EB-2 India backlog, but it is impossible to know in advance how many extra visa numbers will be available.
As of January 2026, roughly 27,700 EB-2 adjustment of status applications (Form I-485) were pending. When new visa numbers become available, these applicants will be ahead in the queue. Because so many people are already in line, processing times may remain slow even after new visa numbers become available.
The State Department has already warned that EB-2 India priority dates may be pushed back further, or the category may become unavailable by the end of FY 2026. If this happens, more applicants will be waiting in line for new visa numbers to become available. As a result, a large portion of the FY 2027 visas may be used up quickly.
Some lawmakers have suggested changing the rules that limit the number of green card applicants from a single country that can receive each year. However, no changes have been approved yet.
Based on current trends, the most realistic expectation is a steady but modest movement starting in October 2026. If your priority date is from 2018 or later, you might have to plan for a long wait. From current data, EB-2 India alone is unlikely to result in a green card within the next 10 years.
According to Beyond Borders’ attorneys, here are five other approaches to keep you moving forward on your green card application;
The difference between the EB-1A and EB-2 wait times is significant. As of June 2026, the Final Action Date for EB-1A India is 15 December 2022, while that of EB-2 is 01 September 2013, a gap of nine years.
The EB-1A is for extraordinary individuals in their field. To be eligible, you need to meet at least 3 of the 10 criteria from USCIS. Examples include receiving a notable award, featuring in a major publication, or judging the work of others in your field.
If your career has grown significantly since you filed your EB-2 petition, you may already be eligible for EB-1A. The best way to find out is to review your achievements against the EB-1A criteria.
If the EB-2 backlog is delaying your green card plans and you want to switch to an EB-1A visa, it’s best to consult an immigration attorney. Beyond Border specializes in EB-1A, EB-1B, and EB-2 NIW petitions for Indian professionals. Book a strategy call to evaluate whether an EB-1A upgrade could move your green card forward by years.
The EB-3 Final Action Date is 15 December 2013, which is a 3-month gap compared to EB-2. Meaning, if your priority date falls between 01 September and 15 December 2013, you can file your adjustment of status (Form I-185) under EB-3 now.
The good news is that you can keep your existing EB-2 priority date if you downgrade to an EB-3. Nonetheless, downgrading also comes with its own risks. If EB-3 India retrogresses after you have downgraded, you may find yourself in a slower category than the EB-2.
Compare your options: EB-2 vs EB-3: Differences, Timing & Strategy (2026)
If your spouse was born outside India, that’s another option to reduce your wait time. In some cases, you can use your spouse’s country of birth instead of your own. This is known as cross-charegeability.
Here’s what it looks like;
If you were born in India but your spouse was born in Canada, the United Kingdom, or another country entirely, and there is little or no backlog, you may be able to move forward with your green card application more quickly than you would under India’s priority date.
But it comes with a few rules: Both you and your spouse must be co-applicants in the same green card application, and a visa number must be available under the spouse’s country. It’s not as straightforward as it sounds, so make sure to consult with an immigration attorney.
Waiting for your green card doesn’t mean you have to stay in the same job the entire time. If you’ve already filed your I-485 and it has been pending for at least 180 days, you can leverage the AC21 Act to change jobs without affecting your green card application.
However, the new role you get must be in the same or a similar occupation as the one listed on your original petition.
It’s important to know that the AC21 does not help you file your I-485 sooner. You must still have a current priority date to submit the application. If you’re considering this option, make sure to speak with an immigration attorney, as the wrong move can affect your case if not structured properly.
Beyond Border is a U.S. employment-based immigration firm that specializes in O1A, EB-1A, EB-2A, NIW, L-1, and H-1B cases.
If you don’t want to be on the queue for so long and are considering other options, we provide you with a structural assessment and case planning that shows your timeline, filing windows, and what other employment-based visa options, whether EB-1A petition or EB-2 NIW self-petition, you’re eligible for. We also offer a dedicated case team and offer same-day advisory where needed.
If you’re already on H-1B status, we also manage H-1B extensions beyond the six-year cap so you can continue working while your green card status matures.
Book a strategy call to evaluate your options and move forward with your petition.
As of early 2026, the Final Action Date for EB2 India sits at approximately 1 September , 2013. Only applicants who filed their I-140 petitions before that date can currently receive green card approvals. All others remain in the queue and cannot receive a green card until dates advance further.
India receives roughly 2,800 to 3,000 EB2 green cards per year under the 7% per-country cap. The global EB2 allocation is approximately 40,000 visas annually, and no single country can exceed 7% of that number regardless of how many qualified applicants are waiting.
No. The National Interest Waiver removes the labor certification requirement and allows self-petitioning, but it has no effect on priority date timelines. Indian EB2 NIW applicants face the same 13 to 17 year wait as employer-sponsored EB2 applicants from India.
Approximately 395,958 approved I-140 petitions are waiting for available visa numbers, with around 90% originating from Indian nationals. That amounts to roughly 356,000 Indian-origin applicants in the backlog, not counting their spouses and dependent children.
Yes, but only when USCIS authorizes use of the Dates for Filing chart, applicants with slightly later priority dates can submit their I-485. This grants access to work authorization and advance parole, but the actual green card won't be issued until the Final Action Date reaches your priority date.
File your EB2 petition now to lock in the earliest possible priority date, then spend the next few years building credentials for an EB1 petition. If the EB1 is approved, you can port your earlier EB2 priority date onto the new case. This is the most practical way to accelerate a timeline that the current system makes very difficult to shorten.
