Archive · 2 Sep 2026
Indian Applicants Face Potential 179-Year US Green Card Wait
A US green card allows someone to live and work permanently in the country.
Many Indian workers are waiting in a very large employment-based queue.
A study estimates that a new Indian EB-2 applicant could face a wait of up to 179 years.
The estimated wait is 38 years for EB-3 and about four to five years for EB-1.
The United States issues about 140,000 employment-based green cards each year.
It generally limits each country to 7% of those cards, even when countries have very different populations and numbers of applicants.
Nearly one million Indians were estimated to be in the queue by December 2025.
Immigration lawyer Rajiv Khanna said some H-1B workers can extend their temporary status and may eventually change employers while waiting.
He also said fluctuations in approvals could shorten the wait for some people, although the system remains difficult for workers and families.
An NFAP analysis estimates Indian applicants could wait 179 years for EB-2, 38 years for EB-3 and four to five years for EB-1 green cards.
Nearly one million Indian nationals were in the employment-based backlog as of December 2025, representing about 79% of the total.
The combined EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 backlog reached an estimated 1.26 million people in December 2025, up from about 1.05 million in April 2020.
US law provides about 140,000 employment-based green cards annually and generally limits any country to 7% of the allocation.
Immigration lawyer Rajiv Khanna said H-1B extensions, employer mobility and occasional increases in approvals could reduce the practical impact of the projected waits.
- Who
- Indian employment-based immigration applicants, the National Foundation for American Policy, US employers, immigration lawyer Rajiv Khanna, the Donald Trump administration and human-rights groups.
- What
- An analysis projects exceptionally long US employment-based green-card waits for Indian nationals, including up to 179 years in EB-2.
- When
- The estimates use data through December 2025 and apply to certain applications filed in January 2026 or later.
- Where
- The United States.
- Why
- Annual visa limits, a generally applicable 7% country cap, large demand and accumulated backlogs have slowed permanent-residence processing.
Backlog Critics and Rights Groups
Administration and Practical Mitigations
Impact of projected waits
Backlog Critics and Rights Groups
The National Foundation for American Policy says extraordinary delays undermine US companies’ ability to attract and retain skilled workers and create significant hardships for workers and their families.
Administration and Practical Mitigations
Rajiv Khanna said the 179-year calculation does not capture protections that may allow eligible H-1B workers to keep extending their status while waiting for green-card priority dates.
Country-based limits
Backlog Critics and Rights Groups
Critics point to the 7% country cap, statutory visa limits and high demand from Indian professionals as key reasons for the unusually long waits.
Administration and Practical Mitigations
The articles describe the cap as existing US law but do not identify a specific proposal to change it; Khanna instead highlighted employer mobility and possible increases in approvals as sources of relief.
Broader immigration policy
Backlog Critics and Rights Groups
Human-rights groups say the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, including visa and green-card revocations, application rejections and new fees, is discriminatory and threatens free speech and due process.
Administration and Practical Mitigations
Donald Trump says the crackdown is intended to improve domestic security, while the administration has also imposed measures that make some forms of legal immigration more difficult.
- Estimated Indian EB-2 wait
- Up to 179 years
- Estimated Indian EB-3 wait
- Up to 38 years
- Estimated Indian EB-1 wait
- About four to five years
- Estimated Chinese EB-2 wait
- Up to 25 years
- Total EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 backlog
- An estimated 1.26 million people in December 2025, compared with about 1.05 million in April 2020
- Indian share of backlog
- Nearly one million people, or about 79% of the total
- Annual and country limits
- About 140,000 employment-based green cards annually, with generally no more than 7% allocated to one country
Sources
Indians May Have To Wait 179 Years For US Green Card. Here's Why
Nearly 1 million Indians stuck in US Green Card backlog, wait could stretch to 179 years | Gravitas
US green card backlog: Indian EB-2 wait could stretch to 179 years
