1 week ago

September 2026 Visa Bulletin Keeps Indian Green Card Backlogs

US visa bulletin September 2026: What Indian Green Card applicants need to know about EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, family visas · livemint.com

The September 2026 Visa Bulletin explains when some people can move ahead with U.S. green card applications.

Each applicant has a priority date, which is used to determine their place in line.

Indian applicants still face long waits in several employment-based categories.

EB-1 India allows final decisions for priority dates before October 15, 2022.

EB-2 India is temporarily unavailable for final visa decisions.

EB-3 and Other Workers have final-action dates in January 2014.

Unreserved EB-5 is also unavailable for final action for Indians.

Some people may be able to file paperwork earlier under the Dates for Filing chart.

Family-sponsored categories also have backlogs, but F2A filing dates are current for all countries.

Key facts

EB-1 India: Final Action Date: October 15, 2022; Dates for Filing: December 1, 2023.
EB-2 India: Final Action Date: unavailable; Dates for Filing: January 15, 2015.
EB-3 India: Final Action Date: January 1, 2014; Dates for Filing: January 15, 2015.
EB-5 India: Unreserved Final Action Date: unavailable; Dates for Filing: May 1, 2024.
F2A India: Final Action Date: August 22, 2026; Dates for Filing: current for all countries.
Fiscal 2026 limits: Worldwide family-sponsored preference limit: 226,000; employment-based limit: 186,317.
Per-country limit: Standard limit: 28,862, potentially rising to 29,136 through carryover provisions.

livemint.com · 1 week ago