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Indian Families Get Relief as Employment Green Card Queues Tighten
Some Indian families waiting for green cards may be able to move forward because several family visa dates improved.
This does not mean every family applicant can receive a green card right away.
Each person still has to meet the rules for their visa category and priority date.
The situation is harder for many Indian workers seeking employment-based green cards.
EB-1, used by some highly accomplished workers and company executives, is still delayed.
The government warned that EB-1 visas for India might run out before September 30.
EB-2 India is unavailable, and EB-3 applicants may still be waiting from applications filed around 2014.
These long waits happen partly because many more people apply than there are visas available.
Several family-sponsored green card cutoff dates for Indians advanced in September, allowing some applicants to move closer to final approval.
EB-1 India remains backlogged at October 15, 2022, and visa numbers could run out before September 30.
EB-2 India is listed as unavailable, while unreserved EB-5 India is also unavailable.
India’s EB-3 final-action date remains around early 2014, leaving skilled workers and professionals facing lengthy waits.
The United States generally applies a 7% per-country limit to annual family- and employment-based immigrant visas, with a fiscal 2026 standard limit of 28,862 visas.
- Who
- Indian family-sponsored applicants and employment-based immigrants, including professionals, skilled workers, and certain executives.
- What
- September green card cutoff dates show movement for some family applicants but continued or worsening backlogs in several employment-based categories.
- Where
- The United States immigration system, affecting applicants from India.
- When
- The changes apply to September; the fiscal year ends September 30, and new numbers may not become available until fiscal 2027 if EB-1 numbers are exhausted.
- Why
- Demand for immigrant visas exceeds available numbers, while the United States generally applies a 7% per-country limit to annual family- and employment-based visa allocations.
Key facts
- Family-sponsored categories
- Several cutoff dates for Indian applicants advanced, allowing some applicants to progress toward final approval.
- EB-1 India
- The September cutoff date is October 15, 2022.
- EB-1 warning
- The United States Department of State warned that EB-1 visa numbers for India could become unavailable before September 30.
- EB-2 India
- The category remains listed as unavailable in September.
- EB-5 India
- The unreserved category remains unavailable in September.
- EB-3 India
- The final-action date remains around early 2014.
- Fiscal 2026 per-country limit
- The standard limit is 28,862 visas, subject to statutory carryover provisions.
Sources
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