The green card wait for Indians in the US has become more difficult, with the June 2026 Visa Bulletin showing a backward movement in key employment-based categories.
According to the US Department of State, high demand and heavy visa usage by Indian applicants in the EB-1 and EB-2 categories have forced the government to move back the final action dates to stay within the annual visa limits.
The department also warned that more retrogression, or even making some categories “unavailable,” may become necessary in the coming months.
The biggest setback is in the EB-2 category, which is widely used by skilled professionals, including many Indian tech workers. For India, the EB-2 final action date has moved back by more than 10 months to September 1, 2013.
The EB-1 category has also been hit. India’s EB-1 final action date has moved back by three-and-a-half months to December 15, 2022. This category is generally used by priority workers, including people with extraordinary ability, outstanding professors, researchers and multinational executives.
However, there is some small relief in EB-3. India’s EB-3 professionals and skilled workers category has moved forward by one month to December 15, 2013.
For many Indian professionals already waiting for permanent residency, the latest bulletin means a longer and more uncertain wait. Those whose priority dates were close to becoming current may now have to wait further before they can move ahead with green card approval.
The June bulletin also keeps the EB-5 unreserved category for India at May 1, 2022. But the State Department has warned that the EB-5 unreserved category for India could also face retrogression or become unavailable next month if demand remains high.
Immigration law firms said the retrogression reflects the pressure on India’s employment-based green card categories. Fragomen noted that EB-2 India saw a significant backward movement, while EB-1 India also moved back moderately.
The development is expected to increase anxiety among Indian H-1B workers and their families, many of whom have already been waiting for years, and in some cases decades, for permanent residency in the United States.
The latest bulletin once again highlights the deep backlog faced by Indian applicants because of high demand and per-country visa limits. For thousands of Indians in the US, the dream of a green card has now moved further away.
