US green card backlog: Indian families get a breather; EB-1, EB-2 queues remain tight

Indian families waiting for US green cards have received a rare dose of relief, with the September 2026 Visa Bulletin bringing significant movement in several family-sponsored categories. But for Indian professionals seeking permanent residency through employment, the picture remains far more difficult, particularly in the heavily subscribed EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 categories.

The September bulletin, the final one for fiscal year 2026, shows a sharp divergence between family-based and employment-based immigration. While family preference cut-off dates have moved forward substantially, employment-based categories for Indians remain constrained by high demand and annual visa limits.

Family applicants see meaningful movement 

The biggest positive development is for Indians waiting under family-sponsored categories. Several cut-off dates have advanced, allowing applicants whose priority dates are now earlier than the revised dates to move closer to final green-card approval.

The movement is significant because family-sponsored applicants have also faced years-long queues, particularly in categories involving adult children and siblings of US citizens. The latest changes could therefore allow a section of Indian families to progress after prolonged waits.

However, the movement does not mean every family-based applicant can immediately obtain a green card. Visa availability remains tied to the applicant's category and priority date.

EB-1 remains the big concern 

For highly skilled Indian professionals, the outlook is considerably less encouraging.

The EB-1 category covers priority workers, including people with extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and certain multinational executives and managers. India remains subject to a cut-off date, with EB-1 India at October 15, 2022, in September.

More importantly, the US State Department has warned that EB-1 visa numbers for India could become unavailable before the end of the fiscal year on September 30 because of high demand and the pace at which numbers are being used.

That creates a particularly narrow window for applicants whose cases are otherwise ready for final action.

EB-2 remains unavailable 

The situation is even tougher for Indians in EB-2, the category commonly used by professionals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability. EB-2 India remains listed as unavailable in September. EB-5 India, under the unreserved category, is also unavailable.

For Indian professionals, this is not simply a processing delay. It reflects a deeper structural problem: the number of applicants seeking employment-based green cards significantly exceeds the number of immigrant visas available to them.

The US immigration system generally limits each country to 7% of the combined annual family- and employment-based immigrant visa allocation. For fiscal 2026, the standard per-country limit is 28,862 visas, subject to statutory carryover provisions.

EB-3 offers little relief 

EB-3, which covers skilled workers, professionals and certain other workers, also remains heavily backlogged for Indians. The September bulletin keeps India's EB-3 final-action date around early 2014, illustrating just how far behind the current year the queue remains.

This means an Indian professional who entered the US immigration queue years ago may still be waiting for a visa number to become available even after completing the underlying employment-based process.

The immediate concern is EB-1. If visa numbers are exhausted before September 30, applicants could face another period of uncertainty until new numbers become available in fiscal 2027.