US Green Card: Why Indian EB-2 applicants wait nearly 8 years longer than Chinese nationals

Indian professionals seeking US permanent residency through employment-based immigration face significantly longer waits than applicants born in mainland China, according to the November 2026 US Visa Bulletin. The difference is particularly pronounced in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories, where priority-date cut-offs for China are years ahead of those for India.

The bulletin, published by the US Department of State, sets out the dates that determine when applicants may qualify for final visa action or submit the required documentation.

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EB-2: India trails China by nearly eight years

For November 2026, the EB-2 Final Action Date for India stands at November 1, 2013, compared with October 1, 2021, for mainland China. This represents a gap of nearly eight years between the two countries.

The difference also appears in the Dates for Filing chart. India's cut-off is January 15, 2015, while China's is January 1, 2023.

As a result, some Chinese applicants with priority dates several years later than those of Indian applicants may already qualify for the next stage of the immigration process, depending on their individual circumstances.

Source: US Department of State, November 2026 Visa Bulletin.

EB-3 backlog shows a similar divide

The EB-3 category, which covers skilled workers, professionals and other workers, also highlights the disparity.

India's Final Action Date is January 22, 2014, while China's stands at January 22, 2022, an eight-year difference. Under Dates for Filing, the cut-off for India is January 15, 2015, compared with April 1, 2024, for China.

These cut-offs illustrate how applicants in the same employment-based preference category can face substantially different timelines depending on their country of chargeability.

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EB-1 gap is considerably smaller

The difference is less pronounced in the EB-1 category for priority workers. India's Final Action Date is February 1, 2023, while China's is August 1, 2023. Both countries have a filing cut-off date of July 1, 2024.

Why the dates matter

The US immigration system operates under annual employment-based visa limits and per-country limits. When demand exceeds the available visa numbers, the Department of State establishes cut-off dates to regulate their allocation.

Final Action Dates determine when visa numbers may be issued, while Dates for Filing indicate when eligible applicants can submit documentation, subject to applicable procedures.