EB-2 Green Cards for Indians will no longer be issued by the US until October 2026.
The annual allotment for FY2026 has already expired, which presents another obstacle for Indian professionals awaiting US Green Cards under the EB-2 category. The deadline for final approvals is currently October 2026.
Professionals from India who are awaiting an EB-2 US Green Card have encountered yet another obstacle. According to the US State Department, all of India's EB-2 visa quota for the fiscal year 2026 has already been utilized.
This means that until the new yearly quota opens on October 1, 2026, US embassies and consulates will not provide any further EB-2 immigrant visas to Indian applicants.
What Indians Should Know About This
On paper, your case might still proceed if you are an Indian professional applying under the EB-2 category. However, until new visa numbers become available, no final Green Card approval may take place.
The EB-2 category includes:Experts with advanced degrees
Candidates with extraordinary aptitude in business, science, or the arts
EB-2 continues to be a major pathway to permanent residency for many Indians employed in the US on H-1B visas.
The Reasons for the Early Quota Run Out
This was already anticipated by the United States.
Increased demand from Indian applicants in both EB-1 and EB-2 categories was noted in previous visa bulletins. India's EB-2The annual ceiling for US employment-based Green Cards is $140,000.
EB-2 receives 28.6% of the total.
A 7% cap likewise applies to every nation.
Despite the enormous demand from Indian tech professionals, physicians, engineers, and researchers, India really receives about 2,800 EB-2 Green Cards annually.
This discrepancy is no longer transient. The US immigration system is starting to use it as a standard operating model.
Priority Dates Are Still Extremely Backlogged
India's EB-2 Final Action Date is September 1, 2013, according to the most recent visa bulletin. Therefore, only candidates having priority dates on or before that date were eligible for Green Cards even prior to the quota freeze.
If legislation doesn't change, younger Indian professionals joining the US job today may have to wait decades.What Takes Place with Unfinished Applications?
Candidates may still:
If qualified, submit applications for status adjustments.
Participate in USCIS interviews
Proceed with the document processing
However, until new visa numbers are issued after October 1, 2026, approvals will remain frozen.
This has no bearing on short-term US visas, such as:
F-1 and H-1B student visas
Visitor visas B1/B2
Direct connections from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad to important US hubs continue, and flights between India and the US are also unaffected.This, in our opinion, highlights how antiquated US Green Card quotas for Indians have become. Applications could keep coming in, but for qualified experts, actual progress is still excruciatingly sluggish. category is now formally designated as "unavailable" for the remainder of the fiscal year by the State Department.
