The United States Department of State has retrogressed the final action dates for Indian nationals in the EB-1 and EB-2 employment-based green card categories in the June 2026 Visa Bulletin, due to high demand and number usage within FY2026 limitations. “Due to high demand and number usage by aliens chargeable to India in the EB-1 and EB-2 visa categories, it has become necessary to retrogress the final action dates to control number usage within the FY 2026 annual limitation.
Additional retrogressions, or marking the categories “unavailable,” may be required during the next few months if India’s pro-rated annual limitation in either the EB-1 or EB-2 categories is used up before the end of the fiscal year,” the notice stated.
What is the difference between EB-1 and EB-2 visa?
EB-1 visa is a first-preference employment-based visa that gives lawful permanent resident status in the United States to individuals with exceptional ability. The EB-2 visa, on the other hand, is an employment-based visa that provides green cards to professionals with advanced degrees. In case you don’t know, retrogression means the queue for applications has become longer, and the “cut-off date” for final issuance of visas has been pushed back.
When will Indian EB-1 applicants receive final approval?
Based on the bulletin, Indian EB-1 applicants will only be able to receive final approval of their green cards if their priority date falls before December 15, 2022, while Indian EB-2 applicants will only receive approval if their priority date is before September 1, 2013.
The department has confirmed that the annual limit for family-sponsored immigrant visas will be 2,26,000, while employment-based visas will be no fewer than 1,40,000. Every country has a limit of 7% of the total number of preference visas issued in a year.
The department noted that countries like India, China, and the Philippines are some of those which have a heavy demand for visas. As such, the United States is keeping a keen eye on the development and implementing waiting periods and cut-offs in case of oversubscription of categories.
US Government issues official statement
The US government issued a statement saying that there was a possibility of the EB-5 unreserved category being either retrogressive or not available at all in the coming months due to high demand. The State Department also noted that the EB-2 category was becoming popular among Chinese applicants while the EB-3 category was popular among Filipinos. The State Department predicted that more similar actions would be taken in the coming months.
ALSO READ: Why Are Pharmacies Across India Going On Strike On May 20? Nationwide Chemists Bandh Explained
With 13 years on the line, Ashish Kumar Singh loves everything when it comes to movies, music, travel and pop culture. Formerly employed at ANI, Pinkvilla, India Today and HT, Ashish has interviewed some of the top celebrities of India, including Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan, among others. Breaking news excites him and deadlines are what he chases. Interviewing comes naturally to him. Hit him up at ashish.kumar02singh@gmail.com.
