Significant Disparity in US Green Card Wait Times for Indian EB-2 Applicants
Indian professionals applying for US permanent residency under the employment-based second preference (EB-2) category face a wait time that is almost eight years longer than that for applicants born in mainland China. This significant disparity is highlighted in the November 2026 US Visa Bulletin, published by the US Department of State, which outlines the cut-off dates for visa availability.
For the EB-2 category, the Final Action Date for India is currently set at November 1, 2013. In stark contrast, mainland China's Final Action Date for the same category is October 1, 2021. This eight-year difference means that Chinese applicants with priority dates nearly a decade newer than those from India may already be eligible to move forward in the immigration process.
EB-3 Category Shows Similar Backlog for India
The employment-based third preference (EB-3) category, which includes skilled workers, professionals, and other workers, also reveals a similar pattern of extended wait times for Indian nationals. India's EB-3 Final Action Date is January 22, 2014, while China's is January 22, 2022, again representing an eight-year gap.
The Dates for Filing chart further underscores this divide. For EB-2, India's cut-off is January 15, 2015, compared to China's January 1, 2023. In the EB-3 category, India's filing cut-off is January 15, 2015, while China's is April 1, 2024.
Smaller Gap in EB-1 Priority Worker Category
The waiting period disparity is less pronounced in the EB-1 category for priority workers. Here, India's Final Action Date is February 1, 2023, just six months behind China's date of August 1, 2023. Both countries share a common filing cut-off date of July 1, 2024, for EB-1 applicants.
Understanding Per-Country Limits and Visa Allocation
The root cause of these divergent timelines lies in the US immigration system's structure, which imposes annual employment-based visa limits and per-country caps. When the demand for visas from a particular country exceeds the available numbers within a specific preference category, the Department of State establishes cut-off dates. These dates regulate the allocation of visas to prevent any single country from monopolizing a disproportionate share of the limited visa numbers.
Final Action Dates dictate when a visa number can actually be issued, allowing an applicant to receive their green card. Dates for Filing, on the other hand, indicate when eligible applicants can submit their necessary documentation, even if a final visa number is not immediately available.