The State Department has communicated that no more green cards can be issued to the Indian applicants, in the EB-2 Category, until October 1, 2026, when the new fiscal year begins. The reason: The State Department and USCIS have issued all available immigrant visas in the Employment-Based Second Preference (EB-2) category for applicants chargeable to India for fiscal year (FY) 2026.
U.S. immigration law provides foreigners with a variety of ways to become lawful permanent residents and get a Green Card through employment in the United States. The employment-based, second preference visa, or the Second Preference EB-2 visa, is one such route if one is a professional holding an advanced degree or its equivalent, or a person who has exceptional ability.
As a result of the freeze, Indian professionals in the EB-2 queue will face a hard pause regardless of where they are in the green card process. Any pending cases will have to wait for FY2027 numbers to become available. The USCIS fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 31 of the next year.
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) limits the number of employment-based preference immigrant visas that may be issued within a fiscal year.
The annual limit for EB-2 visas is 28.6 percent of the worldwide employment limit. Additionally, the nationals of any single foreign state may not receive more than seven percent of the total of employment-based and family-sponsored visas, which is prorated among the different visa categories under INA 202(e).
Since all available EB-2 visas for applicants chargeable to India in FY 2026 have been used, embassies and consulates will not issue visas in these cases for the remainder of the fiscal year.
The annual limits will reset with the start of the new fiscal year (FY 2027) on October 1, 2026. At that point, embassies and consulates may resume issuing immigrant visas in this category to qualified applicants.
June 2026 Visa Bulletin
The U.S. Department of State, at the time of release of the June 2026 Visa Bulletin, had a special mention of India in the EB-1 and EB-2 visa categories, and also for the EB-5 category.
It was mentioned in the June bulletin that high demand and number use by Indians in the EB-1 and EB-2 visa categories have made it necessary to retrogress the final action dates to hold number use within the FY 2026 annual limit.
The bulletin also stated that further retrogressions, or making the categories “unavailable,” may be necessary in the coming months if India’s pro-rated limits in the EB-1 or EB-2 categories are reached before the fiscal year ends.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration laws and visa bulletin dates are subject to change. Applicants are advised to consult a qualified U.S. immigration attorney for guidance specific to their case.