EB-2 India: both charts since 2015
EB-2 India appears in two charts. The Final Action Date decides approval; the Dates for Filing date decides when you may file Form I-485 in months USCIS accepts that chart.[3] The gap between the two lines is the head start an applicant gets from filing early.
- Final Action Dates
- Dates for Filing
Each line only has points in months when USCIS reproduced that chart. “Current” is plotted at the bulletin month.
EB-2 India was unavailable (U) on the Final Action chart in July 2026, August 2026, September 2026. In those months no EB-2 India green card could be approved, even for applicants whose I-485 had been pending for years.[2]
How fast the EB-2 India date moves
Measured on the Dates for Filing chart, the EB-2 India cut-off advanced an average of:[1]
- last 12 months: 34 days per month (November 2025 to November 2026)
- last 3 years: 27 days per month (November 2023 to November 2026)
- last 5 years: 12 days per month (November 2021 to November 2026)
- last 10 years: 17 days per month (November 2016 to November 2026)
A pace below 30 days per month means the queue moves slower than the calendar, so the backlog grows. That is why a new EB-2 India priority date today can take far longer to become current than its 11.8-year backlog suggests. The predictions page turns these paces into ranges, and the priority date calculator applies them to your own date.
EB-2 India at the start of each fiscal year
| Fiscal year opens | India | Chart USCIS used |
|---|---|---|
| FY2016 (Oct 2015) | 01 Jul 2009 | Dates for Filing |
| FY2017 (Oct 2016) | 22 Apr 2009 | Dates for Filing |
| FY2018 (Oct 2017) | 15 Sep 2008 | Final Action Dates |
| FY2019 (Oct 2018) | 22 May 2009 | Dates for Filing |
| FY2020 (Oct 2019) | 01 Jul 2009 | Dates for Filing |
| FY2021 (Oct 2020) | 15 May 2011 | Dates for Filing |
| FY2022 (Oct 2021) | 08 Jul 2012 | Dates for Filing |
| FY2023 (Oct 2022) | 01 May 2012 | Dates for Filing |
| FY2024 (Oct 2023) | 15 May 2012 | Dates for Filing |
| FY2025 (Oct 2024) | 01 Jan 2013 | Dates for Filing |
| FY2026 (Oct 2025) | 01 Dec 2013 | Dates for Filing |
| FY2027 (Oct 2026) | 15 Jan 2015 | Dates for Filing |
Why EB-2 India waits longest
The Immigration and Nationality Act limits any single country to 7% of the total family and employment preference numbers in a year.[4] India files a large share of all EB-2 petitions, so most of its applicants queue behind earlier Indian priority dates, while applicants from most other countries are current or close to it. For context see the full EB-2 visa bulletin table and the EB-3 India dates, which some applicants use as an alternative.
Your EB-2 priority date is the date the Department of Labor accepted your PERM labor certification for processing or, if no labor certification was required, the date USCIS received your I-140.[5] Read more on the priority date page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current EB2 India priority date?
15 Jan 2015 on the Dates for Filing chart that USCIS accepts for November 2026. Check the State Department bulletin for that month's Final Action Date, which controls approvals.
Why did EB2 India become unavailable?
When India’s EB-2 numbers for the fiscal year are used up, the State Department marks the category U for the rest of the year. Numbers return in October with the new fiscal year.
Can I port my EB2 India priority date to EB3?
Yes, an approved I-140 priority date is generally retained for a later employment-based petition, including a downgrade to EB-3. Whether that helps depends on which category’s India date is further ahead in a given month.
How long is the EB2 India wait?
The cut-off is about 11.8 years behind the bulletin month, and over the last five years the date moved about 12 days per month. At that pace a new priority date can wait well over a decade; nobody can promise a date.
Sources
- When to File Your Adjustment of Status Application for Family-Sponsored or Employment-Based Preference Visas: November 2026
- When to File Your Adjustment of Status Application for Family-Sponsored or Employment-Based Preference Visas: September 2026
- Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin
- 8 U.S.C. 1152 (INA 202): numerical limitations on individual foreign states
- 8 CFR 204.5: Petitions for employment-based immigrants (priority date, 204.5(d))
- The Visa Bulletin (monthly publication and archive)