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The State of Employment-Based Visas for India in the February 2026 Visa Bulletin

The State of Employment-Based Visas for India in the February 2026 Visa Bulletin

The February 2026 Visa Bulletin brought renewed attention to one of the most talked-about issues in U.S. immigration: the long-standing backlog for Indian nationals in employment-based green card categories. For applicants from India pursuing permanent residency through work visas such as EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3, the latest bulletin shows very little forward movement in cutoff dates. The data released this month underscores how competitive and congested the employment-based immigration queue remains for Indian professionals.

Here, our EB-1A green card consultancy has presented a clear glimpse at the state of employment-based visas in the February 2026 visa bulletin.

Understanding the visa bulletin system

Every month, the U.S. Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin, which governs when immigrants can proceed with their green card process. The bulletin includes two key charts: Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing. The Final Action Dates chart determines when a visa number is available so USCIS or a consulate can complete an applicant’s green card. The Dates for Filing chart indicates when applicants may submit supporting adjustment of status paperwork.

For countries with high demand like India, these cutoff dates often lag years or even more than a decade behind current filings. This slow pace can stall careers and personal plans for highly skilled workers, including engineers, scientists, researchers, and executives who are actively aspiring for these visa categories.

What February 2026 shows for India

In the February edition, most employment-based categories for Indian applicants remained unchanged from the January bulletin. According to the Final Action Dates chart:

  • EB-1 (Priority Workers) stays at February 1, 2023, for India, unchanged from the January 2026 bulletin.
  • EB-2 (Advanced Degrees/ Exceptional Ability) remains at July 15, 2013.
  • EB-3 (Skilled Workers & Professionals) remains at November 15, 2013.
  • EB-3 Other Workers also shows no movement, holding at November 15, 2013.
  • EB-4 and EB-5 categories similarly saw no forward momentum.

These dates demonstrate that Indian applicants still face over a decade of waiting in EB-2 and EB-3 preference categories, compared to other nationalities, where there was some slow movement. For example, EB-3 worldwide categories outside India and China experienced slight forward movement.

The EB-1A bulletin remains the most optimistic and promising for the aspirants and extraordinary achievers. Though unchanged, the progress of EB-1A is the best among the categories.

Why the February pause matters

The lack of forward movement in cutoff dates this month reflects a broader trend. After consistent progress throughout late 2025 and even some advancement in January 2026 for certain categories, February’s bulletin signals a mid-fiscal-year slowdown. The U.S. State Department often moderates adjustments to ensure that visa numbers do not run out prematurely before the fiscal year ends on September 30. This pause can be frustrating for applicants who hoped for steady progress.

Unlike in previous months, where small gains gave hope for incremental reduction of backlogs, February’s static cutoff dates mean that many Indian applicants will continue to wait, often for years. EB-1, the visa category used by extraordinary ability professionals and multinational executives, offers somewhat better prospects with a more recent cutoff, but even here, there was no movement this month.

The role of dates for filing

In addition to Final Action Dates, the Dates for Filing chart revealed limited changes in February. While USCIS often uses the Dates for Filing chart to allow applicants to file for adjustment of status earlier than the Final Action Dates, even these dates showed minimal progress for India. Under this chart, the EB-3 Dates for Filing for India have slight retrogression relative to prior months, but overall, the priority remains unchanged in most categories. This means that applicants may not be able to file earlier than they previously expected:

What this means for Indian immigrants

These extended backlogs reflect decades of demand exceeding annual per-country caps. This is a structural limitation of the U.S. immigration system that disproportionately affects high-skill countries like India.

Indian applicants often exceed annual visa limits due to strong demand across sectors such as technology, healthcare, academia, and research. As a result, priority dates in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories lag far behind and can create multi-year backlogs that can last a decade or more.

Our EB-1A experts suggest that the immigration landscape may see more movement later in the fiscal year, as the State Department carefully manages visa allocations to avoid retrogression. Recent patterns indicate that after a mid-year slowdown, dates may pick up again in spring or summer. However, given the persistent demand and structural backlogs, the outlook remains cautious.

At GCEB1, we advise all aspirants to stay tuned with the monthly EB-1A bulletin. For more personalised guidance regarding the U.S. permanent residency, you can directly get in touch with us.

We wish you a safe and stress-free immigration journey.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2026/visa-bulletin-for-february-2026.html

 

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