The US State Department has announced that all available immigrant visas in the Employment-based Second Preference (EB-2) category for India have been issued for the fiscal year 2026. The EB-2 category is a green card pathway for professionals holding an advanced degree or individuals with exceptional abilities. The annual limit will reset on October 1, 2026, at the start of the new fiscal year. The department informed embassies and consulates that they may not issue EB-2 green cards for Indian nationals until that date.
What is EB-2?
The EB-2 visa category falls under employment-based immigration. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the number of employment-based preference immigrant visas is limited each fiscal year. Specifically, INA Section 203(b)(2) allocates 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based visa limit to EB-2. Additionally, INA Section 202(a)(2) caps the number of visas for natives of any single foreign state at 7% of the total employment-based and family-sponsored visas, prorated across categories.
Quota Exhaustion Impact
India receives approximately 2,800 EB-2 green cards annually based on the 7% per-country cap. The total employment-based green card count is 140,000, with EB-2 receiving about 40,000 (28.6%). According to the latest visa bulletin, the EB-2 Final Action Date for India is September 1, 2013—meaning applicants who applied on or before that date become eligible. However, with the quota exhausted, no further movement is possible.
USCIS may continue to accept adjustment of status filings for eligible cases, but interviews may be deferred, and approvals will not occur until a visa number becomes available in the next fiscal year.
The department previously noted that high demand for EB-1 and EB-2 categories led to retrogression of Final Action Dates. Further retrogression or unavailability may occur if India's pro-rated limits are reached before the fiscal year ends. Now, the EB-2 category is officially marked as unavailable.
