Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Nov 1: Indian nationals account for nearly 91 per cent of approved advanced-degree green card petitions awaiting visa numbers in the United States, according to the latest US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data, highlighting the prolonged wait faced by Indian professionals due to per-country immigration caps.
USCIS data as of June 2026 show that 391,296 approved petitions under the employment-based second preference (EB-2) category, meant for professionals with advanced degrees, were awaiting green card availability. Of these, 356,360 petitions belonged to individuals born in India, accounting for approximately 91.1 per cent of the total.
China accounted for the remaining 34,936 EB-2 petitions, or around 8.9 per cent. The data showed no EB-2 petitions awaiting visa availability for Mexico, the Philippines or other countries.
Across all employment-based immigration categories, 856,662 approved I-140, I-360 and I-526 petitions were awaiting visa availability. Indian nationals accounted for 491,773 of these cases, representing approximately 57.4 per cent of the total backlog.
India also accounted for the largest share of pending cases in other employment-based categories. Under the EB-3 category, which covers skilled workers and professionals, 106,214 of the 147,492 pending petitions were for Indian nationals, amounting to around 72 per cent.
Similarly, in the EB-1 priority-worker category, Indians accounted for 17,861 of the 31,962 petitions awaiting visa availability, or approximately 56 per cent.
USCIS clarified that the figures represented only primary beneficiaries and did not include dependents such as spouses and children, whose inclusion would significantly increase the overall number of people waiting for green cards.
The agency also cautioned that petitioners could file multiple applications, meaning the report could contain more than one petition for a single individual. The figures exclude those who have already obtained permanent residency or US citizenship.
The backlog is largely attributed to the statutory per-country limit, under which no single country can receive more than seven per cent of employment-based green cards issued annually. Given the high demand among Indian professionals, many of whom initially enter the US on H-1B visas, the restriction has resulted in particularly long waiting periods for applicants from India.
The US State Department had earlier announced that the per-country limit for India under the EB-2 category had been reached for the 2026 fiscal year. Consequently, no further EB-2 visas chargeable to India could be issued until the beginning of fiscal 2027 on October 1.
The mounting backlog comes amid tighter immigration regulations under the current US administration, including stricter rules governing the H-1B visa programme, a major route through which Indian professionals enter the country before seeking employer-sponsored permanent residency.
The administration also suspended several technology companies from participating in the PERM labour certification programme in October, adding to concerns among Indian professionals seeking long-term employment and residency opportunities in the US.