A new analysis warns India’s EB-2 queue could span generations, estimating that some professionals entering the employment-based green card backlog in 2026 may face a potential wait of 179 years. The figure highlights how annual visa limits and country-based restrictions can leave qualified workers waiting long after an employer-sponsored petition is approved.
The National Foundation for American Policy published the estimate on August 26, 2026, after analyzing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data. It calculated that a worker from India whose labor certification application or employment-based immigrant petition was filed in January 2026 or later could potentially wait 179 years in EB-2, 38 years in EB-3, or four to five years in EB-1.
The 179-year figure is a projection, not an official timeline. Actual waits may change as applicants leave the queue, visa numbers shift between categories, or Congress revises immigration law. Government agencies do not promise an individual green card date based on such estimates.
NFAP estimated that 1,264,495 people, including dependents, were in the first three employment-based backlogs as of December 2025. Indian nationals accounted for an estimated 996,599, or 79 percent, including about 731,566 people in EB-2.
U.S. law sets a baseline of 140,000 employment-based immigrant visas annually, including visas used by spouses and children. The total can increase when unused family-sponsored numbers carry over, as it did in fiscal year 2026. EB-2 generally receives 28.6 percent of the worldwide employment-based allocation, plus certain unused numbers from EB-1.
The system also applies a statutory per-country limit. Because demand from India greatly exceeds the numbers available, applicants are placed in a priority-date queue that advances through the State Department’s monthly Visa Bulletin.
India’s EB-2 category is unavailable for final action in September. The State Department announced on May 22, 2026, that all available fiscal year 2026 EB-2 visas for India had been issued. Allocations are scheduled to reset when fiscal year 2027 begins on October 1, 2026.
For international students and professionals considering a path from F-1 practical training to H-1B status and permanent residence, an approved employer petition does not remove annual or country-based limits. Many workers must continue maintaining valid temporary status while waiting for a visa number.
Priority dates, category changes, employer transitions and dependent circumstances can affect individual cases. Applicants should monitor the monthly Visa Bulletin and obtain qualified legal advice before making immigration or employment decisions. Meaningful long-term reductions in the backlog would generally require legislative changes or a sustained increase in available visa numbers.
This article provides general information and does not constitute legal advice.