{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-article-js","path":"/indians-hold-91-pc-of-us-eb-2-green-card-backlog","result":{"data":{"prismicArticle":{"uid":"indians-hold-91-pc-of-us-eb-2-green-card-backlog","tags":["NRI"],"first_publication_date":"2026-11-01T11:19:55+0000","last_publication_date":"2026-11-01T11:19:55+0000","data":{"third_party_url":null,"title":{"text":"Indians hold 91 pc of US EB-2 green card backlog"},"rating":null,"datetime":"2026-11-01T04:10:00+0000","img":{"url":"https://images.prismic.io/prad/K5kK-BaviatQIZMN_eb2.JPG?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C36%2C1028%2C507&w=2028&h=1000"},"embed":{"embed_url":null,"thumbnail_url":null,"author_url":null,"title":null},"content":{"raw":[{"text":"Indian nationals account for about 91 per cent of approved advanced-degree green card petitions stuck waiting for a visa number, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services data, underlining how per-country caps keep Indian professionals at the back of the queue."},{"text":"USCIS data as of June 2026 show 391,296 approved petitions in the employment-based second preference (EB-2) category, for advanced-degree professionals, awaiting green cards. Of these, 356,360 were for people born in India, or about 91.1 per cent."},{"text":"China accounted for 34,936 EB-2 petitions, or about 8.9 per cent. The data show no EB-2 petitions awaiting visas for Mexico, the Philippines or the rest of the world."},{"text":"Across all employment-based categories, 856,662 approved I-140, I-360 and I-526 petitions were awaiting visa availability. India accounted for 491,773 of them, or about 57.4 per cent."},{"text":"India also dominated the EB-3 skilled-worker and professional backlog, with 106,214 of 147,492 petitions, or about 72 per cent, and the EB-1 priority-worker category, with 17,861 of 31,962, about 56 per cent."},{"text":"USCIS noted that the counts \"represent only primary beneficiaries\", adding that \"dependents\", including spouses and children, are \"not included\" as they would make the queue considerably longer."},{"text":"The agency also cautioned that because petitioners can file more than one petition, the report \"could contain multiple petitions for a single individual.\" It excludes those who have already obtained permanent residency or citizenship."},{"text":"The numbers are driven by a statutory limit under which no single country can receive more than 7 per cent of employment-based green cards in a year. With high demand from Indian professionals, many of whom first come on H-1B visas, Indians face the longest waits."},{"text":"The State Department said earlier that the per-country limit for India in the EB-2 category had been reached for fiscal 2026, meaning no further India-chargeable EB-2 visas could be issued until fiscal 2027 began on October 1."},{"text":"The backlog has persisted even as the administration tightens rules for the H-1B programme, the main pipeline for Indian professionals who later seek employer-sponsored green cards, and suspended several technology companies from the PERM labour certification programme in October."}]}}},"relatedArticles":{"edges":[{"node":{"uid":"indian-students-in-us-fall-13.5-pc-to-317000","data":{"third_party_url":null,"title":{"text":"Indian students in US fall 13.5 pc to 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