US Green Card wait: EB-3 advances 21 days for Indians, no movement for EB-2

The US will accept employment-based green-card applications using the Dates for Filing chart in November, but Indian applicants continue to face long waits for permanent residency.

Indian professionals waiting for US permanent residency have seen limited progress in the November 2026 Visa Bulletin, with the employment-based EB-3 category advancing by three weeks while EB-1 and EB-2 dates for India remain unchanged.

 

The US Department of State’s November bulletin sets India’s EB-3 Final Action Date at January 22, 2014, up from January 1, 2014, in October. The EB-1 date remains February 1, 2023, while EB-2 remains at November 1, 2013. 

 

The Dates for Filing chart, meanwhile, remains unchanged for India across the main employment-based categories. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will accept eligible employment-based adjustment-of-status applications in November based on this chart, according to immigration law firm Fragomen.

  

Fragomen explains the key changes:

In November, USCIS will accept employment-based adjustment of status applications from foreign nationals with a priority date that is earlier than the applicable Dates for Filing chart date listed in the State Department’s November 2026 Visa Bulletin.

 

The employment-based Dates for Filing chart will remain unchanged for all countries and categories, except for modest advancement in the EB-3 Other Worker category for most countries.

 

Final Action Dates for countries in most employment-based categories will advance in November, with cut-off date movement ranging from two weeks to several months.

 

The EB-1 India, EB-2 India and China, and EB-5 India and China categories will remain at the same Final Action Dates in November.

 

What the November dates mean for Indians

 

The bulletin uses two different cut-off dates to manage demand for employment-based immigrant visas. Understanding the distinction is important for applicants who have been waiting for years.

 

Final Action Dates determine when an immigrant visa can be issued or an eligible adjustment-of-status application can be approved, subject to all other requirements. Dates for Filing indicate when eligible applicants may begin submitting documentation or, where applicable, file for adjustment of status.

 

For November, India’s Dates for Filing remain July 1, 2024, for EB-1; January 15, 2015, for EB-2; and January 15, 2015, for EB-3 professionals and skilled workers. The EB-3 Other Workers category also has a January 15, 2015, filing date.

 

A priority date generally needs to be earlier than the relevant cut-off date to qualify. Being eligible to file does not mean an applicant’s green card can be approved immediately; the Final Action Date and other eligibility requirements still matter.

 

EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3: What do the categories cover?

 

The employment-based green-card system has different preference categories based on an applicant’s qualifications, occupation and, in some cases, the nature of the job offer.

 

EB-1: Covers priority workers, including people with extraordinary ability, certain outstanding professors and researchers, and eligible multinational executives or managers.

 

EB-2: Covers professionals holding advanced degrees, or those with a bachelor’s degree and at least five years of progressive post-degree experience, as well as people with exceptional ability in the sciences, arts or business. Certain applicants may qualify for a National Interest Waiver.

 

EB-3: Covers skilled workers, professionals and other workers. The skilled-worker route generally requires at least two years of training or experience; the professional route generally requires a US bachelor’s degree or foreign equivalent. The Other Workers subcategory covers certain jobs requiring less than two years of training or experience.

 

The categories have separate annual visa allocations and demand levels. The cut-off dates can therefore differ significantly between categories and countries.

 

"The November Visa Bulletin shows minimal movement under the Dates for Filing chart, with only the EB-3 “Other Workers” category advancing. The Visa Bulletin shows modest movement on the Final Action Dates chart for EB-2 and EB-3 for several chargeability areas," said immigration law firm Ogletree Deakins.

 

Why Indian applicants continue to face a backlog

 

The November bulletin highlights the gap between India’s cut-off dates and those for many other countries. For example, the EB-2 Final Action Date for India is November 1, 2013, compared with April 1, 2025, for most other countries. In EB-3, India’s date is January 22, 2014, while the date for most other countries is June 15, 2024.

 

These differences reflect the country-specific demand and visa-allocation rules that apply to employment-based immigration. For Indian professionals, a priority date that is not current can mean continued waiting even after an underlying petition has been approved.

 

What applicants should check now

 

Applicants should check the priority date on their immigration petition, their employment-based preference category and the applicable country of chargeability. They should also confirm the filing chart USCIS is using for the relevant month and consult their immigration attorney before submitting an adjustment-of-status application.

 

"With USCIS’s confirmation that the Dates for Filing chart governs November 2026 employment-based adjustment filings, the gap between the two charts may be relevant to employers and foreign national employees whose priority dates fall between the dates for filing cutoff and the final action date. Some pending applications may also move closer to approval as a result of this month’s final action advances in the EB-1 China, EB-2, and EB-3 categories. Since USCIS evaluates which chart to use monthly, it remains unclear whether the November authorization will extend into December 2026. Even with this month’s progress, applicants chargeable to China and India continue to face significant backlogs in the EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, and EB-5 categories, which may continue to affect long-term work-authorization planning," said  Rosa M. Corriveau and Hartman Saylor, Ogletree Deakins.