Washington, October 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian professionals waiting for employment-based green cards under the EB-2 category face another month without progress, with the US State Department keeping India’s final action date unchanged at November 1, 2013, in its November 2026 Visa Bulletin.
While India’s EB-2 date remained frozen for a second consecutive month, the category advanced by three months for most other countries, moving from January 1 to April 1, 2025. China’s date remained at October 1, 2021.
Separately, a proposed Department of Homeland Security rule to amend premium processing deadlines has reached the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services proposal, titled “Amending the Premium Processing Timeframe” (RIN 1615-AD25), was received on October 13 and remains pending.
The proposal’s text has not been made public, and the review listing does not specify which visa categories would be affected or whether processing deadlines would be extended or shortened. A separate proposed rule on reforming the H-1B visa classification programme has been under review since August 24.
India’s EB-3 final action date advanced by three weeks to January 22, 2014, while the EB-1 date remained at February 1, 2023. The EB-5 unreserved category for Indian investors stayed at December 1, 2023.
For November, USCIS has directed employment-based adjustment-of-status applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart. This allows eligible Indian EB-2 applicants in the US with priority dates earlier than January 15, 2015, to submit adjustment applications, although final green card approval remains subject to the November 1, 2013, final action date.
Indian family-sponsored applicants saw advances in the F1, F2B and F3 categories, while F4, covering siblings of adult US citizens, remained at December 15, 2006.
The bulletin comes amid renewed efforts by New Jersey Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer to end per-country caps on employment-based green cards. Gottheimer said on X that projected waits for Indian applicants could reach 179 years.
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