Green Card 2026 Alert: India EB-2 Visa Numbers Exhausted Until October Reset

The U.S. Department of State announced on May 22, 2026, that the Employment-Based Second Preference (EB-2) immigrant visa numbers for India-chargeable applicants have been fully exhausted for fiscal year 2026. This means that neither U.S. embassies and consulates nor USCIS can issue or approve any EB-2 green cards for Indian nationals for the remainder of the fiscal year. The legal basis for this cutoff lies in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Under INA Section 203(b)(2), the EB-2 category receives 28.6% of the total worldwide employment-based visa allocation per fiscal year. Additionally, INA Section 202(a)(2) limits natives of any single country to no more than seven percent of the combined employment-based and family-sponsored visa total — a cap that India has once again hit. For applicants currently in the pipeline, this does not mean their cases have been denied. Pending adjustment of status applications will remain in a holding pattern until visa numbers become available again. Employers and employees should not expect any further EB-2 India approvals before the fiscal year ends. The annual per-country limits will reset when FY 2027 begins on October 1, 2026. At that point, consular processing and adjustment of status adjudications for EB-2 India-chargeable applicants can resume. Employers sponsoring Indian nationals in the EB-2 category should plan accordingly and consult with immigration counsel about timing. While this announcement specifically affects the EB-2 category, Indian nationals in the EB-3 pipeline should also monitor developments closely, as demand and visa number availability across employment-based categories are interconnected through the same per-country and worldwide allocation system.