November 2026 Visa Bulletin Predictions: India EB-2 Priority Date Still Frozen at 2013

The green card backlog for Indian-born employment-based applicants continues to be one of the most severe in the U.S. immigration system. According to recent reports, the EB-2 (Employment-Based Second Preference) priority date for Indians remains frozen at 2013, meaning only applicants who filed their petitions 13 or more years ago are currently eligible to receive their green cards. For EB-3 applicants from India, the situation is equally dire. The EB-3 category, which covers skilled workers, professionals, and unskilled workers, generally moves even more slowly than EB-2 for Indian nationals. This backlog is driven by the per-country cap on green cards, which limits any single country to no more than 7% of the annual employment-based green card quota — a rule that disproportionately impacts high-demand countries like India and China. The November 2026 Visa Bulletin is closely watched by hundreds of thousands of applicants in the EB-3 queue. Any forward movement in the Final Action Date or Date for Filing chart can determine whether an applicant can file adjustment of status, receive advance parole, or work authorization renewal — critical milestones in the immigration journey. For EB-3 applicants currently in the pipeline, experts advise maintaining all supporting documentation, keeping I-140 petitions approved and portable, and staying current with Visa Bulletin releases each month. Given the decades-long backlog, long-term planning and legal counsel are strongly recommended. The persistent stagnation of priority dates underscores ongoing calls for Congressional reform of the per-country cap system. Legislation such as the Equal Access to Green Cards for Legal Employment (EAGLE) Act has been proposed in previous sessions but has yet to pass, leaving millions of employment-based applicants in a prolonged state of uncertainty.