The US State Department has officially confirmed that all EB-2 immigrant visas for India under FY 2026 have been exhausted much earlier than expected. The development has triggered concern among Indian applicants already facing long green card waiting periods in the United States.
Indian nationals in the EB-2 category will now be unable to receive green cards or adjustment of status approvals until October 1, 2026. The category is widely used by highly skilled professionals, including engineers, IT employees, managers, and other experienced workers.
The State Department stated that the yearly quota was fully utilised according to immigration laws and country-based limits. However, several immigration lawyers have started questioning how the available quota was exhausted so quickly before the fiscal year concluded.
Banias Law reportedly suggested that the official explanation may not completely match existing quarterly filing rules. The law firm also encouraged applicants to seek transparency through FOIA requests regarding visa allocation details and processing numbers.
Houston-based immigration attorney Steven Brown also expressed concern over the unusually fast exhaustion of employment-based green cards. His comments have added further discussion within immigration and legal circles regarding the handling of EB-2 visa allocations.
For thousands of Indians currently living in the United States on H-1B visas, the situation has created fresh uncertainty. Many applicants with approved petitions were already dealing with slow priority date movement and lengthy processing delays.
Now, even applicants who are otherwise eligible may remain stuck for several more months because no additional EB-2 visas for India will be available until the next fiscal year begins in October 2026.
