The U.S. Department of State has retrogressed the EB-1 green card cutoff date for Indian applicants in its July 2026 Visa Bulletin due to high demand for visas in this category.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of State has announced a retrogression of the Employment-Based First Preference (EB-1) green card cutoff date for Indian applicants, as detailed in its July 2026 Visa Bulletin. This decision comes in response to the high demand for visas within this category.
As per the July Visa Bulletin, the final action date for Indian applicants in the EB-1 category has been set to October 15, 2022. The State Department indicated that this adjustment was necessary to ensure that visa issuances remain within the annual limit established for fiscal year 2026.
The department also cautioned that further retrogression or even the potential unavailability of the EB-1 category could be necessary in the upcoming months if the demand from Indian applicants exceeds the allocated share of EB-1 visas before the fiscal year concludes on September 30.
The EB-1 category is primarily designated for multinational executives and managers, individuals with extraordinary abilities, and outstanding professors and researchers who are seeking permanent residency in the United States.
Additionally, the July Visa Bulletin highlighted the persistent visa backlogs affecting Indian applicants. Both the Employment-Based Second Preference (EB-2) and Employment-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) unreserved categories are currently unavailable for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, having already reached their annual limits.
This situation underscores the ongoing challenges faced by Indian nationals in navigating the U.S. immigration system, particularly in high-demand employment-based categories.
According to India-West, the implications of these changes are significant for many who are seeking to secure their green cards in the United States.