EB-2 India Immigrant Visa Limit Reached for FY 2026

The U.S. Department of State has announced that the annual limit on EB-2 employment-based immigrant visas for Indian nationals has been reached for fiscal year 2026. This category, which covers professionals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability, is heavily oversubscribed due to high demand from Indian applicants.

As a result, no further EB-2 visas will be issued to Indian nationals until the start of the next fiscal year on October 1, 2026. Applicants from India with pending or approved I-140 petitions in the EB-2 category will face extended waits, with priority dates likely to retrogress further.

The EB-2 category for India has been subject to per-country caps and significant backlogs for years, with current wait times exceeding a decade for many applicants. The early exhaustion of the FY 2026 limit underscores the persistent imbalance between visa supply and demand for Indian professionals.

The State Department advises applicants to monitor the Visa Bulletin for updates on cutoff dates and potential adjustments. Employers and immigration attorneys recommend that affected individuals explore alternative visa categories or consular processing options where available.