EB-3 · India

What this means for India applicants

For May 2026, EB-3 for India sits at Jan 15, 2015 under the Dates for Filing chart. That means only applicants whose priority date is earlier than Jan 15, 2015 may move forward this month. Based on today's cutoff, the effective backlog is approximately 11.3 years — though real-world waits depend on how quickly the chart advances month to month.

Employment-based categories for India are the most backlogged in the entire system because of the per-country cap combined with enormous demand. EB-2 and EB-3 waits for India-born applicants routinely exceed a decade. Watch the chart carefully for retrogression — large EB-1 unused visas spilling down can move EB-2 India forward unexpectedly.

How to read this page

The Visa Bulletin publishes two charts each month. The Final Action Dates chart tells you when the U.S. government can actually issue a green card — your priority date must be earlier than the listed cutoff. The Dates for Filing chart is earlier and lets you file Form I-485 (adjustment of status) before your priority date is fully current, provided USCIS has chosen to accept filings against this chart for the month.

For May 2026, USCIS is accepting employment-based adjustment filings against the Dates for Filing chart. This can change month to month — always confirm against uscis.gov/visabulletininfo before filing.

Priority date basics

For EB-3, your priority date is the date the Department of Labor received your PERM application (or, if no PERM required, the date USCIS received your I-140). This is the date you use to measure progress against the Visa Bulletin every month.