U.S. Retrogresses EB-1 Green Card Cutoff Date For Indians 

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of State has retrogressed the Employment-Based First Preference (EB-1) green card cutoff date for Indian applicants in its July 2026 Visa Bulletin, citing high demand for visas in the category.

According to the July Visa Bulletin, the final action date for India in the EB-1 category is now October 15, 2022. The State Department said the move was necessary to keep visa issuances within the annual limit for fiscal year 2026.

The department warned that further retrogression or even making the category unavailable could become necessary in the coming months if India reaches its allotted share of EB-1 visas before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.

The EB-1 category is generally used by multinational executives and managers, individuals with extraordinary ability, and outstanding professors and researchers seeking permanent residence in the United States.

The July Visa Bulletin also underscored ongoing visa backlogs for Indians. Both the Employment-Based Second Preference (EB-2) and Employment-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) unreserved categories remain unavailable for the remainder of fiscal year 2026 after reaching their annual limits.