Indians Will Get US Green Card After 179 Years
Similarly, for EB-3 visas, China has a waiting period of 7 years, and the Philippines has a waiting period of 6 years, but an Indian applicant has to wait 38 years.
Hyderabad:The National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) revealed that an Indian who filed an employment-based immigrant petition in January 2026 could potentially wait 179 years before obtaining a green card. In a study of the delays, it was observed that Indian applicants face waits of up to 179 years under the EB-2 category, 38 years under EB-3 and 5 years under the EB-1 visa category.
The analysis revealed that the EB-2 visa waiting period is 25 years for China and around 110 days for the Philippines, but India has one of the longest waiting periods, at 179 years. Similarly, for EB-3 visas, China has a waiting period of 7 years, and the Philippines has a waiting period of 6 years, but an Indian applicant has to wait 38 years.
The EB-1 visa is for immigrants who have extraordinary abilities and are experts in their respective fields. EB-2 visas are allotted to advanced degree holders and individuals with exceptional abilities. These visas are generally allocated to industry professionals with an advanced degree or those with exceptional ability in the sciences, arts or business.
Skilled workers, professionals and other workers are included under the broader EB-3 category. This category includes workers who are skilled in their field, professionals with bachelor’s degrees and essential workers. EB-4 is dedicated to special immigrants, such as religious workers, employees or former employees of US government posts abroad and certain people who have served in the US Armed Forces.
EB-5 is for immigrant investors who invest qualifying capital in a US commercial enterprise and must demonstrate that the investment will create at least 10 qualifying full-time jobs. Investors must bring in $800,000 in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA) or $1,050,000 in non-TEA locations.
According to the data provided by USCIS, 36,069 Indian EB-2 visa applications were approved in 2025, along with 9,993 EB-3 visa applications and 8,345 EB-1 visa applications. However, NFAP stated that 7,31,566 EB-2 green card applications were still in the backlog as of December 2025, while 2,13,414 EB-3 applications and 51,619 EB-1 applications were also pending.
NFAP said that the annual cap of 1,40,000 employment-based permanent residency issuances is one of the major factors contributing to the heavy backlog. It stated that the annual limit, which was set by Congress in 1990, includes both principal applicants and their dependent family members, with dependents typically using half or more of the slots.
It also observed that the implementation of per-country limits is contributing to the heavy backlog. Under the per-country limit law, the number of immigrant visas made available to applicants from any one country cannot exceed 7 per cent of the total number of visas made available. In most cases, that limits employment-based immigrants from one country to approximately 10,000 a year. It said that under the law, China and India are allotted the same number of green cards as Iceland and Luxembourg.
“These long waits, often while in H-1B temporary status, undermine US companies' ability to attract and retain talent and create significant hardships for individuals and their families. As of December 2025, nearly one million people from India are waiting in the employment-based immigration backlog,” NFAP stated.
