Kamal Ghorui
The April 2026 visa bulletin brought good news for Indian Green Card applicants as the employment-based Green Card process sees constant forward movement for Indians. For EB-2 and EB-3 India, the Dates for Filing have advanced to January 15, 2015 in a significant jump compared to the March 2026 Visa Bulletin, where EB-2 India was only at November 1, 2014. Though the movement is only for two months, immigration experts said this is huge as such forward movement was not seen in recent years. The waitig time for Green Card in these categories remains over 10 years but the backlog is gradually moving now. On the Final Action Dates, EB-2 India has moved to July 15, 2014, which is about a ten-month jump from the previous position of September 2013 in March 2026. “This is not just incremental movement. This is real progress,” immigration lawyer Rahul Reddy noted. “If your priority date is before January 15, 2015, and USCIS allows the use of the Dates for Filing chart, you may now be eligible to file your I-485. That means access to EAD, Advance Parole, and job flexibility, which are major benefits for thousands of Indian professionals stuck in the backlog. For those waiting on approvals, the forward movement in Final Action Dates signals that USCIS is actively clearing older cases. This is often a leading indicator of more movement in upcoming months,” Reddy explained. For many other countries (not India), there is no visa backlog in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories. EB-2 in the Employment-based second preference category, which is meant for highly skilled people like engineers, doctors, data scientists and researchers. EB-3 is the employment-based third preference category meant for medium-level IT employeesThe steady movement comes as the US has banned several countries from getting Green Cards as of now. As a result, the spillover Green Cards are coming to countries that have a higher waiting time, like India. “This kind of advancement does not happen randomly. It typically indicates that visa number usage is being managed more efficiently or that demand has softened slightly, both of which can benefit Indian applicants in the short term. But let’s be clear. This is not the end of the backlog problem. It is a positive window, not a permanent fix. Do not celebrate too early, but do not sit idle either. This is the window smart applicants use,” Reddy explained.
What is visa bulletin? Why is it so closely watched
The US State Department issues a monthly update that tells people when they can get a US Green Card. The bulletin shows three main dates: Final Action Date which is the date when your Green Card can actually be approved; Date for Filing which is the date when you can submit your application paperwork; Priority Date, which is the date your employer starts your Green Card process. The visa bulletin is closely watched as countries like India and China have massive backlogs. The movement of the dates can not be predicted; in some months, there is no movement at all.
