Indian Green Card Applicants Could Wait Up to 179 Years, Analysis Finds
Indian professionals seeking S. green cards may face waits of up to 179 years in some employment-based categories, according to a new analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), as reported by Hindustan Times. The analysis also finds that nearly one million Indians are currently caught in the employment-based green card backlog, accounting for 79% of all applicants waiting in line.
Categories and Caps
Indian professionals can apply for employment-based green cards through three main categories. EB-1 is for individuals with extraordinary abilities in fields such as science, business, arts, and sports. EB-2 is for workers with advanced degrees, while EB-3 applies to those with bachelor's degrees and other skilled workers. Two additional categories exist: EB-4 for special immigrants such as religious workers, and EB-5 for investors.
Each year, roughly 140,000 employment-based green cards are available, with no more than 7% going to nationals of any one country. This per-country cap has significantly extended wait times for Indian professionals.
Backlog and Wait Times
NFAP estimates that 996,599 Indian professionals and their dependents are currently in the backlog across the three main employment-based categories. According to the NFAP's August policy brief, a high-skilled Indian national with a labor certification application or an employment-based immigrant petition filed in January 2026 or later could face a potential wait of 179 years in the EB-2 category, 38 years in EB-3, and 5 years in EB-1.
Chinese applicants face shorter but still significant waits: 25 years in EB-2 and 7 years in EB-3. Indian and Chinese workers face similar wait times for EB-1 green cards.
Historical Trends and Impact
In fiscal year 2016, S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approved 47,601 EB-2 applications for Indians, which translates to an estimated 98,594 people when dependents are included. That same year, only 4,407 Indians were granted permanent residence through EB-2. This gap added over 90,000 people to the backlog in FY 2016 alone.
Despite additional visas from pandemic-era policy changes, the employment-based backlog has grown. Consulate closures during the pandemic led to a shortfall in family-based visa issuances, and those unused numbers rolled over into employment-based categories, resulting in roughly 280,000 additional employment-based green cards between fiscal years 2020 and 2024. Even with this rollover, the employment-based backlog increased by 20.6% over five years.
The foundation said the prolonged waits have made it more difficult for S. companies to attract and retain highly skilled Indian professionals. The nationality-based limits have disproportionately affected Indian professionals, while applicants from countries such as China and the Philippines generally face shorter waits, the report found.