November Visa Bulletin Advances Indian Family Green Cards

The November 2026 Visa Bulletin reveals a divergence in progress for Indian nationals seeking permanent residency in the United States. Family-sponsored categories saw substantial movement, with final action dates and filing dates for the F1, F2B, and F3 categories each advancing by one year. The F2A category for spouses and children of green-card holders advanced by one month, though the F4 category for siblings of adult citizens remained unchanged.

Employment-based categories showed minimal progress. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported that the EB-2 final action date for Indian applicants stalled for a second consecutive month at November 1, 2013, even as most other countries saw a three-month advance. Only the EB-3 and Other Workers categories moved forward, with final action dates advancing 21 days to January 22, 2014. EB-1 and EB-5 unreserved dates remained stagnant.

To mitigate these delays, USCIS directed employment-based adjustment-of-status applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart for November, enabling Indian EB-2 applicants with priority dates before January 15, 2015, to submit applications. Meanwhile, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs is reviewing Department of Homeland Security proposals to reform the H-1B visa program and amend premium processing deadlines. These administrative updates coincide with calls from lawmakers, including Representative Josh Gottheimer, to abolish per-country limits on employment-based green cards to address extreme wait times.