India EB-2 and EB-3 Cutoff Dates: A 10-Year History

The India EB-2 cutoff date started fiscal year 2016 at May 1, 2005 and started fiscal year 2026 at April 1, 2013, according to the State Department’s India final action date history and its October bulletins. In ten years the line moved forward by just under eight years. The India EB-3 cutoff moved from March 8, 2004 to August 22, 2013, about nine and a half years. In the September 2026 bulletin, EB-2 India is listed as unavailable.

This article tracks the India EB-2 and EB-3 cutoff dates over that decade, how far behind the line has been at the start of each fiscal year, and the years when the dates jumped or moved backward.

What a Final Action Date Is, and What It Is Not

A final action dateFinal Action DatesThe Visa Bulletin chart showing the priority dates for which a visa number can actually be issued or a green card approved in that month.See it in the glossary is the priority datePriority dateThe date a petition was filed, or a labor certification was submitted, used to determine an applicant's place in line for a visa category with limited annual numbers.See it in the glossary of the first applicant who could not be reached within the numerical limits, as the State Department explains in each Visa BulletinVisa BulletinA monthly State Department publication showing which family and employment visa categories currently have visas available.See it in the glossary. Only applicants with a priority date earlier than the listed date can have a visa number authorized. A “U” means unauthorized, so no numbers can be issued in that category.

Per-country limitsPer-country limitThe cap, set at 7 percent of the combined family and employment totals, on how many preference visas may go to natives of any single country in a fiscal year.See it in the glossary explain much of the India backlog. The September 2026 Visa Bulletin sets the per-country limit at 7 percent of the combined family and employment limits, which is 28,862 for fiscal year 2026, and lists India among the oversubscribedOversubscribedA category or country for which demand exceeds the available visa numbers, so a cutoff date is listed in the Visa Bulletin.See it in the glossary chargeabilityChargeabilityThe country an applicant's visa number is counted against for per-country limits, normally the country of birth rather than citizenship or residence.See it in the glossary areas. A cutoff date shows where the line stood in a given month. It does not estimate when any single case will be decided. Our explainer on what the Visa Bulletin does and does not say covers this in more detail.

India EB-2 and EB-3 Cutoff Dates, FY2016 to September 2026

The chart plots the final action date printed in the October bulletin, which opens each fiscal year, along with the latest reading in September 2026. The EB-2 line climbs from 2005 to 2013 with a few flat years and one small dip. The EB-3 line rises more slowly at first, spikes to 2014 in fiscal year 2022, and falls back in fiscal year 2023.

The October figures for fiscal years 2016 to 2023 come from the State Department’s historical table. The fiscal year 2024 to 2026 figures come from the October 2023, October 2024 and October 2025 bulletins.

How Far Behind the India EB-2 and EB-3 Line Has Been

Another way to read the same data is to measure the gap between the bulletin month and the cutoff date. At the start of fiscal year 2016 the EB-2 India cutoff was 10.4 years old and the EB-3 India cutoff was 11.6 years old. At the start of fiscal year 2026 the gaps were 12.5 and 12.1 years.

The EB-2 India gap shrank from 10.4 years in fiscal year 2016 to 9.0 years in fiscal year 2018, rose to 11.1 years in fiscal year 2021, dipped to 10.1 in fiscal year 2022, and has risen every year since. The EB-3 India gap was smallest in October 2021, at 7.7 years, when the date briefly jumped to January 1, 2014. This gap is a snapshot of how old the oldest served priority date was. It is not a wait-time estimate for a new filer.

The Big Swings: Advances and Retrogressions

Most years show steady forward movement of a few months. A handful of years look different. The table lists notable moves in the State Department’s tables for these two categories.

RetrogressionRetrogressionWhen a Visa Bulletin cutoff date moves backward, usually because demand exceeded the numbers available for that category.See it in the glossary means a cutoff date moves backward to an earlier priority date, so applicants who were within the line can fall outside it. Our guide on what happens if a priority date retrogresses explains the mechanics.

China EB-2 and EB-3 in Recent Years

China is the other country whose employment-based categories carry separate cutoff dates. Across the October 2023, October 2024 and October 2025 bulletins and the September 2026 bulletin, both categories end later than they begin. The full history is in the State Department’s China employment table, and our China EB-2 and EB-3 cutoff date history charts it year by year.

How to Read This Data

Cutoff dates describe past movement. They do not show how many people are in each queue, how many visa numbers will be available next year, or when a specific priority date will become current. The September 2026 bulletin analysis covers the latest month in detail, and our report on the late October bulletin notes that the October 2026 edition had not been posted as of September 28.

To look up a priority date against the current chart, use the Visa Bulletin Tracker. For why employment-based green cards can take years in some categories, see the immigration queue explained.