EB-2 India Priority Date: Current Cutoff and Movement

The EB-2 India priority date is the number that rules green-card planning for most India-born professionals with a master's degree or a bachelor's plus five years' experience. This page owns the current cutoff and its movement — the current Final Action Date (status panel above) and the recent EB-2 India month-over-month movement (history table above). The structural cause of the backlog: the 7% per-country limit under INA §202 caps India's usage *share* far below its demand — it is a proration rule across all countries and categories, not a fixed India allotment. For how long a given priority date might take, see the wait-time scenarios; to choose a category, see EB-2 vs EB-3 for India. Below: EB-2 requirements, why the backlog exists, what drives the monthly movement, the EB-2 NIW option, and how to read the row.

What Are the EB-2 India Requirements?

To qualify for EB-2, you must meet one of:

Advanced degree:

• A master's degree or higher in your field, OR
• A bachelor's degree plus at least 5 years of progressive post-degree experience in the specialty

Exceptional ability: Meet at least 3 of:

• Degree or diploma from an institution of learning relating to your area of exceptional ability
• Letters from current or former employers showing at least 10 years of full-time experience
• A license to practice the profession
• Evidence of commanding a high salary relative to others in the field
• Membership in professional associations
• Recognition for achievements and significant contributions

EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver): Skip the PERM requirement by showing your work benefits the national interest of the US. No employer needed.

What Is the EB-2 India Final Action Date Right Now?

It changes monthly — the status panel at the top of this page shows the current EB-2 India Final Action Date and Dates for Filing from the latest DOS bulletin, and the table under it shows the recent months' movement. Reading rules: your priority date must be earlier than the posted cutoff; "U" (Unavailable) means no visa numbers are authorized that month and no EB-2 India case can receive final approval regardless of priority date; and USCIS separately announces each month whether I-485 filings use the Final Action Dates or Dates for Filing chart.

Visa Bulletin EB-2 India: Why the Backlog Exists

The INA §202 per-country limit (7% of the combined family and employment preference totals — 25,620 for FY2026, a proration cap and not a fixed India allotment) holds India's usage share far below its demand. India accounts for a disproportionate share of EB-2 applicants — far more than that prorated share.

The result: when a cutoff date is posted at all, the EB-2 India Final Action Date has sat in the early-to-mid 2010s for years, moving slowly at 1–3 months per calendar year in recent good years and retrogressing in bad years. Since July 2026 the category has been fully Unavailable (no numbers) for the remainder of FY 2026 — a more severe form of the same supply problem, still in effect as of the September 2026 bulletin — the final month of FY 2026.

What Drives EB-2 India Movement

Nobody — including paid prediction services — can promise where the EB-2 India cutoff will be next quarter, and nothing here is a forecast. What the recent pattern (see the movement table above) does illustrate:

• New fiscal years help. Visa numbers reset every October 1; an Unavailable category regains numbers, and early-FY bulletins often show the year's best movement — see the October 2026 (FY2027) reset analysis.
• Movement is asymmetric. Advances come in small steps (weeks to a few months); retrogressions can erase years overnight when demand spikes.
• Spillover is the wildcard. Unused family-based or ROW employment numbers can accelerate India dates in some years — and vanish the next.
• For new filings, the honest math is decades at the current supply level unless Congress changes per-country caps. Plan careers, H-1B extensions, and children's CSPA timelines around that reality, not around prediction posts.

EB-2 NIW: self-petition without PERM

EB-2 NIW allows you to self-petition without an employer sponsor and without PERM. Requirements under the Dhanasar framework:

1. Your proposed endeavor has both substantial merit AND national importance
2. You are well-positioned to advance the endeavor
3. On balance, it would be beneficial to the US to waive the normal job-offer-and-labor-certification requirement

Who commonly qualifies: Researchers, academics, STEM professionals with publications, entrepreneurs working in critical infrastructure, healthcare, clean energy, or national security areas.

EB-2 vs EB-3 India: Which Is Faster?

Neither EB-2 nor EB-3 India is clearly and consistently faster — the visa bulletin moves both in ways that are hard to predict. Some Indian applicants file for both EB-2 and EB-3 simultaneously (using "downgrade" strategy) to cover both cutoffs.

Read the full comparison: EB-2 vs EB-3 for India →

Planning around EB-2 India

Given the long backlog, the most important things Indian EB-2 workers can do:

How EB-2 India Connects to the Rest of Your Case

Your EB-2 priority date is set the day your employer files PERM (see what a priority date is) — so the PERM processing timeline directly delays it. Once the I-140 is approved, the date can be retained across employers and categories, including an EB-2→EB-3 downgrade or a later EB-1 petition. And if your spouse was born outside India, check cross-chargeability before anything else — INA §202(b)(2) can move your case out of the India column entirely, which is worth more than any category strategy on this page. Track where you stand each month with the Priority Date Checker, model your total wait with the Green Card Tracker, and know what to do the month your date goes current. For a rough sense of how many years a given date implies, see the EB-2/EB-3 India wait-time scenarios (illustrative estimates, not predictions), and weigh the category choice in EB-2 vs EB-3 for India.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current EB-2 India Final Action Date?

It changes monthly — the status panel at the top of this page shows the current value straight from the DOS bulletin. In the September 2026 bulletin, EB-2 India was marked Unavailable (no numbers), with Dates for Filing at January 15, 2015.

Why is EB-2 India "Unavailable"?

The category's annual visa numbers ran out before the fiscal year ended, so the Department of State stopped issuing them. Numbers reset on October 1 with the new fiscal year, and the category then reappears with posted cutoff dates. For what DOS has said about the FY2027 reset specifically, see the October 2026 bulletin analysis.

When will EB-2 India become current?

For new filings, honest math says decades at current supply — India's prorated 7% share cannot clear hundreds of thousands of pending applicants quickly. No service can credibly predict monthly cutoffs; watch the bulletin itself or the monthly update tracker, and see the wait-time scenarios for illustrative estimates.

Is EB-2 or EB-3 faster for India right now?

It alternates. The two charts leapfrog each other; in some periods EB-3 India is ahead, which is why the EB-2→EB-3 downgrade exists. Compare both charts in the current bulletin before deciding anything.

Can I get 3-year H1B extensions while waiting for my EB-2 priority date?

Once your I-140 is approved, you may qualify for H-1B extensions beyond the 6-year cap under AC21 §104(c) — in three-year increments when your priority date is not current (a visa number is unavailable) and you otherwise qualify. It is not automatic, but it is one of the most important benefits of getting the I-140 approved even while your priority date is years away.

I have both an EB-2 and EB-3 I-140 approved. Can I use both?

Yes — you can file I-485 under whichever has the more favorable current priority date. Having both gives flexibility. Discuss the interfiling and porting options with your attorney.

Does EB-2 NIW skip the India backlog?

No. NIW skips PERM (no employer or recruitment needed), but your case still uses the same EB-2 India cutoff dates — the per-country queue applies in full.

How much does an EB-2 green card cost in USCIS fees?

Per the USCIS fee schedule: $715 for the I-140, $1,440 for each adult I-485, and $2,805 if you add I-140 premium processing. PERM itself has no filing fee, and US regulations require the employer to bear PERM costs.