EB-3 India Priority Date: Current Cutoff and Movement
EB-3 India tracks the current Final Action Date, Dates for Filing, and monthly movement — with the live cutoffs in the panel above and how to read them below.
September 2026 visa bulletin
Current EB-3 India priority date
The EB-3 India Final Action Date held at Jan 1, 2014 — no change from August 2026.
- Final Action Date
- Jan 1, 2014
- Dates for Filing
- Jan 15, 2015
- Prior month (August 2026)
- Jan 1, 2014
- Month-over-month
- No movement
Approval cutoff (Table A)
Earliest I-485 filing (Table B)
Final Action Date last month
Official data is from the U.S. Department of State and USCIS. NRITOUSA estimates are educational scenarios based on published data and assumptions — they are not official government projections or legal advice.
| Bulletin month | Final Action Date | Dates for Filing |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | Jan 1, 2014 | Jan 15, 2015 |
| August 2026 | Jan 1, 2014 | Jan 15, 2015 |
| July 2026 | Jan 1, 2014 | Jan 15, 2015 |
| June 2026 | Dec 15, 2013 | Jan 15, 2015 |
| May 2026 | Nov 15, 2013 | Jan 15, 2015 |
| April 2026 | Nov 15, 2013 | Jan 15, 2015 |
Source: U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin. Cutoffs shown are the values in force each bulletin month; always confirm the current month on the official bulletin.
Quick Answer
The EB-3 India priority date is shown in the status panel above — in the September 2026 bulletin the Final Action Date was January 1, 2014 with Dates for Filing at January 15, 2015, meaning only India-born applicants who filed PERM before those dates could act. EB-3 covers professionals with a bachelor's degree and skilled workers with 2+ years of experience, and it moves independently of EB-2 India — in September 2026 EB-3 posted a date while EB-2 India was Unavailable, which is exactly when a downgrade becomes worth discussing.
Key takeaways
- Check both charts every month — EB-3 India posted January 1, 2014 (Final Action) while EB-2 India was Unavailable in September 2026.
- Qualify under EB-3 with a bachelor's degree (professionals) or 2+ years of training/experience (skilled workers).
- Plan around the statutory 7% per-country limit (INA §202) — a proration cap across the combined family and employment preference totals, not a fixed India EB number.
- Keep your original priority date when downgrading: an approved EB-2 I-140 generally lets the new EB-3 petition retain the earlier date.
- Movement has run only 1–3 months per calendar year in recent years; for how long a given date might take, see the wait-time scenarios.
EB-3 India is the third-preference employment green card queue for India-born professionals holding a bachelor's degree and skilled workers with at least two years of experience — and it matters most as the category that sometimes runs *ahead* of EB-2 India. This page owns the current EB-3 India cutoff and its movement: the current Final Action Date and Dates for Filing (status panel above) and the recent month-over-month movement. The structural cause of the backlog is the 7% per-country limit under INA §202, which holds India's usage share far below its demand — a proration rule across all countries and categories, not a fixed India allotment. For the downgrade and interfiling strategy, see EB-2 vs EB-3 for India; for how long a given date might take, see the wait-time scenarios. Below: EB-3 requirements, where the EB-3 India cutoff stands now, what drives its movement, and how to read the EB-3 row.
What Are the EB-3 India Requirements?
EB-3 is not one category but three sub-categories, each with its own eligibility bar. All three require an approved PERM labor certification — there is no self-petition route anywhere in EB-3.
| Sub-category | Minimum requirement | PERM required? | Own bulletin row? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker | Job requires at least 2 years of training or experience; not temporary or seasonal | Yes | No — shares the EB-3 row |
| Professional | Job requires a US baccalaureate degree (or foreign equivalent) in a specific field | Yes | No — shares the EB-3 row |
| Other Worker (EW) | Unskilled labour requiring less than 2 years of training or experience; not temporary or seasonal | Yes | Yes — separate "Other Workers" row |
Most Indian H1B workers qualify as Professionals. Skilled Worker and Professional are read off the same EB-3 row in the bulletin; Other Workers is listed separately.
Other Workers (EW) India — currently the same date as EB-3 India
A persistent myth holds that the Other Workers queue for India always runs years behind the main EB-3 row. That is not the current state. In the September 2026 bulletin, EW India and EB-3 India carry the identical Final Action Date of January 1, 2014, with Dates for Filing also identical at January 15, 2015.
Common mistakes
- Read this as a current fact, not a permanent rule. The two rows are set independently by the Department of State and have diverged in the past — EW carries its own annual allocation (a 10,000-visa worldwide sub-limit within EB-3), so it can move differently when demand shifts. Check both rows in the current bulletin rather than assuming either that they track each other or that EW is always worse.
What Is the EB-3 India Priority Date Right Now?
The status panel at the top of this page shows the current EB-3 India Final Action Date and Dates for Filing from the latest Department of State bulletin, with recent months' movement in the table beneath it. As of the September 2026 bulletin:
| Chart (September 2026) | EB-3 India | EB-2 India | Rest of World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final Action Date | January 1, 2014 | Unavailable | September 1, 2024 |
| Dates for Filing | January 15, 2015 | January 15, 2015 | Current |
> Source: U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin, September 2026. Cutoffs change monthly — the status panel above reflects the bulletin month stored in this site's data.
Why Is the EB-3 India Backlog So Long?
Like EB-2, EB-3 India is constrained by the INA §202 per-country limit. The Final Action Date for EB-3 India has sat around 2014 in recent bulletins and moves at a broadly similar pace to EB-2 India — though not always identically. The two can diverge sharply: there are months when EB-3 India posts a cutoff date while EB-2 India is Unavailable (see the current status above).
| Supply vs demand | Figure |
|---|---|
| Worldwide employment-based preference level (FY2026) | at least 140,000 |
| EB-3 worldwide share (28.6%) | ~40,040 |
| Per-country limit: 7% of combined FB + EB (FY2026) | 25,620 (proration cap, not India's EB quota) |
| Recent EB-3 India cutoff movement | ~1–3 months per calendar year |
The key insight: EB-2 and EB-3 India move independently every month. In some months EB-3 India is more current than EB-2 India; in others, EB-2 is ahead. This creates the strategic opportunity of filing I-140 in both categories.
In a nutshell
Historical pattern: EB-3 India was temporarily ahead of EB-2 India in the late 2010s, prompting many applicants to downgrade from EB-2 to EB-3. The two have since moved at similar speeds. Always check the current bulletin rather than relying on historical trends.
Should You Downgrade from EB-2 to EB-3?
If you have an approved EB-2 I-140, you may be able to file a new EB-3 I-140 to take advantage of a more current EB-3 India cutoff date. This is called an EB-3 downgrade.
Avoid
Do this
- Downgrade pros: If EB-3 India is currently more current than EB-2 India, downgrade lets you file I-485 (and apply for EAD/AP) sooner.
- Downgrade cons: Generally requires a new EB-3 I-140 filing and your employer's participation. Depending on the existing certified PERM, the position requirements, and the role, the employer may be able to rely on the existing labor certification rather than starting a completely new PERM — employer counsel should confirm. The earlier EB-2 priority date can often be retained on the new EB-3 I-140 (retention is separate from the §204(j) "same or similar" test).
Read the full EB-2 to EB-3 downgrade guide →
What Is EB-3 to EB-2 Interfiling?
If you originally filed I-485 under EB-3 and your employer now has an approved EB-2 I-140, you may be able to request USCIS to adjudicate your I-485 under EB-2 — a process called interfiling. This is useful when EB-2 India becomes more current than EB-3.
Read the full EB-3 to EB-2 interfiling guide →
How Do You Read the EB-3 India Row in the Visa Bulletin?
- Open the current month's visa bulletin at travel.state.gov
- Go to Table A (Final Action Dates) or Table B (Dates for Filing) — whichever applies
- Look for "3rd" row (Third Preference / EB-3) in the Employment-Based chart
- Find the India column
- Compare the printed date to your priority date — if your date is earlier than the printed date, you are current. If the cell shows "U" (Unavailable), no priority date is current that month
How EB-3 India Connects to the Rest of Your Case
Your EB-3 priority date is set the day the employer files PERM, carried by the approved I-140, and cashed in at I-485 once the date clears the applicable chart. Because EB-2 and EB-3 India leapfrog each other, the practical move is to watch both rows monthly with the Priority Date Checker and model the remaining wait with the Green Card Tracker. If EB-3 pulls ahead, read the EB-2 to EB-3 downgrade guide; if EB-2 recovers after you filed under EB-3, interfiling is the route back. New to the charts? Start with how to read the visa bulletin. To gauge how long a given date might take, see the EB-2/EB-3 India wait-time scenarios (illustrative estimates, not predictions), and compare categories in EB-2 vs EB-3 for India. Before settling in for a decade-long wait, check one thing that beats every category strategy: if your spouse was born outside India, cross-chargeability may let you read the "All Other Countries" row instead.
Frequently asked questions
What is the EB-3 India priority date right now?
It changes monthly. In the September 2026 bulletin, the EB-3 India Final Action Date was January 1, 2014 and Dates for Filing was January 15, 2015 — the status panel at the top of this page always shows the current month straight from the DOS bulletin.
Is EB-3 India faster than EB-2 India?
Sometimes. The two move independently and leapfrog each other: in September 2026 EB-3 India posted a January 1, 2014 Final Action Date while EB-2 India was Unavailable, making EB-3 the only one of the two where cases could be approved that month. Compare both rows in the current bulletin before deciding anything.
How long is the EB-3 India wait for a new filing?
At the recent historical pace of roughly 1–3 months of cutoff movement per calendar year, against India's prorated 7% share of the combined preference limits, a new EB-3 India filing should be planned in decades rather than years. This is an illustrative estimate, not a forecast — no service can credibly predict monthly movement. See the wait-time scenarios for the methodology.
Can I file PERM in both EB-2 and EB-3 simultaneously?
Some employers allow concurrent PERM filings in both categories for the same employee. This gives the employee two I-140 petitions with potentially different priority dates. Discuss with your employer's immigration attorney.
If I downgrade to EB-3, will my old EB-2 priority date carry over?
Often yes. An earlier approved EB-2 I-140 can generally let the new EB-3 I-140 keep the earlier priority date, subject to applicable rules. This priority-date retention is separate from the "same or similar occupation" test used for I-485 portability under INA §204(j), and it can be unavailable if the earlier approval was revoked for reasons such as fraud, willful misrepresentation, material error, or invalidation of the labor certification. Your employer's attorney claims the earlier date when filing the new I-140.
Does a downgrade require a brand-new PERM?
Not always. Depending on the existing certified PERM, the position's stated requirements, and the role, the employer may be able to rely on the existing labor certification for the EB-3 petition rather than restarting recruitment. Employer counsel must confirm this for your specific case.
If EB-3 India is currently faster, should I immediately downgrade?
Not necessarily. The relative movement of EB-2 and EB-3 India changes every month, and a downgrade generally requires a new EB-3 I-140 (and, depending on the existing certified PERM, possibly a new PERM), costing time and money. Work with your attorney to model the expected wait under each category before deciding.
Check your priority date against the visa bulletin
Use the Priority Date Checker to compare your EB category, country, and priority date against the current visa bulletin data.
Open Priority Date Checker →Deepak Middha, CA, Series 65Founder & Author
Deepak has experience in cross-border finance, tax-aware planning, and immigrant money decisions. View full profile →
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