Indians seeking Green Card may have to wait for up to 179 years, analysis shows

An Indian professional who applies for a US green card today could face a wait of up to 179 years in some categories, according to a new analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). Nearly one million Indians are already stuck in the employment-based backlog, making up 79% of everyone waiting in line. Nationality-based green card caps disproportionately impact Indian professionals, NFAP’s analysis finds, with professionals from China and the Philippines generally facing shorter wait times.

At present, Indian professionals can apply for an employment-based green card through three different categories. EB-1 - the first preference - is granted to individuals with extraordinary abilities in the sciences, business, arts or sports. The second preference, known as EB-2, is granted to workers with advanced degrees while EB-3 visas apply to those with bachelor’s degrees and other skilled workers. Roughly 140,000 green cards are available annually, with no more than 7% of the total going to nationals of any one country. There are two further categories: EB-4 visas for “special immigrants” such as religious workers and EB-5 visas for investors.

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The nationality cap has significantly lengthened wait times for Indian professionals in America hoping for a green card, which grants permanent residency status. At present, 996,599 Indian professionals and their dependents are stuck in a visa backlog for the three green card categories with wait-times potentially stretching to decades.

“According to a National Foundation for American Policy analysis, a high-skilled foreign national from India with a labor certification application or an employment-based immigrant petition filed in January 2026 or later has a potential wait time for a green card (permanent residence) of 179 years in the employment-based second preference (EB-2), 38 years in the employment-based third preference (EB-3) and 5 years in the employment-based first preference (EB-1),” according to the NFAP’s August policy brief.

Professionals from China face shorter but still significant wait times. While Indian and Chinese workers face similar wait times for EB-1 green cards, the latter must wait 25 years in the EB-2 category and 7 years in the EB-3 category.

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The backlog in green card applications for Indian professionals stretches back at least a decade.

“In FY 2016, USCIS approved 47,601 applications in the employment-based second preference (EB-2) for Indians, which translates into an estimated 98,594 people once dependents are included, according to NFAP calculations, but only 4,407 people from India were granted permanent residence in the EB-2 category in FY 2016. In other words, in FY 2016 alone, over 90,000 people (principals and dependents) were likely added to the backlog.