Nearly one million Indians are currently caught in the US employment-based Green Card backlog, highlighting the enormous immigration challenge faced by Indian professionals working toward permanent residency. A new analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) estimates that an Indian professional entering the employment-based queue in 2026 could potentially face a staggering 179-year wait in the EB-2 category.
The figure is an estimate rather than a guaranteed waiting period for every applicant. Actual timelines can change depending on visa availability, changes in immigration law, people leaving the queue and other factors.
Nearly 1 Million Indians in the Backlog
According to NFAP's analysis, approximately 996,599 Indians were waiting across the EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 employment-based categories as of December 2025. This represented nearly 79% of the estimated 1.26 million applicants in these three categories.
The biggest concentration is in EB-2, which generally covers professionals with advanced degrees or individuals with exceptional ability. NFAP estimated that 731,566 Indians were in the EB-2 backlog. Another 213,414 were waiting under EB-3, while the EB-1 backlog stood at 51,619.
Why Is the Wait So Long?
One major reason is the US employment-based immigration system's annual limit of 140,000 immigrant visas. The limit includes eligible family members of principal applicants, meaning spouses and children also consume visa numbers.
Another important restriction is the 7% per-country limit on employment-based immigrant visas. India has a disproportionately large number of highly skilled professionals seeking permanent residence, causing demand to vastly exceed the number of visas available under the existing system.
The backlog has continued despite additional employment-based Green Cards becoming available in recent years. NFAP estimates that the US issued about 980,460 employment-based Green Cards between fiscal years 2020 and 2024, roughly 280,000 more than the normal five-year allocation of 700,000. Yet the accumulated queue remained enormous.
EB-2 Wait Could Reach 179 Years
For an Indian national whose employment-based petition or labour certification was filed in January 2026 or later, NFAP estimates a potential wait of 179 years in EB-2 and around 38 years in EB-3. The estimated EB-1 wait is considerably shorter at roughly four to five years.
These extraordinary figures illustrate how the current system can leave Indian professionals in temporary immigration status for decades while waiting for their priority dates to become current.
What Happens Next?
Without significant changes to US immigration law, NFAP projects that the overall employment-based Green Card backlog could exceed two million by 2040. For Indian professionals, the issue is therefore not simply a long wait but a structural problem involving annual visa limits, per-country restrictions and continuing demand.
For thousands of Indian families building their careers in the US, the Green Card queue has become a long-term uncertainty, with meaningful relief likely requiring changes to the underlying immigration system.
