The February 2026 US Visa Bulletin offers little cheer for Indian green card hopefuls, delivering a month of complete standstill after the modest but encouraging movement seen toward the end of 2025 and in January. Released by the US Department of State, the latest bulletin shows no changes across either employment-based or family-sponsored categories for India—neither forward movement nor retrogression—underscoring how fragile progress in the system remains.
For thousands of Indian professionals and families caught in years-long backlogs, February effectively becomes a month of consolidation rather than advancement.
Employment-based green cards: progress holds, but momentum pauses
Indian professionals applying under employment-based green card categories will see all cut-off dates remain exactly where they were in January. While this means recent gains are preserved, it also confirms that February brings no fresh relief for long-waiting applicants.
Employment-based Final Action Dates – India (February 2026):
EB-1: February 1, 2023
EB-2: July 15, 2013
EB-3: November 15, 2013
EB-3 Other Workers: November 15, 2013
EB-4: January 1, 2021
Certain Religious Workers: Unavailable
EB-5 Unreserved: May 1, 2022
After several months of steady advancement in late 2025—particularly in EB-1 and EB-5—February signals a pause rather than a reversal. Immigration observers often view such pauses as recalibration periods, allowing the government to assess visa number usage before deciding on future movement.
Filing timelines also remain unchanged, continuing to offer procedural advantages even without faster approvals.
Employment-based Dates for Filing – India (February 2026):
EB-1: August 1, 2023
EB-2: December 1, 2013
EB-3 / Other Workers: August 15, 2014
EB-4: March 15, 2021
EB-5 Unreserved: May 1, 2024
For eligible applicants, the strategy remains clear: file as soon as the Dates for Filing permit. While final green cards may still be years away, early filing helps secure work authorization, advance parole for travel, and protection against children aging out under US immigration law.
Family-sponsored green cards: long queues remain locked
If employment-based applicants experienced a pause, family-sponsored categories for India continue to reflect deep-rooted stagnation. February mirrors January across all family-based Final Action Dates, extending wait times that already stretch beyond a decade in several categories.
Family-sponsored Final Action Dates – India (February 2026):
F1 (unmarried adult children of US citizens): November 8, 2016
F2A (spouses and children of permanent residents): February 1, 2024
F2B (unmarried adult children of permanent residents): December 1, 2016
F3 (married children of US citizens): September 8, 2011
F4 (siblings of US citizens): November 1, 2006
For many Indian families, particularly those in F3 and F4 categories, the bulletin reinforces a harsh reality: waits of 15 to 20 years remain the norm, with no indication of acceleration.
Filing dates also stay frozen, offering limited procedural flexibility rather than faster outcomes.
Family-sponsored Dates for Filing – India (February 2026):
F1: September 1, 2017
F2A: January 22, 2026
F2B: March 15, 2017
F3: July 22, 2012
F4: December 15, 2006
The only relative bright spot continues to be F2A, where filing dates remain well ahead of final action. This allows eligible spouses and children of permanent residents to submit applications and access interim benefits, even as approvals remain capped at early 2024 priority dates.
What February means for Indian applicants
The February 2026 Visa Bulletin highlights a clear divide in India’s green card landscape. Employment-based categories are holding onto recent progress, suggesting stability but not momentum. Family-sponsored categories, meanwhile, remain structurally gridlocked, with relief limited to paperwork access rather than actual green card issuance.
For Indian applicants, February is a reminder that progress in the US immigration system is rarely linear. While the absence of retrogression offers some reassurance, the lack of forward movement reinforces the importance of long-term planning—and tempered expectations—as the backlog continues to shape the journey to permanent residency.
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