US Green Card Halt: India EB-2 and EB-5 Categories Frozen for Remainder of FY 2026

The U.S. government has halted final approvals for employment-based green card applications from India in the EB-2 and EB-5 Unreserved categories for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, which ends September 30, 2026.

The freeze results from the exhaustion of annual visa quotas allocated to these categories. No new final approvals will be issued until the new fiscal year begins on October 1, 2026, when fresh annual limits become available.

Pending applications in these categories will be paused and will resume processing once the FY 2027 caps reset. The halt does not affect other employment-based categories or non-Indian applicants in the same categories.

The development affects thousands of Indian nationals who have been waiting for permanent residence under the EB-2 and EB-5 programs, which are popular among skilled workers and investors.