US Visa Bulletin Feb: No Movement for Green Card Applicants

The February 2026 US Visa Bulletin delivers a message that has become all too familiar for Indian green card applicants: stability without relief. After modest but noticeable employment-based movement toward the end of 2025 and into January, February marks a clear pause. There are no advances, no regressions, and no meaningful breakthroughs for thousands of professionals and families caught in decades-long queues.

While the absence of backward movement offers some reassurance, the lack of forward momentum underscores the depth of the backlog faced by Indian nationals across both employment-based and family-sponsored green card categories.

US Visa Bulletin: Employment-Based Green Cards – Momentum Freezes in Place

For Indian professionals, employment-based categories remain firmly anchored to their January positions. The February 2026 US Visa Bulletin confirms that the US government has chosen to hold the line rather than risk overshooting annual visa limits.

Employment-Based Final Action Dates – India (February 2026):

• EB-1 (Priority Workers): February 1, 2023 (unchanged)

• EB-2 (Advanced Degree Professionals): July 15, 2013 (unchanged)

• EB-3 (Professionals & Skilled Workers): November 15, 2013 (unchanged)

• EB-3 Other Workers: November 15, 2013 (unchanged)

• EB-4 (Special Immigrants): January 1, 2021 (unchanged)

• Certain Religious Workers: Unavailable

• EB-5 Unreserved: May 1, 2022 (unchanged)

• EB-5 Set-Aside Categories: Current

The EB-2 and EB-3 categories continue to reflect the most severe bottlenecks, particularly for Indian professionals in technology, engineering, healthcare, and research roles. Despite global demand for skilled labor, priority dates remain stuck more than a decade in the past.

The EB-5 category offers limited flexibility, with set-aside visas remaining current. However, unreserved investor visas show no movement, limiting options for many Indian investors.

Family-Sponsored Green Cards: Another Month of Complete Standstill

If employment-based applicants are experiencing a pause, family-sponsored applicants are facing full stagnation. The February 2026 US Visa Bulletin mirrors January exactly, extending years—and in some cases decades—of waiting for Indian families seeking reunification.

Family-Sponsored Final Action Dates – India (February 2026):

• F1 (Unmarried Adult Children of US Citizens): November 8, 2016

• F2A (Spouses & 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

With no forward movement, February offers no new green card approvals for families already enduring prolonged separation.

US Visa Bulletin: Dates for Filing – Limited Procedural Relief

While final action dates remain frozen, filing dates provide limited administrative flexibility—particularly in the F2A category.

Family-Sponsored Dates for Filing – India (February 2026):

• F1: September 1, 2017 (unchanged)

• F2A: January 22, 2026 (unchanged)

• F2B: March 15, 2017 (unchanged)

• F3: July 22, 2012 (unchanged)

• F4: December 15, 2006 (unchanged)

The wider gap between filing and final action dates in F2A allows eligible applicants to submit paperwork early, but approvals remain capped at February 2024, limiting real-world impact.