April 2026 visa bulletin brings good news for Indians green card The employment-based green card process continues to attract applicants for Indians. For EB-2 and EB-3 India, the filing dates have been extended to January 15, 2015, a significant jump compared to the March 2026 visa bulletin, where EB-2 India was only on November 1, 2014. Although the movement is only for two months, immigration experts said it is huge as such onward movement was not seen in recent years. The waiting time for green cards in these categories is more than 10 years but the backlog is now gradually increasing. On final action dates, EB-2 India has reached 15 July 2014, a jump of almost ten months from the previous position of September 2013 to March 2026. Immigration lawyer Rahul Reddy said, “This is not just incremental movement. This is real progress.” “If your priority date is before January 15, 2015, and USCIS allows the use of dates for filing charts, you may be eligible to file your I-485 now. This means access to EADs, advance parole, and job flexibility, which are major benefits for thousands of Indian professionals stuck in the backlog. For those waiting for approval, the forward motion in final action dates signals that USCIS is proactive. This is often a leading indicator of more movement in the coming months,” Reddy explained. For many other countries (not India), there is no visa backlog in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories. The employment-based second preference category is EB-2, which is for highly skilled people such as engineers, doctors, data scientists and researchers. EB-3 is an employment-based third preference category for mid-level IT workersThis steady movement comes as the US has so far banned many countries from obtaining green cards. As a result, spillover green cards are coming to countries where wait times are longer, such as India. “This type of progress does not happen randomly. It generally indicates that visa number utilization is being managed more efficiently or that demand has decreased slightly, both of which can benefit Indian applicants in the short term. But let’s be clear. This is not the end of the backlog problem. This is a positive window, not a permanent solution. Don’t celebrate too early, but don’t sit idle either. This is the window that smart applicants use,” Reddy explained.

What is Visa Bulletin? Why is it monitored so closely

The US State Department releases a monthly update that tells people when they can get a US Green Card. The bulletin shows three main dates: the final action date is the date when your green card can actually be approved; Filing date is the date when you can submit your application form; The priority date is the date your employer starts your green card process. Visa bulletins are closely monitored as there is massive backlog in countries like India and China. The movement of dates cannot be predicted; Some months there is no movement at all.