Green Card Backlog

The green card backlog varies dramatically by category and country of birth. Employment-based categories like EB-2 and EB-3 can have backlogs exceeding 10 years for applicants born in India, while Rest of World applicants in the same categories may be current or have wait times under 2 years. Family-based categories like F-4 (siblings of U.S. citizens) can have backlogs of 20+ years for certain countries.

When a category shows "Current" (marked as C), it means there is no backlog — a visa number is immediately available for all applicants in that category regardless of their priority date. This is the best possible status, meaning applicants can proceed with their green card application without waiting.

When a category shows "U" (Unavailable), no visa numbers are being issued in that category for the given country. This typically happens when annual visa limits have been reached. It is the worst status — applicants cannot file or have their applications adjudicated until numbers become available again, usually in the next fiscal year (October).

Employment-based (EB) green cards are for workers sponsored by U.S. employers, divided into five preference categories (EB-1 through EB-5) based on skill level and investment. Family-based (F) green cards are for relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, divided into four preference categories (F-1 through F-4). Each type has separate annual visa allocations and different backlog patterns.

U.S. immigration law limits the number of green cards issued to nationals of any single country to 7% of the annual total. Since India and China produce far more applicants than this cap allows (especially in employment-based categories), massive backlogs have built up over decades. Applicants from these countries face significantly longer wait times compared to "Rest of World" applicants who rarely hit their country cap.

The U.S. Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin monthly, typically around the middle of each month for the following month. For example, the March bulletin (effective for March applications) is usually released in mid-February. Our backlog tracker updates automatically when new bulletin data is available.