Indian EB visa holders in the US waiting for Green Cards have a new narrow window to file their permanent residency applications after a new USCIS bulletin. The USCIS January 2026 bulletin advanced the date of several EB visa categories. Lawyers and experts are calling for eligible applicants to avail this rare opportunity without delay.
Indian professionals waiting in long US Green Card queues have received a new opening after two back-to-back announcements from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The January 2026 visa bulletin showed sharp forward movement in several employment-based categories, with the biggest gains seen in EB-1 and EB-5 for Indian applicants. This comes after the December 2025 visa bulletin that had already advanced the dates for several EB category visas. Soon after, the USCIS confirmed that applicants could file permanent residency applications using either the Final Action Dates chart or the Dates for Filing chart.
Immigration attorneys say the combination has created a rare opportunity for many applicants who were previously shut out. By allowing filings under either chart, the USCIS has widened eligibility to include professionals whose priority dates are still not current under Final Action Dates. Experts are urging those who qualify to move fast, warning that such windows tend to be brief.
The January bulletin reflects progress across almost all employment-based categories. EB-1 advanced by nearly a year for Indians, while EB-5 jumped by close to two years. EB-2 and EB-3 also moved forward, offering some relief to applicants from heavily backlogged countries such as India and China.
Michael Valverde, founder of True North Pathways LLC and a former USCIS official, told the American Bazaar that the scale of the advancement was unexpected. He believes the agency may be trying to increase filings because it does not see enough cases in the pipeline to fully use available visas. Longer processing times and higher denial rates have also weighed on overall visa usage, he noted.
He said, “I would advise anyone who is now able to file their green card application to take advantage of the moment. Historically, big steps forward like this have often come with retrogression later in the year. You don’t want to miss the opportunity,” as reported in the American Bazaar.
Despite the optimism, lawyers cautioned against delays. Historically, large advances are often followed by retrogression later in the year.
January will be crucial because the filing window runs from January 1 to January 31. Applicants must ensure that paperwork is complete, including medical examinations, which the USCIS now requires to be filed at the same time as the I-485, or Application to Register Permanent Residence.
Sangeetha Mugunthan of Somireddy Law Group PLLC speaking to the American Bazaar said that this moment, especially with renewed momentum in both EB-1 and investor visa EB-5 categories, demands careful preparation. She advised applicants to review their professional record, identify their strengths, and thoroughly document achievements to build a strong case.
She stated, “Individuals need to initially invest time in looking back at their professional trajectory, focus on their niche areas of expertise, and list out their key achievements and contributions. It is also extremely important to carefully document everything and strongly develop their EB-1A case.”
