Introduction to the Employment-Based Visa Backlog
A newly released USCIS data report reveals a striking figure. As of June 2026, approximately 856,662 approved employment-based petitions — covering Forms I-140, I-360, and I-526/E — are waiting for a visa number to become available. This employment-based visa backlog picture, published by the USCIS Chief Data and Analytics Office, shows the scale of demand across all preference categories and countries of birth. It offers one of the best clear pictures of how far approved petitioners remain from actually receiving a green card.
Background on the Employment-Based Visa Backlog
Winning approval of an immigrant petition is only the first step toward lawful permanent residence. Once USCIS approves a petition, the beneficiary must wait until a visa number becomes available in the relevant preference category and country of birth. Only then can they move forward to adjustment of status or consular processing. Congress sets annual numeric limits on employment-based immigrant visas and imposes per-country caps equal to seven percent of the worldwide total. As a result, demand in high-volume categories and high-volume countries usually exceeds supply by years or even decades. The result is a tiered backlog. Applicants may hold an approved petition for an extended period while their priority date slowly moves through the Department of State’s monthly Visa Bulletin.
This USCIS dataset tracks exactly that employment-based visa backlog population. These are beneficiaries whose petitions USCIS has approved but whose priority dates have not yet become current under the June 2026 Final Action Dates chart. The figures count only primary beneficiaries; they exclude spouses and children who would join as dependents. That means the total number of individuals actually affected is much higher than 856,662.
Approved EB Petitions Awaiting Visa Availability — FY2026 Q3 Infographics
The three charts below break down approved employment-based (EB) petitions awaiting visa availability for the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, including an overall total and breakdowns by country and country composition. Swipe or scroll the charts sideways, or use the arrows and dots below to move between them. Each chart can be opened at full size in a new tab.
Source: DHS / USCIS, Office of Performance and Quality — CLAIMS3 and ELIS data, queried July 2026. The underlying quarterly reports are published on the USCIS Immigration and Citizenship Data page.
What Is Changing in the Employment-Based Visa Backlog Data
This is a data release on the employment-based visa backlog, not a rule change. USCIS is reporting a snapshot of the current backlog. It is not declaring any change to preference categories, annual limits, or processing procedures. The agency notes that counts may differ from prior reporting periods due to system updates and post-decision outcomes. Also, because petitioners may file more than one petition, the dataset can include multiple petitions for a single individual. The figures also exclude any petitioner who has already obtained lawful permanent resident or U.S. citizen status.
Preference categories divide the total of 856,662 approved petitions unevenly. The EB-2 category for advanced degree professionals holds the largest share at roughly 391,296 petitions. EB-4 for certain special immigrants follows at approximately 216,678, and EB-3 professionals and skilled workers at about 147,492. Meanwhile, the EB-1 priority worker category accounts for approximately 31,962 petitions, and EB-5 investor petitions (unreserved) total roughly 9,553. Notably, the dataset reports no set-aside EB-5 petitions as waiting in the queue.
Who the Employment-Based Visa Backlog Affects
Country-of-birth figures tell the most important part of this story. India-born beneficiaries account for approximately 491,773 of the 856,662 total — more than 57 percent. The overwhelming concentration is in EB-2, where Indian nationals hold roughly 356,360 approved petitions awaiting visa availability. China-born beneficiaries account for approximately 71,779, with notable representation in both EB-1 and EB-5. Philippines-born beneficiaries total about 25,026, focused in EB-3. Mexico-born beneficiaries account for approximately 24,130, with the largest share in EB-4. The remaining 243,954 petitions represent all other countries combined.
This employment-based visa backlog directly affects employers who have sponsored foreign national workers for permanent residence. It affects their ability to retain sponsored employees long-term and plan job changes. Individual petitioners — particularly those born in India who hold approved EB-2 petitions — face the longest potential waits. They also face the greatest planning doubt. Investors who have filed I-526 or I-526E petitions are also in the waiting pool, though in smaller numbers. The primary beneficiary's place in the queue also affects dependents of all primary beneficiaries. It sets their eligibility to remain or travel on derivative status.
This count clearly leaves out individuals who have already obtained permanent residence or citizenship. The backlog patterns this data describes do not affect them.
Practical Implications
For individuals born in India holding approved EB-2 petitions, this dataset shows the breadth of the employment-based visa backlog they are facing. More than 356,000 EB-2 petitions are approved alone, against annual numerical limits that apply to all countries subject to per-country caps. The gap between petition approval and visa availability can span many years under current conditions. Planning for that gap is not a choice. It has direct consequences for maintaining valid work authorization, structuring dependent family members' status, and making decisions about international travel.
For employers, this data reinforces one point. Begin the permanent residence sponsorship process as early as the underlying job and regulatory requirements allow. An employee born in a high-backlog country for whom no one has yet filed a petition faces years of additional delay. This is compared to one for whom an employer has already secured an approved petition. The difference between an approved petition and no petition is not merely procedural. It determines where someone sits in the priority date queue.
For EB-5 investors, the near-zero count for set-aside petitions awaiting visa availability is notable. It suggests that set-aside visa categories — which Congress established for rural, high unemployment, and infrastructure projects — may be processing with considerably shorter wait times relative to the unreserved category. Investors should still verify current Visa Bulletin movement independently before drawing conclusions about their individual timelines.
One important limitation this data carries is worth noting. Because a single individual may have multiple petitions counted, the raw totals somewhat overstate the number of distinct people waiting. That said, USCIS does not provide a deduplicated individual count. The 856,662 figure remains the best available approximation of pending demand.
What to Watch For Next
USCIS releases updated versions of this employment-based visa backlog dataset quarterly. The figures shift as USCIS approves new petitions, applicants withdraw or abandon prior petitions, and priority dates advance. Stakeholders should monitor the monthly Visa Bulletin from the Department of State alongside future USCIS data releases. This helps track movement in the Final Action Dates that govern when visa numbers become available. Legislative developments in Congress — including any proposals to adjust per-country caps or expand annual employment-based visa numbers — could materially alter the timelines implied by this dataset. Agencies will likely issue further guidance on any such changes through the normal rulemaking and appropriations process.
How Immigration Professional Association Can Help
Understanding where you or your employees stand within this backlog requires more than reading a national dataset. It requires mapping that data against your specific preference category, country of birth, priority date, and current immigration status. Immigration Professional Association works directly with both employers and individual petitioners on employment-based green card strategy. This includes identifying the right preference category, managing the timing of I-140 and related filings, and advising on maintaining valid status during extended waits.
For India-born professionals in the EB-2 queue, our team understands the specific complexity of navigating long-backlog scenarios. This includes portability provisions, concurrent filing eligibility, and the interaction between approved petitions and work authorization. For employers managing sponsored workforces with diverse national origins, we help build sponsorship pipelines that account for country-specific wait times. We avoid treating all green card cases as equivalent.
If you have an approved petition awaiting visa availability — or if you are an employer trying to understand what this backlog means for workforce planning — Immigration Professional Association is ready to help. We will work through the specifics with you. Reach out to our team to discuss what the June 2026 backlog data means for your particular situation.
