If you apply for a green card today, in 2025, under the EB1 category and you’re India-born—brace yourself—it might take you another 10+ years to receive your green card. Yes, you read that right. Ten. You can also calculate these predictions using the green card calculator.

At the current pace, the EB1 India priority date is crawling, and that’s the unfortunate reality many are facing. The following table shows the current priority date for EB1 India.

But how did we get here? And why does it feel like time stands still when you see the above visa bulletin for EB1 India every month? Let’s break it all down and look at the reasons behind the painfully slow movement—and maybe, just maybe, give you a bit of hope at the end.

The Last Time EB1 India Was “Current”

Let’s rewind for a second. The last time EB1 India became current was during the pandemic, from April 2021 to December 2022. To be specific, you saw the magical letter “C” in the Dec 2022 Visa Bulletin—meaning “Current”. Yep, that brief window of hope wasn’t a fluke.

It was thanks to something called spillovers from the family-based green card categories. These green card spillovers boosted the numbers for employment-based categories like EB1, and for a short while, the EB1 India priority date actually moved forward—fast.

Basically, during COVID, U.S. embassies around the world were either closed or operating at a snail’s pace. That meant very few family-based green cards were issued, and under immigration law, those unused numbers didn’t go to waste—they spilled over into the employment-based categories, including EB1 India.

India, which usually fights tooth and nail for its fair share due to per-country caps, suddenly saw an unexpected Diwali bonus of extra EB1 green cards. And just like that, EB1 India priority date became current… for a while.

So, What Are These “Spillovers”?

In simple terms, when family-based green card numbers go unused in a fiscal year, they “spill over” to employment-based categories. It’s a legal provision designed to ensure that no green card is left behind.

Now here’s the fun part—when these spillovers happen, they don’t follow the per-country limits that usually choke India’s progress. That’s why spillovers are like Diwali bonuses for Indian green card applicants—rare but powerful.

And when they do happen, they can dramatically improve EB1 India predictions, just like they did during the COVID years.

How Many EB1 Green Cards Can India Get?

Okay, let’s get a little technical, but stick with me. Every year, there are roughly 140,000 employment-based green cards up for grabs across all categories (EB1, EB2, EB3, etc.).

Now, by default, each country is capped at 7% of that total. That’s about 9,800 green cards per country, across all EB categories.

But EB1 gets about 28.6% of the total employment-based pool. So:

• 28.6% of 140,000 = around 40,000 EB1 green cards globally.

• Now apply the 7% country cap: India can get around 2,800 EB1 green cards per year, unless there's a spillover.

Yep. Just 2,800. That’s the country cap dragging down the EB1 India priority date every year.

11,000+ EB1 Applicants Waiting…

As of writing this, May 2025, there are approximately 11,105 EB1 applications for India pending through the end of 2023 (not 2025). That’s not a small number. If you divide those 11,000+ applicants by the ~2,800 green cards India gets annually under EB1, you’re already looking at nearly 4 years of wait time—just to clear the 2023 backlog.

Now, consider this: you’re filing in 2025. How many more applications were submitted in 2024 and early 2025? Easily over a thousand EB1 India applications per month.

On top of that, you’ll need to add the I-485 processing time, which kicks in after your EB1 India priority date becomes current. That adds about another year. (You can check the current I-485 processing time using the Processing Time Calculator).

And let’s be honest—new applications don’t stop. They keep pouring in. So realistically, the wait stretches much longer than it appears on paper. That’s exactly why EB1 India predictions 2025 are looking pretty grim for new applicants.

What’s in That 11,000+ Number?

That number mostly represents pending I-485 applications—also known as the Adjustment of Status. This is the second stage in the green card process when you’re already in the U.S. and applying to “adjust” from a temporary visa (like an H-1B) to permanent residency.

Here’s the tricky part: most people file the I-485 when their EB1 India priority date is current or just about to become current. So this number doesn’t even include those who are eligible but haven’t filed yet.

In other words, the 11,000 is more like a lower limit, not the upper one. You can safely assume that this backlog will grow as more applications get filed over time.

The EB2 to EB1 “Porting” Trend In 2025

Now let’s talk about a trend that’s quietly fueling the slowdown—porting from EB2 to EB1 India.

As EB2 wait times became borderline impossible (we’re talking decades), more and more applicants began shifting gears and porting to EB1 India. And honestly, why not? EB1 generally moves faster, has better priority date movement, and skips the labor certification process altogether.

So, what did people do? They leveled up. Many started building EB1-eligible profiles—publishing research, taking on managerial roles, contributing to national interest work—you name it. It turned into a full-blown strategy to escape the EB2 backlog and jump into EB1 India.

Here’s the kicker: most of these folks had already filed EB2 years ago, so their priority dates are much older—some as far back as 2012–2014. Now that they qualify for EB1, they're porting over with those old dates and getting ahead in line.

But if you’re applying for EB1 India in 2025, it’s a different story. There are already over 32,000 EB2 applicants with priority dates up to December 2014 (I'm not even talking about 2025). Imagine how many more will port in the coming years—and then ask yourself: when will I even get a chance?

Lawyers Are Getting Smarter (and Craftier)

Immigration lawyers have stepped up their game. Many law firms now specialize in pushing borderline EB2/EB3 profiles into EB1 territory. They craft massive 100-page petitions filled with citations, recommendation letters, and polished narratives that make even a solid-but-not-spectacular profile sound like it's Nobel Prize material.

And guess what? It works.

• A skilled attorney with the right strategy can absolutely land an EB1 India approval. But this also means even more EB1 green card applications for India, which only adds fuel to an already slow-moving queue.

• If you look at some law firms’ success rates, they’re easily over 80%. How? Their process has matured so much over time that EB1 India looks almost like a piece of cake. Even if you’re not a formal “manager,” they can present your role as a team lead guiding others—voilà, you fit the criteria.

And it gets better (or worse, depending on how you see it): many lawyers offer free EB1 profile evaluations. They’ll tell you what’s missing, guide you to beef up your credentials, and boom—you’ve got your EB1 India petition approved using your older EB2 priority date.

India’s EB2 Is Unrealistic, and EB1 Is Getting Crowded in 2025

With EB2 India looking more like a lifetime subscription than an actual waitlist, EB1 India started to seem like the only practical option. Let’s be real—if you’re applying under EB2 today, you might get your green card in the afterlife.

But as more people started moving over, EB1 India predictions for 2025 began to look eerily similar to EB2—long lines, retrogression, and a whole lot of frustration. Ten-plus years of waiting in EB1? Seriously?

Basically, the traffic just switched lanes. But the jam? Oh, it’s still very real.

A Bit of Hope: The Power of Spillovers

Now, finally, some good news. The only real way this gridlock breaks is through visa spillovers, just like we saw during COVID.

In FY 2022 (Oct 1, 2021 – Sept 30, 2022), the employment-based green card limit was a whopping 281,507—more than double the typical 140,000.

Why? Because unused family-sponsored visa numbers from FY 2021 were rolled into the employment-based quota. That COVID-era spillover gave EB categories, especially EB1 India, a massive boost.

Here’s how the last few years looked:

• FY 2025: Yet to be announced (if it’s just 140,000… brace yourself)

• FY 2024: 160,791

• FY 2023: 197,091

• FY 2022: 281,507

If family-based green cards go unused again—maybe due to slow consular processing—those unused numbers could roll into employment-based categories again and bring some much-needed speed to EB1 India priority date movement.

It’s not guaranteed, of course. But it has worked before—and it can work again. If you’re watching EB1 India predictions 2025, keep an eye on this variable. It could shift the timeline in your favor.

Final Thoughts: Things Can Change, Stay Updated

This situation isn’t set in stone. These numbers, wait times, and backlogs can shift based on policy, global events, and USCIS efficiency.

If you want a better idea of how long your green card might take, check out our Green Card Calculator. It gives you realistic wait time predictions based on your case details, including updated EB1 India predictions.

And if you’re curious how others like you are doing, our Cases Like Yours tool lets you explore timelines from people in similar situations—real cases, real timelines.

EB1 India is slow, no doubt. But with the right strategy, some patience, and maybe a little luck with spillovers, there’s still a path forward. Hang in there.

Next: Priority Date Calculator

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