US green card approvals drop 35%, Indians hit hardest
US green card approvals for extraordinary-skilled workers have dropped by 35% in fiscal year 2026, with Indian applicants facing the most significant impact. Immigration experts attribute the decline to stricter adjudication standards under the current administration rather than a decrease in applicant quality.
Why it matters
This trend creates significant uncertainty for high-skilled foreign workers and may impact the competitiveness of the US technology sector.
US green card approvals witnessed a 35% drop and Indians are the hardest hit, as reported by Economic Times. The approval rate for EB-1A green cards, the US route for extraordinary-skilled workers has dropped sharply in FY26, with Indians facing the steepest impact. As reported by ET, the data from Boundless Immigration, based on USCIS fillings, show approvals for Indians fell to 35% in the first two quarters of FY26, down from 49.1% in FY25.Most decline is among Indian technology workers* FY25: Indians filed 14,250 petitions; 6,993 approved, 1,474 denied.* FY26 (first two quarters): Indians filed 7,316 petitions; 2,571 approved, 1,131 denied.Immigration experts say the decline is most pronounced among Indian technology workers, followed by Chinese applicants, who file the largest EB‑1A volumes.Tighter US immigration policiesThe drop comes amid tighter US immigration policies under the Trump administration.
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