# US green card approvals drop 35%, Indians hardest hit 2026-08-18T07:24:31+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets US green card approvals for EB-1A extraordinary-skilled workers have dropped 35% in the first two quarters of fiscal year 2026, with Indian applicants facing the steepest decline, according to data from Boundless Immigration cited by the Times of India. Approvals for Indians fell to 35% from 49.1% in FY25. In FY25, Indians filed 14,250 petitions with 6,993 approved and 1,474 denied, in the first two quarters of FY26, they filed 7,316 petitions with 2,571 approved and 1,131 denied. Immigration experts say the drop is most pronounced among Indian technology workers. Joel Yanovich, Senior Attorney at Ganey Law Group, said adjudicators are demanding an unreasonably high bar despite no change in law. Boundless CEO Xiao Wang said meeting three of ten USCIS criteria is no longer sufficient, with one additional high-quality criterion now required. With EB-2 and EB-3 backlogs stretching up to 15 years, Indian nationals are exploring alternatives such as EB-1C, EB-5, or relocating to Canada or the UK. The Millennium Post editorial frames the drop within a broader anxiety over Trump-era immigration policies, noting that Indian professionals, students and visa holders face prolonged uncertainty. It argues that the US economy depends on global talent and that restrictive policies could damage innovation. It also urges India to create stronger domestic research and employment opportunities rather than rely on exporting talent. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Times of India article is a straight data-driven report, neutral in tone, focused on the approval drop and expert commentary on policy tightening. The Millennium Post editorial is government-critical of US policy and sympathetic to Indian migrants, framing the issue as a strategic challenge for both countries. Neither source addresses possible counterarguments such as US labour market protections. A measured reading: the data shows a real, sharp decline in EB-1A approvals for Indians, but the editorial's broader anxiety about systemic exclusion may overstate immediate policy shifts. Watch for the next quarter's USCIS data and any legislative changes. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Leads with hard data on approval drop and expert quotes, no editorialising. - millenniumpost.in (government critical) Criticises US immigration policy as creating uncertainty and harming innovation. This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-19T11:52:51+00:00. Tags: EB-1A, Economic Times, Indian technology workers, USCIS Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/us-green-card-approvals-drop-35-indians-hit-hardest/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/us-green-card-approvals-drop-35-indians-hit-hardest/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/