Employment-Based Green Card Filings Reach 62,932
Employers face an extensive backlog of 203,204 pending petitions as hiring foreign talent remains heavily concentrated in three states.
Updated on Oct. 22, 2026 in Employment
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During the third quarter of 2026, USCIS processed 62,932 Form I-140 petitions for foreign workers seeking permanent residency. California, Texas, and New York accounted for 35 percent of all filings and approvals during this period.
Why it matters
Form I-140 filings are a primary indicator of corporate reliance on foreign talent for permanent staff roles. Businesses tracking their recruitment pipelines must account for the high geographic concentration of these applications in three states and the significant share of filings attributed to Indian-born applicants.
USCIS received 62,932 Form I-140 petitions and approved 37,975 during the third quarter of 2026, while 203,204 remained pending. Indian-born applicants submitted 31.1 percent of these filings, with 68.8 percent of their volume concentrated in the EB-2 employment category.
The players
USCIS
The federal agency responsible for overseeing immigration and naturalization processes, including the adjudication of employment-based visa petitions.
The details
Employers use the Form I-140 to initiate the permanent residency process for foreign employees, though those qualifying for national-interest waivers can self-petition. The data shows high demand for the EB-2 category among Indian-born applicants, who captured nearly 70 percent of approvals in that specific segment. The significant backlog of over 200,000 pending petitions suggests prolonged wait times for employers attempting to stabilize their long-term workforce.
Timeline
USCIS tracked petition receipts and approvals from April 1, 2026, to June 30, 2026.
Market Landscape
The concentration of filings in California, Texas, and New York reflects long-standing industrial hubs heavily reliant on the Immigration and Nationality Act's employment-based preference system. This filing volume follows established migration patterns for high-skilled labor within the U.S. economy.
Operators managing cross-border recruitment should anticipate that administrative backlogs will persist given the 203,204 pending applications. Finance and HR teams should budget for longer lead times when planning permanent headcount additions in the U.S.
The takeaway
The high concentration of petitions in three states signals where the most intense competition for specialized talent currently occurs. Employers should track their own I-140 processing timelines against the national pending-case volume to set realistic expectations for staff transition to permanent status.
Further reading
For broader context on workforce regulation, see Employment.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The American Bazaar.
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