EB-1A vs NIW, which is faster for India?

The EB-1 India queue has generally been much shorter than EB-2 India; check the live dates.

Yes, people often file both; an approved I-140's priority date can generally carry to a later one.

Does premium processing shorten the wait?

Only the petition decision, not the Visa Bulletin queue.

Countries

EB-1A vs NIW: which gets an India-born applicant a green card faster?

Updated November 12, 2026 · Not legal advice

For India-born applicants the wait is set by the Visa Bulletin, not the petition: EB-1A waits on the EB-1 India cutoff and NIW waits on the EB-2 India cutoff. EB-1 India has generally been far ahead of EB-2 India, so an approved EB-1A usually means a shorter queue, but compare the live dates below.

EB-1: current cutoff dates

See the current bulletin for this month's EB-1 dates: official Visa Bulletin on travel.state.gov. We do not copy dates by hand, so this page shows them only after our automated fetch has read the official bulletin.

USCIS says employment-based adjustment applicants must use the Dates for Filing chart in the November 2026 Visa Bulletin (USCIS filing charts).

EB-1A vs NIW: what differs
	EB-1A	EB-2 NIW
Bulletin line	EB-1, India column	EB-2, India column
Standard	Extraordinary ability, sustained acclaim	Advanced degree or exceptional ability + national interest
Labor certification	Not required	Waived
Self-petition	Yes	Yes
Priority date	I-140 filing date	I-140 filing date

Petition speed vs queue speed

Premium processing can speed up the I-140 decision for both, but it does not change the Visa Bulletin wait. For India-born applicants the queue usually dominates.

Movement history

This table is built month by month from the official bulletins as we read them, so it only shows months we have fetched. Until then, past bulletins are in the official archive.

Quick answers

EB-1A vs NIW, which is faster for India?: The EB-1 India queue has generally been much shorter than EB-2 India; check the live dates.
Can I file both?: Yes, people often file both; an approved I-140's priority date can generally carry to a later one.
Does premium processing shorten the wait?: Only the petition decision, not the Visa Bulletin queue.

What to do next: get your Visa Bulletin alert

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Sources

Checked: November 12, 2026