California, Texas and New York accounted for a combined 35% of employment-based green card petition filings and approvals in the United States during the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, as a growing backlog continued to weigh on the immigration system.
The three states emerged as the leading centers of Form I-140 activity, according to data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), cited by Financial Express. The figures offer a state-level perspective on employment-based immigration at a time when Indian professionals account for a substantial share of petitions and face prolonged waits for permanent residency.
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The USCIS data for April through June 2026 showed that the agency received 62,932 Form I-140 petitions and approved 37,975 during the quarter. The number of pending petitions stood at 203,204 at the end of the period.
Form I-140, formally known as the Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, is generally filed by a U.S. employer seeking to sponsor a foreign worker for employment-based permanent residency. Certain workers, including eligible applicants in extraordinary-ability and national-interest-waiver categories, can also petition on their own behalf.
California, Texas and New York dominate state-level activity
California, Texas and New York accounted for 35% of total Form I-140 filings and approvals during the third quarter of FY2026, according to the Financial Express report.
Their combined share underscores the importance of these states to employment-based immigration. California has a large technology and startup sector, while Texas has major business and technology centers. New York is a hub for finance, professional services and other industries that employ international talent.
However, the combined 35% figure does not establish the individual share of each state or indicate which state had the highest number of pending petitions. A separate examination of the USCIS state-level tables is needed to establish the precise quarterly figures for California, Texas and New York.
Form I-140 quarter by quarter: Receipts, approvals and pending cases
USCIS tracks Form I-140 activity through quarterly reports that record petitions received and approved, along with data on employment-based preferences and the state associated with a petition.
The latest figures cited in the report cover the third quarter of FY2026, from April 1 through June 30, 2026.
During the quarter, USCIS received 62,932 petitions and approved 37,975. Another 7,069 petitions were denied, while 203,204 remained pending at the end of the period.
The difference between receipts and approvals in a quarter should not be interpreted as the number of cases added to the backlog. Approvals and denials can involve petitions filed in earlier quarters, while pending totals reflect the inventory remaining at a particular reporting date.
For a quarter-by-quarter comparison, the USCIS reports for FY2026’s first, second and third quarters provide the relevant historical series. The latest figures show the scale of the national caseload, although they do not, by themselves, establish how pending cases changed separately in California, Texas and New York.
India remains a major contributor to employment-based petitions
Indian-born workers accounted for 19,549, or 31.1%, of the 62,932 Form I-140 petitions received in the third quarter of FY2026, according to Financial Express, citing USCIS data.
They received 13,923 approvals, representing 36.7% of the 37,975 approvals recorded during the quarter. The report said India received more approvals than the next eight countries combined.
The concentration was particularly pronounced in the EB-2 category for professionals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability. Indian-born applicants accounted for 68.8% of filings and 69.7% of approvals in that category, according to the report.
These figures reflect petitions processed during the quarter and do not mean that every approved I-140 petition resulted in an immediately available green card. Petition approval and the final grant of permanent residency are separate steps, and visa availability depends on the applicable employment-based category and priority date.
Growing backlog remains a concern
The 203,204 pending Form I-140 petitions at the end of June 2026 highlight the scale of the workload facing USCIS. The agency approved fewer petitions during the quarter than it received, although the difference between those totals does not directly measure the net change in pending cases.
For Indian professionals, the issue extends beyond the initial petition. Employment-based green cards are subject to annual numerical limits and per-country limits, and India has historically faced substantial backlogs in several employment-based categories.
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The concentration of petition activity in California, Texas and New York makes their state-level figures an important measure of where employment-based immigration activity is taking place. Comparing receipts, approvals and pending inventories across successive quarters can help show whether processing activity is keeping pace with incoming petitions.
The latest national figures point to a substantial outstanding caseload, while the state-level data identifies California, Texas and New York as major centers of employment-based green card petition activity.