Backlash for Indian Green Card applicants? EB-5 category slip in May 2025 Bulletin-how will it affect you? | Today news

The US Department of State’s Visumbulletin for May 2025 brought disappointing news to Indian applicants in the visa categories on employment, especially those in the EB-5 (employed fifth preference) category. Significant retrogression has been announced, extending the waiting times and creating additional obstacles for the hopeful Indian green card. What is Visa retrogression? Visa rhetion session occurs when demand for immigrant visas exceeds the supply, causing priority dates to move backwards instead of forward. A priority date is the date on which the applicant’s petition is submitted and determines their place in line for a visa. Retrosyness occurs due to factors such as annual visa caps, limits per country (no country can receive more than 7% of total visas), and a major demand from certain countries such as India and China. When retrospective occurs, applicants whose priority dates were previously aware of the dates must wait until their dates are again informed to continue with their applications. Important updates of the US Visa Bulletin Works-based First Preference in May 2025 (EB1) India: No Movement; The cut -off date remains on February 2, 2022. China: The cut -off date will be steady on November 8, 2022. All other countries: remain topical. Employment -based second preference (EB2) India: No change; The cut-off date remains on January 1, 2013. China: Cutting off date is unchanged on October 1, 2020. All other countries: Cutting off date remains on June 22, 2023. Employment-based Third Preference (EB3) India: slight forward movement until April 15, 2013. China: No change; The cut-off date remains on November 1, 2020. All other countries: Cutting-off date holds stable on 1 January 2023. EB3 Other Workers India: Adjust with the EB3 category with a cut-off point of April 15, 2013. China: Cutting Point remains on 1 April 2017. All other countries: cut off date on 22 May 2021. al. Exhaustion of visas for the financial year. This status is expected to continue until the new financial year begins on October 1, 2025. The fifth preference based on employment (EB5). The most important update comes in the EB5 oment category: India faces a retreat, with the cut-off point moving back more than six months to May 1, 2019, from previously current. China’s cut -off date remains unchanged on January 22, 2014. All other EB5 categories and countries remain topical. Impact of EB5 return to the Indian Green Card applicants The retreat in the EB5 oment category significantly affects the Indian green card applicants. Previously, this category of Indian investors allowed to apply for green cards without delay if they invested in qualifying US projects. Now, only those with priority dates can continue earlier than May 1, 2019, causing later applicants to get stuck in a growing backlog. As EB5 visas are recorded at about 9,800 annually, allocated by only 7% per country, the great demand of India has created issues. This change extends the waiting times and adds uncertainty for many investors seeking permanent residence. Why does retrogression take place? Retrosyness occurs as a result of: Great demand: More applicants than available visas in specific categories or from certain countries. Perland shells: Each country is limited annually to a maximum of 7% of total employment visas. Category restrictions: Each visa category has its own annual cap, which can lead to backlog when exceeded. End of the financial year: Visa availability reinstates every October, causing fluctuations in priority dates. What can Indian applicants do for US visa? Applicants affected by retrogression may consider these strategies: Monitor the monthly visumb bulletin regularly for updates on priority dates. Explore alternative visa categories such as EB1 or EB2 National Interest disposal (NIW), which may have shorter waiting times. Maintain valid non-immigrant status (eg H-1B) while waiting for green card processing. Consult Immigration Attorneys to investigate options such as interfilation or consular processing: 13 Apr 2025, 09:59 IST