- By Supratik Das
- Sun, 13 Apr 2025 07:10 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Thousands of Indian professionals pursuing the American dream have been left reeling after the US Department of State's Visa Bulletin for May 2025 announced severe retrogression in several employment-based visa categories, most notably the EB-5 Unreserved category. The decision is likely to prolong further the already lengthy green card wait for Indian applicants.
Visa Retrogression To Affect The Indians
Visa retrogression happens when the number of applications in a specific category or from a particular country surpasses the number of visas reserved for that month. The Department of State imposes an annual limit of 140,000 for employment-based visas and 226,000 for family-sponsored visas, and a per-country restriction of 7 per cent, or 25,620. The final action dates are advanced when these limits are filled or exceeded.
As per the bulletin, the EB-5 Unreserved category for Indian nationals has retrogressed by over six months from November 8, 2019, to May 1, 2019. Compared to this, the China cut-off date is still the same at January 22, 2014.“High demand and number use by India in the EB-5 unreserved visa categories, combined with increased Rest of World demand, made it necessary to further retrogress the India final action date,” the bulletin stated.
Impact On Other Categories
•EB-1 (First Preference): India remains unchanged, with the cut-off date remaining February 2, 2022. China is November 8, 2022. All other nations are current.
•EB-2 (Second Preference): Also remained unchanged for Indian candidates, the date remaining January 1, 2013. China's date is October 1, 2020.
•EB-3 (Third Preference): India's date only advances two weeks to April 15, 2013. China's date remains November 1, 2020.
•EB-3 Other Workers: Indians see the cutoff date advance as well to April 15, 2013. China's date is April 1, 2017.
Uncertain Future for Indian Applicants
Immigration has once again dominated the headlines since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. Although his administration has been tough on illegal immigration, its effects are now being felt among the high-skilled immigrant community as well. The "America First" agenda has led to increased scrutiny and slower processing for employment-based immigration channels such as the H-1B and EB categories, affecting Indian professionals most adversely. The visa bulletin has only added to the uncertainty for Indian nationals, many of whom already have decade-long waits for permanent residency. With fiscal year caps and political policies constricting visa availability, experts caution that the retrogression trend may persist in the months ahead.