For thousands of Indian immigrants, the path to the American dream is becoming more uncertain. The latest U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin for May 2025 delivers a harsh blow, especially to those in the EB-5 unreserved category. Due to high demand, this visa category for Indians has retrogressed by more than six months, moving the cutoff date to May 1, 2019.
China’s cutoff, in contrast, holds steady at January 22, 2014. The bulletin explains that soaring Indian demand, combined with increased global applications, has forced this rollback to stay within annual limits for FY2025.
The employment-based first (EB-1) and second (EB-2) categories saw no changes. For EB-1, India’s cutoff remains February 2, 2022, while EB-2 stays at January 1, 2013. All other nations continue to be current in EB-1, with slight variations in EB-2.
Some relief comes in EB-3, where India’s date moved forward by two weeks to April 15, 2013. EB-3 Other Workers follows suit. However, these minor advances are overshadowed by the retrogression in EB-5—a key route for investor immigrants.
Visa retrogression signals that more applicants are vying for limited spots, especially toward the fiscal year’s end, tightening the process.
President Trump’s re-election in January 2025 has reignited his hardline immigration agenda. While illegal immigration faces stricter scrutiny, legal and skilled pathways like H-1B and green cards are also bearing the brunt.
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