The US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs recently released its Visa Bulletin for January 2025, giving updates to the green card applicants. The bulletin shows significant progress for family-sponsored and employment-based (EB) visa categories, benefitting Indian applicants, in particular.
The Department of State releases a Visa Bulletin every month providing updates on the availability of immigrant visa numbers for applicants waiting in queues to apply for green cards in the US.
As per data, the limit for employment-based preference immigrants has been kept at 1.4 lakh, while the cap for family-sponsored category immigrants is 2.26 lakh.
More than a million Indians are waiting for green cards in the US, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
In the employment-based categories, the backlog for Indians is expected to reach 21.9 lakh by the financial year 2030, which will take 195 years to get cleared, according to the estimates by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
Family-sponsored visa
With a community of roughly five million, Indians in the US are considered among the most influential immigrant groups.
For family-sponsored preference immigrants, the limit for FY 2025 has been set at 2,26,000, while the per-country limit for preference immigrants is fixed at 7% of the total number of annual family-sponsored visas.
Among the major changes in the US Visa Bulletin for 2025 are:
1. First Preference (F1): In this category, the final action date for Indians has advanced from October 22, 2015, to November 22, 2015. This is a reserved category for unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens. Meanwhile, the date for filing family-sponsored visa applications remains September 1, 2017.
2. Second Preference (F2A and F2B): Final action date for F2A category for children and spouses of permanent residents is unchanged at January 1, 2022, while the same for F2B category (unmarried sons and daughters of the permanent residents), it is improved from May 1, 2016, to May 22, 2016.
3. Third Preference (F3): Final action date shifts from April 15, 2010, to July 1, 2010. The date for filing applications here has also come down to July 22, 2012, from April 22, 2012.
4. Fourth Preference (F4): In this category, the final action date has advanced from March 8, 2006, to April 8, 2006, while the date of filing has moved from August 1, 2006, to August 15, 2006.
Employment-based visa
First Preference (EB-1): In this category for priority workers, the final action date remains February 1, 2022.
Second Preference (EB-2): Final action date advances from August 1, 2012, to October 1, 2012. This is for members of professionals holding advanced degrees as well as persons of exceptional ability.
Third Preference (EB-3): The final action date is December 1, 2012. It was November 8, 2012.
Fourth Preference (EB-4): In this category for the specific category of immigrants, the final action date is unchanged (January 1, 2021).
Fifth Preference (EB-5): Here, the final action date remains January 1, 2022.