No Relief For H-1B Holders: May 2025 Visa Bulletin Deals Major Setback To Green Card Hopefuls

The U.S. Department of State has released the Visa Bulletin for May 2025, and the news is far from encouraging for Indian nationals waiting for U.S. green cards.

The latest update includes a significant retrogression in the Employment-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) category for Indian applicants, along with continued stagnation in other employment-based visa categories.

EB-5 Category Sees Major Setback for Indian Investors

One of the biggest disappointments in the May bulletin is the EB-5 Unreserved category for India, which has retrogressed by over six months, moving the cutoff date backward to May 1, 2019. This means only Indian investors with priority dates earlier than that can move forward in the green card process.

Previously, Indian EB-5 investors could proceed without delay if they had invested in eligible U.S. projects, but now many will be stuck in a growing backlog. China’s EB-5 cutoff remains unchanged at January 22, 2014, while the category remains current for most other countries.

No Change in EB-1 Category for India

In the EB-1 (first preference) employment-based category, India’s cutoff date remains at February 2, 2022, with China’s at November 8, 2022. The category is current for all other countries, meaning applicants from those nations can continue filing without delay.

Stagnation Continues in EB-3 and Other Worker Categories

For EB-3 (third preference) and EB-3 Other Workers, India’s cutoff date is still April 15, 2013. China’s remains unchanged at April 1, 2017, and for all other countries, the cutoff holds at May 22, 2021. These long delays, especially for Indian applicants, continue to be a source of frustration.

EB-4 Category Remains Unavailable

The EB-4 (special immigrant) category is still listed as “unavailable” for all countries. This means all visas in this category for the current fiscal year have been used. It is unlikely to reopen until the new fiscal year begins on October 1, 2025.

What USCIS Says?

According to the bulletin, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will accept employment-based adjustment of status applications only from applicants whose priority dates are earlier than the Final Action Dates listed in the May bulletin.

Final Action Dates indicate when a green card can be approved.

Dates for Filing show when applicants can submit paperwork, even if final approval will take more time.

Impact of EB-5 Retrogression on Indian Green Card Applicants

The EB-5 retrogression especially hits Indian investors hard. Those who invested in U.S. projects expecting quick processing now face long delays. Due to high demand and country-specific visa caps (just 7% of employment-based visas per country), India’s share of EB-5 visas is limited. With only 9,800 EB-5 visas available globally each year, the backlog is expected to grow.

The May 2025 Visa Bulletin brings continued disappointment for Indian green card hopefuls, particularly in the EB-5 category. With minimal movement in key employment-based categories and increasing delays, many are now looking to U.S. lawmakers for long-overdue immigration reform.