ADVERTISEMENTs
August Visa Bulletin: US eases green card wait for some Indians
EB-3 and EB-5 India dates moved forward; EB-1, EB-2 unchanged, retrogression likely if visa demand stays high.
-
Pranavi Sharma - Thu, 17, Jul 2025
- 03:17 EDT
- 17
.jpg)
Stock image. / istock
Indian green card applicants received some relief in the latest U.S. State Department Visa Bulletin for August 2025, with modest improvements in two employment-based categories. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed it will continue using the “Final Action Dates” chart to determine who can file for adjustment of status.
The biggest change is in the EB-3 (Skilled Workers and Professionals) category. The final action date for India has moved ahead by one month—from Apr.22, 2013, to May 22, 2013. This change allows Indian applicants with EB-3 petitions filed before May 22, 2013, to receive green card approvals.
There is also progress in the EB-5 (Unreserved) category. The final action date for India has advanced to Nov.15, 2019, more than six months ahead of the previous cutoff. This comes after an earlier retrogression in April. According to the bulletin, “It is expected that India will have unused family-sponsored preference numbers that… can fall down for use in the employment-based categories, including EB-5 Unreserved.”
However, the final action dates for EB-1 and EB-2 India remain unchanged at Feb.15, 2022, and Jan.1, 2013, respectively. These categories have not seen any movement in recent months.
The bulletin includes a cautionary note. The State Department has warned that the EB-2 and EB-3 categories are nearing their annual limits for the fiscal year. If demand remains high, these categories could face retrogression—or be made unavailable—starting in September.
“If at any time an annual limit were reached, it would be necessary to immediately make the preference category ‘unavailable’, and no further requests for numbers would be honored,” the bulletin states.
The EB-5 set-aside categories—meant for investments in rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure areas—remain current for all countries, including India. That means applicants in these categories can continue to file without waiting for priority date cutoffs.
USCIS continues to advise applicants to refer to the Final Action Dates to determine their eligibility for adjustment of status in August. These dates reflect the actual visa availability and determine whether an application can proceed that month.
Related
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login