May 2025 Visa Bulletin Disappoints Indian Applicants: US visa bulletin for May 2025 triggers concern among Indians as EB-5 category sees sharp retrogression.
The US Department of State’s recently released visa bulletin for May 2025 has left Indian nationals eyeing employment-based green cards and H-1B visas disheartened. The bulletin marks a notable setback, particularly in the EB-5 (Employment-Based Fifth Preference) Unreserved category for Indian applicants, where the final action cut-off date has been pushed back significantly — from November 2019 to May 1, 2019, reported gujaratsamachar.com.
In contrast, the EB-5 cut-off date for Chinese applicants remains unchanged at January 22, 2014, further adding to the growing unease among Indian visa seekers. The stagnation of the EB-1 (Employment-Based First Preference) category for India, still set at February 2, 2022, also offers little relief, while for China the EB-1 date holds at November 8, 2022. The EB-1 category remains current for all other nations.
The latest visa bulletin highlights visa retrogression and high demand, deepening concerns for Indian professionals seeking US permanent residency.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) explained that the backward shift was driven by “high demand and number use by India in the EB-5 unreserved visa categories,” compounded by increased applications from other countries. As a result, the State Department had to enforce the retrogression to stay within the annual limits set for fiscal year 2025.
The bulletin’s update has sparked widespread concern, especially among Indian IT professionals and business investors, many of whom are already navigating long waiting periods for US permanent residency. Immigration experts suggest that the situation underlines the pressing need for US immigration reform, as the growing backlog continues to frustrate qualified Indian applicants, despite their significant contributions to the American economy.
