US Visa Bulletin May 2025: EB5 Retrogression Hot Indian Applicants Hard

Last Updated Apr - 14 - 2025, 04:59 PM | Source : Fela News

The US Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for May 2025 reveals a major setback for Indian nationals seeking EB-5 visas, with retrogression delaying their path

The US Department of State's Visa Bulletin for May 2025 has created challenges for Indian nationals seeking H-1B visas and green cards, especially under the Employment-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) category. The EB-5 Unreserved category for Indian applicants has retrogressed by over six months, from November 1, 2019, to May 1, 2019, delaying the path to permanent residency. In contrast, the cutoff date for Chinese applicants remains unchanged at January 22, 2014.

The bulletin attributes this setback to high demand from Indian applicants, compounded by increasing global applications. The retrogression in the EB-5 category is aimed at managing the annual visa limits. While other employment-based categories show little movement, the EB-3 category saw a slight advance of two weeks to April 15, 2013. Immigration policies, under the "America First" agenda of President Trump's administration, continue to affect both high-skilled immigrants and investment-driven visa applicants, such as those in the EB-5 category.