US Freezes EB-2 Green Card Issuance Until September 30; Indian Applicants to Face Extended Delays

The United States has officially halted EB-2 green card issuance until September 30, 2025, as the category has hit its annual limit for the fiscal year 2025. This affects skilled Indian professionals, who now face even longer wait times due to an already heavy backlog.

EB-2 Visa Cap Reached: What it Means for Applicants

The US State Department confirmed that the annual cap under the Employment-Based Second Preference (EB-2) visa for FY 2025 has been met. This means no new EB-2 green cards will be issued until the new fiscal year begins on October 1, 2025. 

The EB-2 category generally covers individuals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability recognised in fields such as science, business or the arts. In total, 28.6% of all employment-based visas are allocated under this category per Section 203(b)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Extending Wait Times for Indian Applicants

Indian nationals are among the most affected by this development. The September 2025 visa bulletin reports no movement in the final action dates for Indian EB-2 applicants, with the priority cutoff date stuck at January 1, 2013. 

This means only applicants with an approved I-140 petition before this date are eligible for final green card processing. Those with later dates will have to wait until at least October 2025 to see if their cases can progress.

Read More: 3 Lakh Indian Students Alerted by US: Law Breach Could End in Visa Loss and Lifetime Ban!

Implications for Visa Scheduling and Processing

Until October 1, 2025, neither US embassies nor consulates will schedule interviews or issue immigrant visas under EB-2. USCIS will also stop processing adjustment of status applications for EB-2 if the priority date is not current.

This effectively pauses all movement under this category, deepening the bottleneck, especially for Indian professionals, who already face multi-decade waits across employment-based visa tiers.

Conclusion

The temporary halt of EB-2 green card issuance reflects annual quota limitations and long-standing immigration challenges. Indian applicants will need to continue waiting as the visa backlog and retrogressed priority dates remain major bottlenecks for employment-based immigration to the US.

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