EB-2 Green Cards Become Unavailable for The Remainder of FY 2025

Recently, the U.S. Department of State has revealed that no additional EB-2 visa slots will be available for the remainder of the fiscal year 2025. According to their official statement, the annual cap for this visa category has been reached. Hence, it has become unavailable until the start of the next fiscal year on October 1, 2025.

Within this time period, U.S embassies and consulates will not be able to issue any more EB-2 immigrant visas. Likewise, the USCIS will also not be able to approve an EB-2 adjustment of status. However, USCIS will likely continue accepting filings that remain current under the Visa Bulletin of September.

As one of the leading visa consultancy services, our best advice to you is: if your EB-2 case is current, it is a good idea to file now. However, your green card can’t be approved until October.

What do you need to know about this unavailability?

Here is our categorical breakdown of what you need to know about this unavailability.

• You can continue to file: USCIS will continue accepting EB-2 adjustment of status applications in September if your case remains current under the visa bulletin.
• Green cards won’t be approved until October: Despite filing now, your case won’t get an approval until the visa numbers are released with the upcoming fiscal year.
• The reset in October: The annual visa cap is set to get a revamp on October 1, 2025, with the resumption of the EB-2 approvals and visa issuance.
• Benefits of filing now: If you submit your application now, you can secure the authorization to work or travel. Though you will have to wait for a green card number.

A deeper dive into the pause

Every year, the U.S. regulations limit the number of EB-2 visas that can be issued internationally. In the fiscal year of 2025, this limit has already been met due to ostensibly high demand. Hence, the pending EB-2 cases will be paused until the new fiscal year. If you have a scheduled adjustment of status interview, you should still attend it. The officers will likely hold their final decision until all the visa numbers are available. The new visa numbers will become available on October 1, 2025. The USCIS and consular posts will begin approving cases subsequently.

For all visa-related updates and news, stay tuned to our blog section. At GCEB1, we are constantly staying updated on the immigration landscape and sharing the best suggestions with all applicants and visa holders. For more refined and personalised suggestions, get in touch with us.