US puts possible Green Card route on hold till October
What's the story
The US State Department has announced that the EB-3 and EW visa categories have reached their annual limits for fiscal year 2025. This announcement comes after similar news for EB-1 and EB-2 categories. The issuance of these visas will remain suspended until October 1, 2025, when new allocations are made available. With this, the US has put another potential Green Card route on hold.
Visa details
EB-3 category explained
The EB-3 category is meant for skilled workers and professionals. It is allotted 28.6% of the total annual employment-based immigrant visas, along with any unused numbers from EB-1 and EB-2 categories. The EW subcategory within EB-3 is for jobs requiring less than two years of training or experience, and has a yearly cap of 10,000 visas.
Impact on India
Further delays for Indian professionals
The halt in EB-3 and EW visa issuance will lead to further delays for Indian professionals. This is due to existing backlogs and limited visa availability. The September 2025 Visa Bulletin shows no movement in priority dates for Indian applicants, indicating years of backlog. For EB-3 applicants from India, the final action date remains at May 22, 2013.
Backlog issues
Impact of pauses in other categories
Previous pauses in EB-1 and EB-2 categories have already deepened backlog for the Indian applicants. While the EB-5 investor-category applicants from India saw progress in August 2025, employment-based categories did not benefit from these changes. The US embassies and consulates shall continue to not issue further EB-3 or EW visas until October 1.