Great News for Indian Applicants!
The latest US Visa Bulletin brings excellent updates for Indian nationals in the green card queue!
This month, India’s green card applicants have advanced in priority, meaning many waiting for a U.S. permanent residency can expect quicker processing times. A significant step forward for thousands hoping to work and live in the United States!
🔹 What this means:
- Faster movement in priority dates.
- More chances to apply for green cards sooner than expected.
- Relief for families and professionals waiting for their turn.
For Indian candidates considering an American visa, the US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs offers some good news. Significant advancements have been made in the employment-based (EB) and family-sponsored visa categories, which may be especially advantageous for Indian applicants, according to the January 2025 Visa Bulletin.
The Department of State publishes the US Visa Bulletin every month, which informs applicants who are waiting to apply for a green card in the US about the availability of immigrant visa numbers.
The yearly cap for employment-based preference immigrants has been maintained at 1,40,000, while the cap for family-sponsored category immigrants has been set at 2,26,000.More than a million Indians are awaiting green cards, according to data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). By FY 2030, the backlog for Indians in employment-based categories is expected to reach 21.9 lakh, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The expected time to clear that is 195 years.
With a current population of five million, Indians in the US have emerged as one of the most significant immigrant groups in the nation.
CASES OF FAMILY-SPONSORED VISA PREFERENCE
The per-country cap for preference immigrants is established at 7% of the total number of yearly family-sponsored visas, and the fiscal year 2025 cap for family-sponsored preference immigrants is set at 2,26,000.
There are a number of significant changes in this category in the US Visa Bulletin for 2025:
First Preference (F1): The final action date for Indians in this category has been moved up from October 22, 2015, to November 22, 2015. Only US citizens’ unmarried sons and daughters are eligible for this group. The deadline for submitting applications for family-sponsored visas, however, is still September 1, 2017.
Second Preference (F2A and F2B): January 1, 2022, is still the deadline for the F2A category, which includes spouses and children of permanent residents. However, the final action date for the F2B category (unmarried sons and daughters of permanent residents) has been moved up from May 1, 2016, to May 22, 2016, by only a few days.
Third Preference (F3): The final action deadline has been advanced by roughly two months, from April 15, 2010, to July 1, 2010, for this family-sponsored visa category, which includes married sons and daughters of US citizens. Additionally, the application deadline has been moved up from April 22, 2012, to July 22, 2012.
Fourth Preference (F4): The last action date for this group, which comprises siblings of adult US citizens, has been moved up from March 8, 2006 to April 8, 2006. Additionally, the filing deadline has been slightly advanced from August 1, 2006, to August 15, 2006.