The U.S. Department of State has announced a temporary suspension of EB-2 skilled worker visas after exhausting the full annual quota for the 2025 fiscal year. This development impacts thousands of highly qualified professionals worldwide who must now wait until October 1, 2025, when the new fiscal year begins and visa numbers are replenished.
What Is the EB-2 Visa?
The EB-2 visa is designed for professionals holding advanced degrees or individuals with exceptional abilities in their fields. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, EB-2 visas account for about 28.6% of all employment-based immigrant visas each year. Once this cap is reached, U.S. embassies and consulates cannot issue further EB-2 visas until the next fiscal cycle.
A Growing Backlog
The suspension comes amid an unprecedented immigration backlog. Data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shows over 11.3 million pending applications across all categories. Countries with heavy demand, such as India, face particularly long wait times, highlighting the increasing global competition for U.S. employment visas.
What Applicants Need to Know
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The freeze applies only to EB-2 visas.
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Other categories like EB-1, EB-3, and EB-4 remain open based on priority dates and demand.
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The September Visa Bulletin had already warned that EB-2 and EB-3 categories would hit their limits by the end of the month.
Immigration experts stress that such pauses are cyclical and not unusual, as annual quotas are often depleted before the fiscal year ends.
Alternative Pathways
While EB-2 remains frozen, several options are still available:
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E-2 Visa: For investors from treaty countries, allowing business operations in the U.S. without a quota, though it does not lead directly to permanent residency.
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EB-5 Program: Grants a green card for an investment starting at $800,000, provided the project creates at least 10 jobs, covering the investor and immediate family.
Fraud Risks
Legal experts warn against scams circulating on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where misleading ads promote “fast-track” green card schemes. Lawyers emphasize these are often fraudulent pathways that can put applicants at severe legal risk.
What’s Next?
The EB-2 category will reopen with the new fiscal year in October 2025, but immigration observers predict the pent-up demand will cause the quota to be used up quickly, repeating the cycle of delays. Analysts argue that the only long-term solution lies in Congress raising the annual visa caps to match growing demand for skilled immigration.