Major US Green Card routes shut till October 1, Indians face longer waits

India's Long Green Card Waits Continue as EB-3 & EW Categories Hit Cap

The U.S. State Department, in conjunction with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), has announced that the EB-3 (skilled workers, professionals, and other workers) and EW (other workers) employment-based Green Card categories have reached their numerical caps for Fiscal Year 2025. As a result, no new Green Cards will be issued under these categories until October 1, 2025, when the new fiscal year begins.

 

This move follows earlier announcements that the EB-1 (priority workers) and EB-2 (professionals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability) categories had also hit their limits. 

 

 For many Indian nationals, this adds to already long wait times in securing permanent residency through employment-based pathways.

 

 

What This Means for Indian Applicants

 

Extended waiting times: With EB-3 and EW on pause, applicants in these categories must wait until October 1 to resume their Green Card processing. This compounds delays already facing many due to per-country caps. 

 

Impact across categories: As EB-1 and EB-2 have also been temporarily halted, skilled professionals, researchers, and others who typically apply via those categories are affected. This means that nearly all major employment-based immigration routes are facing suspension until the fiscal reset. 

 

Alternatives under watch: Some applicants may explore other immigration paths, such as the EB-5 investor route, often viewed as more predictable under certain conditions. However, EB-5 has its own investment thresholds, risks and delays.

 

Why This Happened & Key Details

 

U.S. law limits the number of Green Cards issued in different employment-based categories each fiscal year. Once a category’s cap is reached, no more may be issued until the next year. 

 

The fiscal year for U.S. immigration ends on September 30. After that date, all caps are reset, allowing new issuance to resume. 

 

Indian nationals typically face long backlogs due to high demand and country quotas, especially in EB-2 and EB-3. The halt means many will have to wait even longer, even if their priority date is current—or close to becoming current.

 

What Applicants Should Do

 

Check priority dates: Confirm where you stand in the Visa Bulletin. If your date isn't current, the halt may not affect you immediately—but clarity is crucial.

 

Plan finances & patience: Expect delays. The pause underscores the importance of factoring longer waiting times into your career and living arrangements.

 

Explore other visa categories: If EB-3 or EW was your main path, consider whether other routes (family-based, EB-5, etc.) might offer better timelines.

 

Larger Implications

 

This halt in major employment Green Card categories reflects the persistent mismatch between U.S. immigration demand and the fixed number of slots available each year. For India—which supplies a large part of skilled worker immigrant demand—these caps can have ripple effects: career prospects, family planning, immigration strategy, and even decisions around staying in the U.S. under non-immigrant visas.