US halts EB-2 visas after reaching annual cap for fiscal year 2025
Embassies pause visa processing until 1st October
DUBAI – The US Department of State, in coordination with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), has confirmed that all available immigrant visas in the Employment-Based Second Preference (EB-2) category for fiscal year 2025 have been issued.
This suspension affects thousands of skilled workers and professionals worldwide. US embassies and consulates have been instructed to stop issuing EB-2 visas until the next fiscal year begins on 1st October 2025.
The EB-2 category, set by the Immigration and Nationality Act, is capped annually at 28.6 percent of the worldwide employment-based visa quota. With this year’s allocation exhausted, applicants must now wait for the new quota to become available.
What is EB-2?
The EB-2 visa is reserved for professionals with advanced degrees, or individuals with exceptional ability in areas such as science, business, or the arts. It usually requires a job offer from a US employer and an approved labour certification.
In certain cases, a National Interest Waiver allows applicants to bypass these requirements if their work is deemed beneficial to the United States.
For many applicants, particularly from India, the freeze adds to long-standing delays. The September 2025 Visa Bulletin shows no advancement in final action dates for Indian EB-2 applicants, which remain stuck at 1 January 2013. This means only those with priority dates earlier than this can proceed with their applications.
When will visas resume?
According to a State Department spokesperson, “The annual limits for all employment-based visa categories will reset with the beginning of the new fiscal year, which starts on October 1, 2025.” At that time, consulates and embassies worldwide will resume issuing visas in the EB-2 category to eligible applicants.