For Indians eyeing an American visa, the US Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs has some good news. The Visa Bulletin for January 2025 hints at notable progress in several visa categories, including family-sponsored and employment-based (EB) categories, which is likely to benefit applicants from India. Currently, the annual cap for employment-based preference immigrants has been set at 1,40,000, while the limit for family-sponsored category immigrants has been kept at 2,26,000.
The US Department of State issues a monthly Visa Bulletin, providing information regarding the availability of immigrant visa numbers for applicants seeking a green card in the United States.
According to the data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), over a million Indians are waiting for green cards. As per the Congressional Research Service (CRS) estimation, the backlog concerning Indians in employment-based categories is likely to reach 21.9 lakh by FY2030, taking potentially 195 years to get clear.
Notably, the number of Indians in the US has reached five million, becoming one of the most influential communities in the US.
Key highlights
- In the family-sponsored categories, the following notable changes have been made:
- First Preference (F1)- For Indians falling in this category, the final action date stands advanced by one month i.e. from October 22, 2015, to November 22, 2015. This category pertains to unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens
- Second Preference (F2A and F2B)- The final action date for the F2A category, which includes spouses and children of permanent residents, has not been changed and remains as earlier on January 1, 2022, while for the F2B category, which takes into consideration unmarried sons and daughters of permanent residents, the final action date has been slightly advanced by few days from May 1, 2016, to May 22, 2016.
- Third Preference (F3)- This family-sponsored visa category encompasses married sons and daughters of US citizens. For this category, the final action date has been taken forward by almost two months, from April 15, 2010, to July 1, 2010. Additionally, the date for filing applications also stands advanced, from April 22, 2012, to July 22, 2012.
- Fourth Preference (F4)- For this category, which includes brothers and sisters of adult US citizens, the final action date has seen slight advancement, taking it to April 8, 2006, from the previously scheduled date of March 8, 2006.
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