June 2025 Visa Bulletin brings no relief for Indian green card aspirants

The US Department of State has published the June 2025 Visa Bulletin, and unfortunately, it offers little relief for Indian nationals facing extended green card backlogs. Despite increasing demand and extensive wait times, minimal progress in the Final Action Dates for key employment and family-based immigrant visa categories affecting India has been made.

A USCIS visa refers to a visa managed or processed by the US Department of Homeland Security. USCIS is responsible for approving immigration petitions related to employment, family reunification or asylum, which serve as essential steps toward obtaining US visas, green cards or citizenship. While USCIS does not directly issue visas, that responsibility falls under the US Department of State, it plays a crucial role in assessing eligibility and handling applications for both immigrant and non-immigrant benefits within the US immigration system.

For employment-based green cards, the second preference (EB-2) category for India remained unchanged at December 1, 2012, while the third preference (EB-3) category held firm at February 1, 2013. This lack of movement means that only applicants with priority dates earlier than these can proceed with the final processing. The prolonged wait persists for highly skilled Indian professionals, particularly those in STEM fields, with little indication of immediate advancement.

The EB-5 Unreserved category, which includes direct investment pathways like C5, T5, I5 and R5, remains backtracked to November 1, 2019. However, there is a positive development for investors in the EB-5 Set-Aside categories, Rural, High Unemployment and Infrastructure, as these remain “Current,” allowing applications to proceed without delays.

Family-sponsored visa categories continue to see little advancement. The F1 category, for unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens, remains at November 22, 2015, while the F3 category, covering married sons and daughters of US citizens, holds at July 1, 2010. Meanwhile, the F4 category, which applies to siblings of US citizens, has made only a slight move forward to August 8, 2006, reflecting the ongoing slow pace of family unification under existing immigration limits.

These statistics underscore the ongoing difficulties caused by per-country limits and the high demand from India. Many applicants, particularly in employment-based categories, endure wait times extending beyond a decade. Immigration advocates continue to push for urgent reforms aimed at creating a more equitable and efficient system.

For complete details and the latest updates, applicants and stakeholders can visit the official website June 2025 Visa Bulletin released by the US Department of State.

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