GUWAHATI: US President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration agenda has dealt a setback to Indian nationals seeking permanent residency through the EB-5 visa route.
ALSO READ: Centre Directs Hospitals To Submit Timely Reports On Organ Donations
The latest Visa Bulletin issued by the US Department of State for May has revealed retrogression in the Employment-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) Unreserved category for Indian applicants, pushing the final action date back by more than six months.
The move is attributed to increased demand from Indian applicants and a growing number of petitions from other countries, which has strained the annual visa cap. The bulletin noted that this retrogression was “necessary to hold number use within the maximum allowed under the FY-2025 annual limits.” In contrast, the EB-5 cutoff date for China remains unchanged, indicating a specific backlog in the Indian segment.
The EB-5 programme is designed for immigrant investors, with reserved slots for investments in rural areas, high-unemployment zones, or infrastructure projects. However, the unreserved category continues to see the highest concentration of applications, particularly from Indian nationals, leading to faster depletion of visas.
The employment-based immigration cap for FY-2025 stands at 140,000, with each country limited to seven per cent, or 25,620 visas annually. As the Trump administration tightens its "America First" policies, even legal immigration pathways such as EB-5 are facing increased restrictions, marking a broader impact on high-skilled immigrants and foreign investors.