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Business Standard

EB-5: Visa dates for Indian investors jump 6 months, Green Card line clears

The US Department of State's August 2025 Visa Bulletin on Tuesday brought some relief for Indian EB-5 applicants. The Final Action Date for India in the Unreserved EB-5 category has moved forward by over six months to November 15, 2019, one of the sharpest movements in this month's bulletin. 'For Indian applicants who've been waiting in a lengthy queue, this forward movement offers renewed hope,' Vinay Kumar, director – estate and succession planning at Client Associates told Business Standard. 'The reserved categories, including rural and high unemployment areas, remain current, and applicants in these usually receive their green cards within two to three years.' The EB-5 visa programme, which allows foreign investors to obtain US permanent residency, has become increasingly popular among Indian families seeking a direct route to a green card. What is the EB-5 visa? The EB-5 visa is a US immigrant investor programme under the employment-based fifth preference category. It allows foreign nationals to invest a minimum of $800,000 (around ₹7 crore) into a qualifying US business, provided it creates or preserves at least 10 jobs for American workers. The visa covers the investor, their spouse, and unmarried children under the age of 21. Upon approval, the family receives US green cards. Record backlog spurs shift to investor route The jump in priority dates comes at a time when the backlog for other US visa categories has grown sharply. As of July 2025, more than 11 million cases were pending across the US immigration system, including applications from Indian H-1B workers and family-based green card hopefuls. 'With the record backlog crushing hopes for other categories, EB-5 has become the fastest and most assured route to US permanent residency,' Piyush Gupta, vice president for India and Middle East at CanAm Enterprises told Business Standard. 'The six-month jump in priority dates is a welcome development for Indian investors.' Why the dates moved forward In April 2025, the EB-5 Unreserved final action date for India was pushed back due to high demand. However, the August 2025 bulletin notes that unused family-sponsored visas are now available to be reallocated to employment-based categories, including EB-5. This allowed the Department of State to move India's Final Action Date to November 15, 2019. The EB-5 Unreserved category includes investments made outside of designated high-unemployment or rural areas. USCIS cautioned that if the annual cap for EB-5 Unreserved is reached, the category could be made 'unavailable' again with immediate effect. Surge in Indian EB-5 demand According to the American Immigrant Investor Alliance (AIIA), demand from Indian nationals has grown sharply since April 2024, driven in part by stricter US controls on student and temporary work visas under President Donald Trump. 'In the first four months of FY2025 alone, Indian applicants filed more than 1,200 I-526E petitions across reserved categories—more than any prior full year,' Nicholas Mastroianni III, president and CMO of United States Immigration Fund (USIF), which runs EB-5 regional centres in the US, told Business Standard. Data published by the AIIA under the Freedom of Information Act shows that Indian EB-5 petition filings since October 2022 have exceeded 1,790. Year-wise Indian EB-5 filings FY2020: Around 290 FY2021: 80–100 (due to COVID-19 impact) FY2022: Over 1,100 (after Reform and Integrity Act) FY2023: Around 650–700 FY2024: Around 600–700 FY2025 (October 2024 to January 2025): Over 1,200 'If this pace continues, India could cross 2,000 filings by the end of FY2025,' said Mastroianni. Why Indians prefer EB-5 over H-1B or student visas 'There's growing uncertainty around temporary visa statuses,' said Gupta. 'With EB-5, investors have a more direct, secure alternative.' One factor making the route more appealing is the concurrent filing option. 'Applicants already in the US—such as students—can file their EB-5 petition and green card application at the same time,' Gupta said. 'This allows them to stay, work and travel while their case is processed.' Mastroianni added, 'It's not just about faster green cards. EB-5 means freedom from H-1B lotteries, employer dependence and annual visa renewals. It gives families more control.' No reliance on lottery systems