US pauses issuing of EB-5 visa for the remainder of the FY 2025 as the cap has been reached.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that all available immigrant visas in the EB-5 (unreserved) category have been issued for fiscal year 2025 and hence, there will be no new visas issued in this category till September 30. The annual limits will be reset with the start of the new fiscal year on October 1, 2025. “At that point, embassies and consulated may resume issuing immigrant visas in this category to qualified applicants,” the US State Department said. “The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) limits the number of employment-based preference immigrant visas that may be issued within a fiscal year. Specifically, INA 203(b)(5) provides that the annual limit for EB-5 visas is 7.1 percent of the worldwide employment limit, of which 68 percent is available for unreserved visa categories (C5, T5, I5, R5, RU, NU). Additionally, the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 specifies that unused EB-5 reserved visas from FY 2023 may be made available in the EB-5 unreserved categories for FY 2025. The calculation of the annual limit that has been reached includes these numbers,” it said.Details of US Visa Bulletin October 2025
What is an EB-5 visa? Green card route for investors
The EB-5 visa is a US immigrant visa category that allows foreign investors (and their spouses and unmarried children under 21) to obtain a green card by making a qualifying investment in the US economy. The requirement includes a standard investment of a minimum $1.05 million in a new commercial enterprise. The applicant must ensure that they create or preserve at least 10 full-time jobs for qualifying US workers within two years of the investor’s admission to the US as a conditional permanent resident.The EB-5 visa program was created in 1990 to stimulate the US economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors.
