EB-2 and EB-2 NIW Visa Issuance Suspended Until October 2025

EB-2 and EB-2 NIW Visa Issuance Suspended Until October 2025.

The U.S. Department of State has announced that the annual quota of EB-2 visas for Fiscal Year 2025 has been fully reached. As a result, no additional EB-2 visas, including the EB-2 NIW category, will be issued until the start of the next fiscal year on October 1, 2025.

This suspension does not prevent the filing or approval of I-140 petitions (EB-2 NIW), but it does delay the final issuance of the green card until new visa numbers become available in the next fiscal cycle.

Key implications for applicants in process:

1.    Validity of I-140 petitions

Approved I-140 petitions remain valid, as does the applicant’s priority date. Once new visas are released in October, green card issuance will resume as normal.

2.    Consular interviews on hold

U.S. consulates and embassies cannot issue EB-2 visas until the new quota is available. However, applicants will not need to restart or resubmit their cases.

3.    Expected and recurring procedure

This development follows the standard U.S. practice: once the annual EB-2 allocation is exhausted, visa issuance is paused until the beginning of the new fiscal year.