Key Takeaways
• June 2025 Visa Bulletin shows no major progress for Indian employment-based green card categories EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3.
• Family-based green cards for Indians see minor advances, but wait times remain long due to country caps and yearly limits.
• Diversity Visa Program excludes Indian applicants; backlogs continue as annual employment-based green card limit remains around 140,000.
The June 2025 Visa Bulletin, released by the U.S. Department of State, brings ongoing concern and disappointment to many Indian nationals who are waiting for a green card. Most of the categories for employment-based green cards show little to no change this month. This situation, which has lasted for years, continues because there are more people wanting green cards than the current law allows to be approved each year.
Indian nationals, especially those working in industries like technology and engineering, are impacted the most. Many have been living, working, and building families in the United States 🇺🇸 for years while waiting their turn. But the lines are simply not moving fast enough. The wait times for Indian green card aspirants remain very long, with the June 2025 Visa Bulletin confirming there is little relief in sight.
Key Highlights from the June 2025 Visa Bulletin
The new Visa Bulletin reflects updates and continued delays in several areas:
- Employment-Based Categories: No major progress for Indian applicants in the main employment-based groups (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-5).
- Family-Sponsored Preferences: Small advances exist, but backlogs remain significant.
- Diversity Visa Program: Specific numbers set for each global region continue as planned.
- Ongoing Causes of Delay: Major backlogs persist due to yearly limits and country caps.
- Special Instructions from USCIS: Different charts applied for filing family- and employment-based applications.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these points to better understand what they mean for Indian green card hopefuls and others affected by these updates.
Employment-Based Categories: Stagnant for Indian Nationals
The employment-based categories are main pathways to a green card for many highly-skilled professionals. Each year, there are five main types known as EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-4, and EB-5. The June 2025 Visa Bulletin shows almost no change for India in the top three—EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3—as well as EB-5 for general investors.
EB-1 (Priority Workers)
- India: The cutoff date is February 15, 2022. This means Indian applicants with a priority date after this will have to wait. There is no improvement from last month.
- Other countries: China stands at November 8, 2022, with no change. All other countries remain “current,” meaning there is no backlog.
EB-2 (Advanced Degrees)
- India: The date stays at January 1, 2013. This is unchanged since May 2025 and represents a wait of more than 12 years for many. These are professionals like engineers, doctors, and scientists who hold advanced degrees.
- Other countries: China’s date remains unlisted in the summary, but all other regions continue to advance much more quickly.
EB-3 (Skilled Workers, Professionals, Other Workers)
- India: The cutoff date is April 15, 2013, the same as last month.
- China: Moves forward by three weeks to November 22, 2020.
- Other Countries: Move ahead by five weeks to February 8, 2023.
EB-5 (Investors)
- India: For investors not in special groups, the cutoff is May 1, 2019. No movement here either.
- China: Stays at January 22, 2014.
- Special EB-5 categories: Set aside categories—like those for rural or high-unemployment areas—remain “current” for almost all countries, which means applications can move forward, but these cases are much fewer.
Summary: For Indian applicants, none of the main employment-based groups make any forward progress this month. This is particularly tough for people who have been in the process for years, hoping for even a small change. The disappointment is especially deep for “Indian green card” seekers who have contributed greatly to the U.S. 🇺🇸 economy and workforce but remain stuck due to strict yearly limits.
Family-Sponsored Preferences: Small Steps Forward
Family-based green cards are another way people can legally move to the United States 🇺🇸 or bring over loved ones. While the backlog is not as large as for employment-based categories, Indian nationals face a long wait in several family groupings too.
Here’s what the June 2025 Visa Bulletin shows for family-sponsored categories:
- F1 (Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens): For Indian applicants, the date advances from March 15, 2016, to June 8, 2016. This is a small step forward.
- F2A (Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents): Remains at January 1, 2022, with no movement.
- F3 (Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens): For Indian applicants, moves up from April 1, 2011, to June 22, 2011. Again, a modest upgrade.
- F4 (Siblings of U.S. Citizens): For Indians, this category advances by two months. For all other regions, there’s no change at all.
While these increases give some hope to families waiting to reunite, the process remains slow. Many find themselves separated from family members for years—sometimes over a decade—due to the way the law sets yearly quotas.
Diversity Visa Program: Regional Quotas Hold Steady
Every year, the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery allows people from countries with low U.S. immigration rates to apply for a green card. For June 2025, these are the numbers by region:
- Africa: 42,500 spots, though Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco have their own restrictions.
- Asia: 8,250 spots, with Iran as an exception.
- Europe: 17,500 spots, with Russia and Uzbekistan excluded from the general number.
- North America: Bahamas only, 20 spots.
- Oceania: 1,550 spots.
- South America and the Caribbean: 2,300 spots.
People from India, as one of the highest source countries for U.S. immigrants, cannot apply through this program. This further narrows options for Indian green card applicants.
Why Are Wait Times and Backlogs So High?
The main reason for the delays, especially for Indian nationals, is the 7% per-country cap. This rule means that no single country can get more than 7 percent of the green cards in any category, no matter how many people apply from that country.
Here’s how this plays out:
- Even though India has over a million people waiting in some employment-based categories, it gets the same number of green cards as much smaller countries.
- The annual total for employment-based green cards is about 140,000 for all countries. With so many high-skilled Indian workers in popular categories (like EB-2 and EB-3), the line keeps getting longer.
- These strict caps create unfair waits. A person from India in EB-2 or EB-3 might wait more than a decade, while someone from another country might wait only a few months or years.
Other contributing factors include:
- Stricter policies on renewing H-1B work visas, especially under recent government changes.
- Pushes for changing rules in favor of “merit-based” immigration, sometimes at the expense of family-based routes or diversity visas.
- Not all unused green cards from less-popular countries “spill over” to high-demand groups, so some visas are lost each year when they could have been used to ease backlogs.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has shared that while the employment-based annual limit for 2025 is higher than it was before the pandemic, it is still lower than the peak numbers from 2021 to 2024. This means there’s no big increase in green cards coming soon, and the rules set by Congress three decades ago are still the ones limiting the number of approvals.
Analysis from VisaVerge.com suggests that unless Congress changes the law to increase annual green card limits or changes the country caps, the situation for Indian green card seekers will not improve much. Many experts agree that the current system is out-of-date and unable to handle today’s demand.
Filing Charts and What They Mean for Applicants
For June 2025, USCIS instructs all family-based green card applicants to use the “Dates for Filing” chart. This chart allows people to submit their green card paperwork a bit earlier, but it doesn’t mean a green card will be approved any sooner. The actual green card (“Final Action Date”) will still be based on movement in the later chart.
Applicants in employment-based categories must use the “Final Action Dates” chart, which reflects real waiting times until approval. Because the dates for Indian green card applicants have not moved, this means additional waiting.
You can always check the latest charts and updates on the U.S. Department of State’s official Visa Bulletin page, which spells out how to read the dates and apply them to your own case.
Impact on Different Stakeholders
The situation affects many groups:
- Indian Green Card Aspirants: Years-long waits can mean losing out on career promotions, delays in buying homes, or uncertainty about children’s futures.
- Employers: Companies relying on high-skilled talent find it hard to plan. Some lose valued workers if green cards don’t come through.
- U.S. Economy: The backlog can cause talented professionals to leave for countries with easier immigration rules, potentially costing the U.S. valuable skills and tax contributions.
- Families: Prolonged separation between spouses, parents, and children, or between siblings, continues to strain family ties.
Experts say the “brain drain”—when educated, talented people leave for other countries—could increase if waits get much longer. This is a recurring worry for both business leaders and lawmakers, especially when the United States 🇺🇸 is trying to stay competitive in fields like technology, science, and medicine.
Differing Views and Calls for Reform
Many advocacy groups, employers, and immigrants are calling for change. Their main requests are:
- End or raise the country caps: Allow larger countries like India to receive more green cards each year.
- Increase annual green card numbers: Update yearly totals to reflect modern demand, not numbers chosen 30 years ago.
- Faster recapture of unused visas: Use any leftover green cards from past years to ease backlogs.
- Simplify work visa renewals: Make it easier for people to remain in status while waiting, especially in the employment-based categories.
On the other side, some support keeping the caps to promote diversity among new residents and to avoid overwhelming the system. Congress has considered several proposals, but no agreement has been reached yet.
What Happens Next?
If you are an Indian national waiting in employment-based categories, the June 2025 Visa Bulletin shows that patience is still required. It’s a good idea to closely watch monthly bulletins from the U.S. Department of State and USCIS for any news about date movement or possible new rules.
You should stay informed about your priority date and keep all paperwork up to date so you’re ready to move forward when your date becomes current. Regularly check official resources like the Visa Bulletin and the USCIS adjustment of status page for the latest information.
Final Thoughts
The June 2025 Visa Bulletin is a clear sign that the system, especially for Indian green card applicants in employment-based categories, remains stuck. Progress is slow and hope for short-term change is slim unless Congress acts to fix the rules set decades ago. While there are small advances in some family categories, the main story is one of continued delays, long waits, and growing frustration.
If you or your loved ones are impacted, it’s important to keep up with the latest updates and to work with experienced immigration professionals if you need help navigating these complex rules. For the latest news, analysis, and helpful guides, trusted platforms like VisaVerge.com can provide support and information as the situation develops. While the wait continues, staying informed and prepared is the best step for anyone hoping to achieve the American dream through the green card process.
Learn Today
Visa Bulletin → A monthly publication by the U.S. Department of State showing current wait times and cutoff dates for green card categories.
Priority Date → The date an applicant’s petition is filed, used to determine their place in the green card queue.
EB Categories → Employment-based visa categories (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, etc.) for professionals and investors applying for permanent residence.
Country Cap → A rule limiting each country to 7% of green cards issued annually in any visa category, regardless of demand.
Final Action Date → The date when a green card can be approved and issued, based on availability and category movement.
This Article in a Nutshell
The June 2025 Visa Bulletin brings little hope to Indian green card seekers. Employment-based categories see no improvement, with strict annual country caps worsening the backlog. Minor progress occurs for some family categories, but the core challenge remains outdated rules. Without Congressional reform, wait times and frustration for Indian applicants will continue.
— By VisaVerge.com
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