Freeze Likely on US Employment Visas; F2A Family Filings Stay Open

(INDIA) A freeze on most U.S. employment-based (EB) green card categories is highly likely by the end of September 2025, while the family-sponsored F2A category for spouses and minor children of Green Card holders remains open for filing. The U.S. Department of State’s Visa Office has warned that annual limits for EB categories will be reached in August and September, pushing many categories to “unavailable” status until October 1, 2025, when the new fiscal year begins and fresh visa numbers are released.

For Indian workers, the pressure is sharpest in EB-2 and EB-3 for India, where Final Action Dates have stalled and no forward movement is expected before the fiscal year closes.

Why the backlog is happening

The numbers explain the strain:

• Employment-based Green Cards (FY 2025): 150,037
• Family-based Green Cards (FY 2025): 226,000
• Per-country limit: 7% (about 26,323 visas), with India among the highest-demand countries along with China, Mexico, and the Philippines

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, steady usage and heavy demand have driven the EB backlog to a point where a late-year freeze is now more a scheduling reality than a surprise.

What a freeze means in practical terms

• A freeze means many EB categories will show as “unavailable” in the monthly Visa Bulletin until the new visa year begins on October 1.
• EB-4 is already unavailable for all countries.
• EB-5 (Unreserved) for India remains set at November 15, 2019.
• EB-1 remains current for most countries, but China and India have retrogressed dates.
• For India’s largest EB queues:
  • EB-2 is stuck at January 1, 2013
  • EB-3 is stuck at May 22, 2013
  • No improvement is expected before October.

Important: If a category becomes “unavailable,” no filings that require a current Final Action Date can be submitted until the category reopens.

A rare opening: F2A (spouses and minor children of green card holders)

• F2A remains open for filing in the September 2025 Visa Bulletin.
• Dates for Filing advance to June 1, 2025 for all countries, including India.
• Final Action Date sits at September 1, 2022, meaning:
  • Cases can be filed now (to secure place in line), but
  • Approvals will wait until visa numbers are available — likely after October 1, 2025.

This filing window gives many Indian Green Card holders separated from spouses or minor children a chance to secure a place in line even if the green card approval arrives later.

USCIS and filing behavior in August 2025

• USCIS is following the Final Action Dates chart for EB filings in August 2025.
• Only applicants with priority dates earlier than the listed cutoff can file adjustment of status.
• Applicants with later priority dates must wait until the new fiscal year.
• The State Department urges close monitoring of the monthly bulletin at the official Visa Bulletin page:
  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2025/visa-bulletin-for-august-2025.html

Real-world impact for Indian applicants

Many Indian professionals have pursued U.S. jobs for years and now face stalled green card queues due to per-country limits. The stop-start rhythm affects:

• Life plans and family timing (especially for children approaching age 21)
• Job choices and relocation decisions
• Employer hiring and onboarding timelines

Example: An engineer in Hyderabad with an EB-2 priority date in 2014 cannot file in September because the cutoff is January 1, 2013. If the category becomes unavailable, filing must wait until October—if dates advance.

Policy signals and official guidance (summary)

• The State Department warned that most EB annual limits will be reached in August and September 2025, leading to a likely freeze until October 1, 2025.
• EB-2 and EB-3 for India: no movement — EB-2 at January 1, 2013, EB-3 at May 22, 2013.
• F2A: open for filing; Dates for Filing at June 1, 2025 for all countries in September; Final Action at September 1, 2022.
• Diversity Visa 2025 applicants must complete processing by September 30, 2025, or risk losing eligibility.
• No new law changing annual limits or per-country caps has been enacted as of August 2025.

How the State Department manages supply: When demand exceeds supply, the Department uses retrogression (moving dates backward) or sets categories to “unavailable” to keep within annual totals.

Impact & action checklist

For EB applicants:
– If your priority date is earlier than the posted Final Action Date:
– You can file for adjustment (if in the U.S.) or proceed with consular processing (if abroad).
– If your priority date is not current:
– Prepare for the likely freeze and be ready to file after October 1, 2025, if dates advance.
– Expect little to no movement in EB-2 and EB-3 for India before the fiscal year ends.
– Keep documents current and watch the monthly Visa Bulletin.

For F2A families (step-by-step):
1. Check the Dates for Filing (September 2025: June 1, 2025 for all countries).
2. File Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative): https://www.uscis.gov/i-130.
3. If the beneficiary is in the U.S., file Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) when eligible: https://www.uscis.gov/i-485.
– If abroad, proceed with consular processing after petition approval.
4. Monitor the Final Action Date (September 1, 2022) — approvals will issue only when a visa number becomes available, likely after October 1, 2025.
5. Check the Visa Bulletin monthly for any movement.

For Diversity Visa 2025 winners:
– Complete visa issuance or adjustment by September 30, 2025; DV numbers expire after that date.

Key limits shaping the situation

Countries with the heaviest demand: India, China, Mexico, Philippines.

Final takeaways and recommendations

• Families benefit now because F2A is open for filing, even though approvals will lag.
• Workers in backlogged EB queues face a pause but can plan for the start of the new visa year.
• Employers should prepare hiring/onboarding plans where offers depend on cutoffs moving after October 1, 2025.
• This cycle — heavy demand, late-year freeze, early-year release of new numbers — is familiar to long-waiting Indian applicants.
• While legislative changes (raising caps or changing per-country limits) are hoped for by some, none have been enacted as of August 2025.

Best approach: act quickly where filing is permitted, keep documents ready, and track the monthly Visa Bulletin for the first signs of movement when the new fiscal year opens.