Us Pauses Eb 5 Visas For Indian Applicants Till October

Indian nationals until the new fiscal year begins on October 1, 2026.

The US Department of State has confirmed that all available EB-5 unreserved visas for applicants chargeable to India have been used for FY 2026.

This means US embassies and consulates cannot issue any more visas in this category for the rest of the fiscal year. Visa issuance is expected to resume once the annual limits reset in FY 2027.

The EB-5 visa is one of the popular green card routes for wealthy investors.

Under this programme, foreign nationals can get permanent residency in the US by making a qualifying investment in an American business and creating jobs for US workers.

The pause will mainly affect Indian investors who were waiting for visa issuance under the unreserved EB-5 category.

Their applications may remain in the system, but final visa issuance cannot happen until fresh visa numbers become available from October 1.

According to the Economic Times report, the development shows the growing demand for the EB-5 route among Indian applicants.

The cap being reached means the number of available visas for India under this category has already been exhausted for the year.

The EB-5 programme has attracted many Indian families looking for a faster path to US permanent residency compared to other employment-based categories, which often face long backlogs. However, even the investor visa route is now facing pressure due to rising demand.

The US had already indicated in recent visa bulletins that EB-5 demand from India was increasing and that the situation was being closely monitored.

Reports had earlier warned that the category could face a cut-off rollback or become temporarily unavailable if demand continued to rise.

This latest development comes at a time when several employment-based visa categories for Indians are under heavy backlog pressure.

Recently, the US also reached the FY 2026 limit for EB-2 immigrant visas for Indian applicants, pausing further issuance in that category until October 1, 2026.

For Indian EB-5 applicants, the immediate impact is a delay of several months. Those who were expecting visa issuance before the end of the fiscal year may now have to wait until the new quota opens.

However, the pause does not mean the EB-5 programme has been cancelled. It only means the annual visa limit for Indian applicants in the unreserved category has been reached.

Once the new fiscal year begins, qualified applicants can again receive visas, depending on availability and priority dates.

The development is another reminder that even investment-based immigration routes are becoming increasingly competitive for Indians as demand for US green cards continues to rise.

If the quota is finished, then after October few will be kicked out :))))).

I thought India was the one to do cleanup.