US warns EB-1 green cards for Indians may run out within weeks amid surging demand

WASHINGTON: The United States has warned that employment-based first-preference (EB-1) green cards for Indians could become unavailable within weeks due to high demand, adding to the severe backlog facing Indian applicants.

In its September Visa Bulletin, the US State Department said demand and visa use by applicants from India could exhaust the country's EB-1 allocation before the US fiscal year ends on September 30.

“High demand and number use by aliens chargeable to India in the EB-1 visa category may necessitate making the category unavailable in the coming weeks if India's pro-rated limit in the EB-1 category is reached before the fiscal year ends,” the department said. EB-1 covers priority workers, including people with extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and certain multinational executives and managers.

The warning comes as Indian applicants already face severe restrictions in other employment-based categories. The September final action date for EB-1 India is October 15, 2022, meaning applicants generally need a priority date earlier than that cutoff for a visa number to be available for final action.

EB-2 India, which covers professionals with advanced degrees and people of exceptional ability, remains unavailable in September after also being listed as unavailable in August. (IANS)

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