Extra FY2025 visas for China and India (August 2025 visa bulletin)

The August 2025 Visa Bulletin has been published with a nice surprise: advanced final action dates for China Unreserved and India Unreserved. These countries had retrogressed back in April 2025, effectively shutting down the flow of Unreserved EB-5 visas for the year to China and India. Now the Visa Bulletin is moving dates forward to allow more visa issuance to these countries in August and September — the last months of this fiscal year. Chart A moved to December 8, 2015 for China and to November 15, 2019 for India.

I’m quoting below the notes at the base of the Visa Bulletin that explain the changes. Basically, when one country/category gets more visas, it means that another is having problems. China EB-5 will get more 2025 visas after all because Department of State has not managed to allocate visas to Rest of World EB-5 applicants. (The Visa Bulletin delicately says: “[rest of world] EB-5 number use has not materialized to the degree that was expected.” This might mean that the thousands of ROW EB-5 applicants registered at NVC have disappeared. But I’m readier to blame consulates for failing to schedule interviews and request numbers for ROW applicants who are ready to go.) Meanwhile, DOS credits low family-based visa issuance for extra visas now being made available at year-end to India EB-5.

The following chart shows how monthly EB-5 visa issuance to China and India dropped after April retrogression, but without any increase to ROW visa issuance. Now we can expect China and India numbers to spike up again for August and September 2025, while Rest of World applicants can look forward to their backlog being punted to 2026. (My previous post discussed how the ROW waitlist as of 2023 mostly did not get 2024 visas but instead pushed into 2025.)

Quoting from the August 2025 Visa Bulletin:

F.  VISA AVAILABILITY IN THE EMPLOYMENT-BASED FIFTH PREFERENCE (EB-5) UNRESERVED CATEGORY FOR CHINA

In the April 2025 Visa Bulletin, the EB-5 Unreserved final action date for China was retrogressed due to high Rest of World demand.  In the months that followed, EB-5 number use has not materialized to the degree that was expected.  Consequently, and in accordance with INA 202(a)(5), the EB-5 Unreserved final action dates for China has advanced to allow continued EB-5 Unreserved number use.  Note that if at any time the EB-5 Unreserved annual limit were reached, it would be necessary to immediately make the preference category “unavailable”, and no further requests for numbers would be honored. 

G.  VISA AVAILABILITY IN THE EMPLOYMENT-BASED FIFTH PREFERENCE (EB-5) UNRESERVED CATEGORY FOR INDIA

In the April 2025 Visa Bulletin, the EB-5 Unreserved final action date for India was retrogressed due to high demand.  It is expected that India will have unused family sponsored preference numbers that, under INA 202(a)(2), can fall down for use in the employment-based categories, including EB-5 Unreserved.  As a result, the final action date for EB-5 Unreserved has been advanced to use these available numbers.  Note that if at any time the EB-5 Unreserved annual limit were reached, it would be necessary to immediately make the preference category “unavailable”, and no further requests for numbers would be honored. 

I look forward to hearing what Joey Barnett and Charlie Oppenheim have to say about the August Visa Bulletin in the next episode of WR Immigration’s Chatting with Charlie.