U.S. Tightens Green Card Access in July as India EB-2, EB-5 Visas Run Out
Updated
Updated · Newsweek · Jun 30
U.S. Tightens Green Card Access in July as India EB-2, EB-5 Visas Run Out
2 articles · Updated · Newsweek · Jun 30
Summary
July policy changes will narrow green card access by freezing some employment-based approvals, keeping stricter filing cutoffs and raising the cost of paperwork mistakes.
India-born applicants in EB-2 and unreserved EB-5 can no longer receive approvals until October after annual visa caps were exhausted for the rest of the fiscal year.
July 10 brings a DHS rule letting USCIS reject or deny cases over missing valid signatures even after acceptance, while keeping filing fees and forcing some applicants to refile.
A May USCIS memo also reinforces that adjustment of status is discretionary, prompting closer case-by-case review even for applicants who meet basic statutory requirements.
The restrictions are expected to last through Sept. 30 as backlogs, annual caps and strong demand strain the legal immigration system.