The U.S. State Department has confirmed that the annual cap for EB-1 immigrant visas has been reached for fiscal year 2025, and as such, no new EB-1 visas can be issued, and pending adjustment of status applications cannot be approved until the start of the next fiscal year on October 1, 2025.
The pause will remain in effect until September 30, when FY 2025 officially ends, after which a new allocation of EB-1 visas will become available for FY 2026.
About the EB-1 Skilled Worker Visa
The EB-1 visa is a green card category for highly skilled individuals, including those with extraordinary ability in science, arts, business, athletics, or education, and outstanding professors, researchers, and multinational executives. It provides a pathway to permanent residency in the United States.
The cap was reached due to steadily rising demand for employment-based immigrant visas. In its September Visa Bulletin, the State Department had already warned that several categories were on track to run out before the fiscal year ended. The EB-2 visa cap was reached just last week, and EB-1 has now followed.
The EB-1 and EB-2 visa numbers will reset on October 1, 2025, when USCIS and U.S. consulates abroad will resume issuing approvals. However, the State Department has cautioned that heavy demand is unlikely to ease, which could lead to more backlogs or early exhaustion of visa quotas in FY 2026.
