The U.S. State Department, in collaboration with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), has officially announced that the Employment-Based Fourth Preference (EB-4) visa category has reached its annual cap for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. As of February 28, 2025, all available immigrant visas in this category have been allocated, marking an early exhaustion of the quota compared to previous years.
Purpose of the EB-4 Visa Category
The EB-4 visa is a special employment-based immigration category designated for certain special immigrants, including religious workers, broadcasters, international organization employees, Iraqi and Afghan translators, and other qualifying foreign nationals. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) Section 203(b)(4), this category is allocated 7.1% of the total worldwide employment-based visa quota per fiscal year.
Implications of the EB-4 Visa Cap Being Reached (February 2025)
With the annual limit now reached, U.S. embassies and consulates are no longer able to issue new EB-4 visas for the remainder of FY 2025. This means that applicants who were in the process of obtaining an EB-4 visa but had not yet been issued one will need to wait until the next fiscal cycle for further processing.
Next Phase: When Will EB-4 Visa Applications Reopen?
According to previous years’ trends, the new allocation of EB-4 visas will become available at the start of the next fiscal year on October 1, 2025. Historically, the visa category has seen high demand, leading to an early exhaustion of the annual cap in several recent years.
While applicants can continue submitting petitions and preparing necessary documentation, new visa issuances will resume only when the FY 2026 quota is reset. Those affected are advised to monitor updates from the U.S. State Department and USCIS to stay informed on priority dates and processing timelines.
Announcement: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/annual-limit-reached-in-the-EB-4-category.html.
