The Trump administration is increasingly targeting Indians by bringing in new regulations every day to trouble them. In a move that dims the hopes of H-1B visa and green card aspirants, a new decision has been made regarding the Employment-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) Unreserved category. The cutoff date to apply under this category has been advanced by six months — from November 1, 2019, to May 1, 2019. The reason given is the high demand from Indian applicants.

In the visa bulletin released for the month of May, the U.S. Department of State announced this change. As a result, many Indians have now become ineligible to apply under the EB-5 category. The “Final Action Dates” mentioned in the monthly bulletin are critical, as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) processes visa/green card applications only if the priority dates are earlier than the published dates. Interestingly, China’s cutoff under the EB-5 category remains unchanged.

The EB-5 category was introduced by the U.S. to allow eligible immigrant investors to invest in rural or high-unemployment areas. The number of Indian applicants under the unreserved section has been growing steadily, which in turn has reduced the availability of visas. Due to the EB-5 cutoff date being pushed back, many eligible Indians will now miss their chance.