ANNUAL LIMIT REACHED IN EB-1, EB-2, AND EB-4 CATEGORIES
The Department of State (DOS) working in close collaboration with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), announced the issuance of all available visas in several employment-based categories.
EB-1 VISA CATEGORY:
On August 27, 2024, DOS and USCIS announced that it reached its limit of available visas in the Employment-Based First Preference (EB-1) category for fiscal year (FY) 2024. These visas apply to individuals with extraordinary ability that has garnered national or international acclaim, outstanding professors and researchers, and multinational executives and managers.
EB-2 VISA CATEGORY:
On September 9, 2024, DOS and USCIS announced the issuance of all available visas in the Employment-Based Second Preference (EB-2) category for FY 2024. Maximizing these visas facilitates legitimate travel for individuals with exceptional ability and professionals holding advanced degrees.
EB-4 VISA CATEGORY:
On August 29, 2024, DOS and USCIS announced the issuance of all available visas in the Employment-Based Fourth Preference (EB-4) category for FY 2024.
The EB-4 visa category applies to a wide variety of special immigrants, including religious workers, special immigrant juveniles, certain U.S. government employees, certain international organization retirees, and certain international broadcasting employees, among others. The annual limit for EB-4 visas is 7.1 percent of the worldwide employment limit.
Since all available EB-1, EB-2, and EB-4 visas for FY 2024 have been used, embassies and consulates may not issue visas in these categories for the remainder of the fiscal year. The annual limit will reset with the start of the new fiscal year (FY 2025) on October 1, 2024. At that point, embassies and consulates may resume issuing immigrant visas in this category to qualified applicants.
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