‘Einstein visa’ applicant faces 10-year US Green Card retrogression.

In a surprising turn of events, the hopes of thousands of skilled Indian workers in the US who want Green Cards have hit a roadblock. The EB-1 path for people with special skills or academic successes has been a light of hope because it moves quickly. But the current visa report from the US Department of State for August 2023 shows that the last action date for Indian EB-1 applications has moved back 10 years, to January 1, 2012, from February 1, 2022.

Given how close the past is to the present in this area, many people don't understand why this has happened. Applicants with priority dates before the cut-off date can still apply, but this is an odd change in the way visas are given out.

Up until recently, the EB-1 group for India was almost up-to-date. However, it has now gone back 10 years, which has surprised many. So, why is there a setback?

Due to the outbreak, there have been different trends in the EB-1 visa group, which includes the EB-1A, EB-1B, and EB-1C subcategories. During COVID-19, EB-1C, which is for international managers, slowed down because fewer managers came to the US and asked for EB-1C funding. Yet, when global travel started up again in 2022, companies sent more managers to the US. This led to a rise in EB-1C visa applications for FY 2023.