The U.S. Department of State announced Monday that all available EB-2 visas for fiscal year 2024 have been issued.
The Employment-Based Second Preference (EB-2) visa is earmarked for foreign workers with exceptional abilities or advanced degrees. Due to annual limits set by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), there’s a cap on how many EB-2 visas can be issued each year — 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based visa limit. For 2024, the cap has now been reached, meaning U.S. embassies and consulates will not issue any more EB-2 visas until the new fiscal year begins on October 1, 2024.
For employers, this means that hiring foreign talent through the EB-2 program is temporarily on hold until the next fiscal year. However, this pause allows employers and workers to prepare for the FY 2025 visa window. Workers seeking EB-2 visas will need to wait for the new fiscal year to apply or resume their visa process.
Last month, the State Department announced that all Employment-Based Third Preference (EB-3), Other Workers (EW), and Employment-Based Fifth Preference categories had been issued for FY 2024.