China EB Visa Data FY2025: EB-5 Collapsed, EB-2 Surged, and What It Means for the Queue
China-born EB applicants face a different set of challenges than India. The backlogs are shorter, EB-5 is a major pathway, and EB-1 still has meaningful consular volume. Here is the complete FY2025 data for China across all employment-based categories.
Data from State Department Monthly Immigrant Visa Issuance reports and USCIS I-140/I-485 Quarterly Reports (FY2025 Q1-Q4). All publicly available government data. Not legal advice.
1. FY2025 China EB Consular Issuances
| Category | Consular Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | 2,393 | 27.0% |
| EB-2 | 776 | 8.8% |
| EB-3 | 1,580 | 17.8% |
| EB-5 | 4,109 | 46.4% |
| Total | 8,858 | 100% |
EB-5 (investor visa) accounted for 46.4% of all China EB consular issuances. This is unique to China. No other country has EB-5 as its largest consular category. For comparison, India had just 788 EB-5 consular issuances.
2. Monthly EB Consular Trend
| Month | EB-1 | EB-2 | EB-3 | EB-5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2024 | 817 | 134 | 194 | 942 | 2,087 |
| Nov 2024 | 442 | 137 | 281 | 1,033 | 1,893 |
| Dec 2024 | 240 | 138 | 201 | 532 | 1,111 |
| Jan 2025 | 339 | 85 | 127 | 373 | 924 |
| Feb 2025 | 138 | 31 | 149 | 326 | 644 |
| Mar 2025 | 90 | 39 | 158 | 854 | 1,141 |
| Apr 2025 | 113 | 47 | 98 | 6 | 264 |
| May 2025 | 40 | 39 | 98 | 1 | 178 |
| Jun 2025 | 52 | 25 | 48 | 4 | 129 |
| Jul 2025 | 62 | 54 | 131 | 4 | 251 |
| Aug 2025 | 50 | 46 | 94 | 34 | 224 |
| Sep 2025 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
China EB consular went from 2,087 in October 2024 to 12 in September 2025. The EB-5 collapse is dramatic: from 942/month to single digits by April 2025. The Guangzhou consulate (which handles most China EB-5 cases) was severely impacted by the IV processing freeze.
3. EB-5: China's Dominant Pathway
China has historically been the largest EB-5 investor visa market. In FY2025, 4,109 EB-5 visas were issued to China-born applicants at consulates, representing 42.9% of all EB-5 consular issuances worldwide (9,584 total).
The monthly data tells the story of the disruption. EB-5 issuances dropped from 942 in October 2024 to 6 in April 2025 and stayed in single digits through September. This coincides with the travel bans and consular processing freeze that shut down most overseas visa operations.
For EB-5 applicants already in the US with pending I-485 applications, AOS processing continued unaffected. But applicants going through consular processing faced a near-complete shutdown.
4. I-140 Petition Activity for China
| Category | FY2025 Approvals | FY2024 Approvals | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | 5,913 | 5,500 | +7.5% |
| EB-2 | 11,197 | 7,500 | +49.3% |
| EB-3 | 3,568 | 3,200 | +11.5% |
| Total | 20,678 | 16,200 | +27.6% |
The standout number: China EB-2 approvals jumped 49.3% year over year, from 7,500 to 11,197. This includes both standard EB-2 (advanced degree) and NIW petitions. NIW has become increasingly popular among Chinese nationals, particularly in STEM fields.
In Q4 alone, China had 2,330 NIW receipts (second only to India's 1,685 despite India having 3x the overall EB volume). China EB-1A receipts were 1,840 in Q4, slightly higher than India's 1,613.
5. I-485 Pending Inventory
| Category | Pending (Jan 2026) | Pending (Oct 2025) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | 4,308 | 2,434 | +1,874 |
| EB-2 | 6,228 | 2,398 | +3,830 |
| EB-3 | 5,769 | 4,884 | +885 |
China EB-2 pending I-485 applications more than doubled in one quarter, from 2,398 to 6,228. This is a direct result of DOS advancing the China EB-2 filing date, which allowed thousands of applicants to file I-485 for the first time.
EB-1 also grew significantly (2,434 to 4,308), reflecting both new filings and the DFF advancement that let more EB-1 China applicants enter the AOS queue.
6. China vs India: How the Backlogs Compare
| China | India | |
|---|---|---|
| EB-2 Final Action Date (Apr 2026) | Sep 2021 | Jul 2014 |
| EB-2 Estimated Backlog | ~5 years | ~12 years |
| EB-2 I-485 Pending | 6,228 | 27,701 |
| EB-2 I-140 Approvals FY2025 | 11,197 | 40,722 |
| EB Consular FY2025 | 8,858 | 1,509 |
| EB-5 Consular FY2025 | 4,109 | 788 |
China's EB-2 backlog is roughly 5 years vs India's 12 years. But China's pipeline is growing fast. EB-2 I-140 approvals jumped 49% and pending I-485s more than doubled. If this growth continues, China EB-2 wait times will extend.
One advantage China has: consular processing, while sharply reduced, still produced 8,858 visas in FY2025 vs India's 1,509. China applicants have more options between AOS and consular, at least when consulates are operating.
8. China I-485 Pending by Priority Date Year
The USCIS I-485 pending inventory report breaks down pending cases by priority date year. This shows where the demand is concentrated.
| PD Year | EB-1 | EB-2 | EB-3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 40 | 40 | 30 |
| 2017 | 55 | 60 | 55 |
| 2018 | 66 | 100 | 55 |
| 2019 | 60 | 509 | 99 |
| 2020 | 88 | 1,463 | 1,065 |
| 2021 | 259 | 3,957 | 4,299 |
| 2022 | 1,300 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2,365 | 0 | 0 |
EB-2 and EB-3 pending cases are concentrated in 2020 and 2021, with zero from 2022 onward. This is the PERM cliff. EB-1 is different because EB-1A and EB-1B do not require PERM, so cases continue into 2022 (1,300) and 2023 (2,365).
For EB-2 China, 3,957 of the 6,228 total pending cases (63.5%) have 2021 priority dates. The visa bulletin FAD is currently at Sep 2021. This means the bulletin is sitting right at the densest part of the queue.
9. Visa Bulletin Movement (FY2026)
| Bulletin | EB-1 FAD | EB-1 DFF | EB-2 FAD | EB-2 DFF | EB-3 FAD | EB-3 DFF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | Dec 2022 | May 2023 | Apr 2021 | Dec 2021 | Mar 2021 | Jan 2022 |
| Dec 2025 | Jan 2023 | May 2023 | Jun 2021 | Dec 2021 | Apr 2021 | Jan 2022 |
| Jan 2026 | Feb 2023 | Aug 2023 | Sep 2021 | Jan 2022 | May 2021 | Jan 2022 |
| Feb 2026 | Feb 2023 | Aug 2023 | Sep 2021 | Jan 2022 | May 2021 | Jan 2022 |
| Mar 2026 | Mar 2023 | Dec 2023 | Sep 2021 | Jan 2022 | May 2021 | Jan 2022 |
| Apr 2026 | Apr 2023 | Dec 2023 | Sep 2021 | Jan 2022 | Jun 2021 | Jan 2022 |
EB-1 China moved steadily, about 1 month per bulletin. The DFF jumped 7 months (May to Dec 2023) in March 2026, opening I-485 filing for many new applicants.
EB-2 China has been frozen at Sep 2021 for 4 consecutive bulletins (Jan through Apr 2026). With 3,957 pending cases concentrated in this PD year, the bulletin is hitting a wall of demand. Until these cases clear, the date is unlikely to advance.
EB-3 China moved just 1 month in 3 months (May 2021 to Jun 2021). Similar to EB-2, the 4,299 cases in the 2021 PD year are creating a bottleneck.
10. The PERM Cliff: What Happens Next
The zero pending cases from 2022 onward in EB-2 and EB-3 is temporary. DOL is still processing PERM applications filed in 2022 and 2023. Once those clear, the applicants will file I-140 petitions, get their priority dates, and enter the I-485 queue.
For China EB-2, this means the current 6,228 pending could grow by several thousand once the PERM backlog clears. The gap between 2021 and 2022+ PD years will fill in over the next 1-2 years.
The timing matters. If the bulletin reaches into the gap (post-2021) before the PERM cases fill it, the date could jump forward quickly. If the PERM cases clear first, the date will slow down as new demand enters. This is the same dynamic playing out in India EB-2 and EB-3.
11. Spillover Mechanics for China
Horizontal spillover (INA 202(a)(5)): When a category goes current for Rest of World, the per-country cap exception activates. For EB-2, ROW went current in FY2026. This is how India EB-2 jumped 10 months. China EB-2 did not move because the 3,957 cases at Sep 2021 are absorbing available numbers without the date advancing.
Vertical spillover (INA 203(b)): Unused EB-1 numbers fall to EB-2, then EB-3. In FY2025, EB-1 I-485 demand (48,255 across all countries) exceeds the EB-1 allocation (40,040), so there is no vertical surplus flowing down. EB-2 and EB-3 are limited to their base allocations plus horizontal spillover.
Family to EB spillover: Based on our FY2025 analysis, FB to EB spillover for FY2026 appears to be zero or near zero. The FY2026 EB allocation is likely the base 140,000 with no additional numbers from the family side.
12. What to Watch
Three things that matter for China EB applicants going forward.
EB-5 consular recovery. The Guangzhou consulate processed the majority of China EB-5 cases. When consular operations resume, there is a large backlog of EB-5 applicants waiting. The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act created new visa set-asides for rural and infrastructure projects that may benefit some Chinese investors.
EB-2 queue growth. The 49% jump in I-140 approvals and the doubling of pending I-485s signals increasing demand. If visa allocation stays flat, China EB-2 wait times will grow. The current 5-year backlog could become 7-8 years within a few fiscal years.
NIW as an alternative. NIW filings from China are growing rapidly (2,330 in Q4 FY2025 alone). NIW does not require employer sponsorship or PERM, making it attractive for researchers and STEM professionals. However, NIW approvals still use EB-2 visa numbers, so the backlog applies equally.
Track your estimated green card timeline at greencardclock.com/priority-date.
Data from U.S. Department of State Monthly Immigrant Visa Issuance reports, USCIS I-140 Quarterly Reports FY2025 Q1-Q4, and USCIS I-485 Pending Inventory reports (uscis.gov). Not legal advice.