Fewer families, more investors: India slips behind neighbours on US family visas

Indians are now entering the US more by relying on capital rather than family ties, a shift that has left them trailing other South Asian neighbours in family-based immigration routes.

In the five months to May, Bangladeshis edged past Indians in securing visas via the US family-preference route, issuing 3,887 family preference visas to Indians’ 3,828. Two years ago, India cleared 7,571 family slots; this year’s tally is roughly half that, underscoring how sharply that route has tightened since 2023.

Spousal visas show an even starker gap. Pakistan has ahead by a wide margin, with 3,235 IR1/CR1 issuances, more than double of India’s 1,558. Bangladesh, too, is ahead of India, issuing 1,411 spousal visas, largely driven by IR1 approvals. Two years ago, India had sent nearly twice as many people under these categories as Pakistan did, with 840 issuances.

The reversal reveals a regional shift - families are either choosing to stay back in India or advancing more slowly through US immigration channels, even as neighbours that historically lagged behind are moving ahead.

India’s migration momentum is also slowing up in employment-based categories, as skilled worker (E-3) issuances slipped to 143 in the January-May period, down from 277 two years ago. In the advanced degree stream (E-2), India logged 65 approvals, almost double the levels witnessed in 2023. But in extraordinary ability and first-preference cases (E-1), approvals have halved to 102 compared to 2023 levels.