The DOS has confirmed the dire situation with immigrant visa number availability for certain employment-based immigrant categories, especially, for natives of certain countries. Starting in July, immigrant visa numbers for Indian and Chinese national workers in the Second Employment-Based category (EB-2), immigrant visas are available only to those whose Green Card proceedings were filed on or prior to Jan. 1, 2000. This provides for a Green Card waiting time of 9.5 years for graduate-degree level professionals from India and P.R. China. There is significant risk that, effective in August or September 2009, visa numbers for EB-2 professionals from China will be unavailable altogether. Immigrant visas in the Third Employment-Based (EB-3) category reserved for professionals with college degrees, will be unavailable for the remainder of the government's fiscal year (i.e., until Oct. 1, 2009) for all workers, irrespective of their country of nationality.