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Visa Bulletin – October 2025 – Movement for Most Categories, Significant Forward Movement in Several Categories

16 Sep

by Foster, on Immigration Updates

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has published the monthly Visa Bulletin for October 2025. Until October 1, the September 2025 Visa Bulletin remains in effect. 

The Visa Bulletin contains the DOS’ Final Action Dates chart, which lists the priority dates that are current in each respective category, the categories that are current during the applicable month (i.e., categories that do not have any backlogs), and the categories that are unavailable. The Visa Bulletin also contains the DOS’ Dates for Filing chart, which usually progresses ahead of the Final Action Dates chart, and which U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) sometimes uses to determine the date that Adjustment of Status filings are permitted in each respective category. 

 For October 2025, USCIS has confirmed that beneficiaries of employment-based immigrant petitions should use the Dates for Filing chart to determine eligibility to file adjustment of status (“green card”) applications.  

 Key Takeaways for Final Action Dates: 

  • The only change for the EB-1 category was for China, which advanced 1 month and 1 week.  
  • All EB-2 categories advanced 3 to 3.5 months. 
  • EB-3 India and China each advanced 3 months, while EB-3 Philippines advanced 2 months.  
  • The Other Workers categories advanced 7 months for China, 3 months for India, and 1 week for all others.  
  • All EB-4 categories became available again.  
  • EB-5 Unreserved India advanced 14.5 months.  
  • All other categories were unchanged.  

October 2025 Final Action Dates: 

Employment- 
based 

All Chargeability  
Areas Except 
Those Listed 

CHINA- 
mainland  
born 

INDIA 

MEXICO 

PHILIPPINES 

1st 

C 

22DEC22 

15FEB22 

C 

C 

2nd 

01DEC23 

01APR21 

01APR13 

01DEC23 

01DEC23 

3rd 

01APR23 

01MAR21 

22AUG13 

01APR23 

01APR23 

Other Workers 

15JUL21 

01DEC17 

22AUG13 

15JUL21 

15JUL21 

4th 

01JUL20 

01JUL20 

01JUL20 

01JUL20 

01JUL20 

Certain Religious Workers 

U 

U 

U 

U 

U 

5th Unreserved 
(including C5, T5, I5, R5, NU, RU) 

C 

08DEC15 

01FEB21 

C 

C 

5th Set Aside: 
Rural (20%, including NR, RR)  

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

5th Set Aside: 
High Unemployment (10%, including NH, RH) 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

5th Set Aside: 
Infrastructure (2%, including RI) 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

 Key Takeaways for Dates for Filing:

  • EB-1 India advanced 1 year, while EB-1 China advanced 4.5 months.  
  • All EB-2 categories advanced 8 to 11 months.  
  • EB-3 India and China each advanced a little over 1 year, and the other EB-3 categories advanced 2 months each.  
  • The Other Workers categories advanced over 14 months for India, 10 months for China, and between 4 to 6 months for all others.  
  • All EB-4 categories advanced 2 weeks.  
  • All Certain Religious Workers categories became unavailable.  
  • EB-5 Unreserved China retrogressed 3 months.  
  • All other categories were unchanged.  

October 2025 Dates for Filing:

Employment- 
based 

All Chargeability 
Areas Except 
Those Listed 

CHINA- 
mainland  
born 

INDIA 

MEXICO  

PHILIPPINES  

1st 

C 

15MAY23 

15APR23 

C 

C 

2nd 

15JUL24 

01DEC21 

01DEC13 

15JUL24 

15JUL24 

3rd 

01JUL23 

01JAN22 

15AUG14 

01JUL23 

01JUL23 

Other Workers 

01DEC21 

01OCT18 

15AUG14 

01DEC21 

01DEC21 

4th 

15FEB21 

15FEB21 

15FEB21 

15FEB21 

15FEB21 

Certain Religious Workers 

U 

U 

U 

U 

U 

5th Unreserved 
(including C5, T5, I5, R5) 

C 

01JUL16 

01APR22 

C 

C 

5th Set Aside: 
(Rural: NR, RR – 20%) 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

5th Set Aside: 
(High Unemployment: NH, RH – 10%) 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

5th Set Aside: 
(Infrastructure: RI – 2%) 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

 Foster LLP will continue to track immigrant visa availability and provide updates about any developments via Immigration Updates©, articles, and blogs on our website at www.fosterglobal.com.  

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