The U.S. Department of State has released its January Visa Bulletin, which serves as a critical tool for prospective immigrants seeking green cards in the United States. This bulletin marks the first such update for the year 2025 and reveals substantial progress in several employment-based (EB) visa categories, particularly benefiting applicants from India.
Fiscal Year 2024 Context
For the fiscal year 2024, the limit for family-sponsored preference immigrants is set at 226,000, with specific allocations for each preference category. Additionally, there are per-country limits, which are capped at 7% of the total annual family-sponsored and employment-based preference limits.
Key highlights
Family-Sponsored Visa Categories
In the family-sponsored categories, notable movements include:
- First Preference (F1): The final action date has shifted to November 22, 2015, an advancement from the previous date of October 22, 2015. This category is reserved for unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. - Third Preference (F3): This category, which includes married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, has moved forward to July 1, 2010, up from April 15, 2010. The filing date for F3 has also increased to July 22, 2012. - Fourth Preference (F4): The date for final action has risen to August 15, 2006, compared to the previous date of March 8, 2006. - Second Preference (F2A and F2B): The F2A category, for spouses and children of permanent residents, remains unchanged at a final action date of January 1, 2022. Similarly, the F2B category for unmarried sons and daughters (21 years of age or older) of permanent residents has not changed.
Employment-based visa categories
For employment-based preferences, the bulletin indicates significant shifts:
- Second Preference (EB-2): The final action date for EB-2, which includes professionals holding advanced degrees and individuals with exceptional ability, has advanced to October 1, 2012. However, the filing dates remain unchanged on January 1, 2013. - Third Preference (EB-3) and Other Workers: These categories now share a final action date of December 1, 2012, while their filing dates have not seen any movement.
Final Action Dates:
EB-1 (Priority Workers): Significant retrogression for India to 01 FEB'22.
EB-2 (Advanced Degrees/Exceptional Ability): 01 OCT'12, highlighting extended delays.
EB-3 (Skilled Workers and Professionals): 01 DEC'12, slow movement but consistent with historical trends.
Other Workers: Same as EB-3 for India at 01 DEC' 12.
EB-5 (Unreserved): The priority date is 01 JAN'22, a positive sign for investors.
Dates for Filing:
EB-1: Filing allowed for priority dates before 15 APR'22.
EB-2: Filing allowed for priority dates before 01 JAN'13.
EB-3: Filing allowed for priority dates before 08 JUN'13, showing a slight advantage for those with earlier filing dates.
India remains in an oversubscribed state across most categories, leading to significantly retrogressed priority dates, particularly in EB-1 and EB-2.
Understanding the visa bulletin
The Visa Bulletin is essential for individuals seeking green cards, as it provides vital information about the timelines for adjusting immigration status and eligibility based on the submission of applications. The bulletin consists of two main sections:
1. Final Action Dates: This section estimates the wait time for application approval for those seeking permanent residency. It creates a queue based on visa category and nationality, indicating when applicants can expect their applications to be processed. 2. Dates for Filing: This section specifies the earliest date that applicants can submit their adjustment of status or immigrant visa applications. It helps applicants determine when they can proceed with their filing based on their visa category and country of origin.