The U.S. Department of State released the Visa Bulletin January 2025, an essential resource for prospective immigrants seeking green cards in the United States. This is the first update for the year 2025 and shows significant progress in several employment-based (EB) visa categories, especially for applicants from India.
For fiscal year 2024, the cap for family-sponsored preference immigrants is 226,000, with specific allocations designated for each preference category. Additionally, the per-country limits are restricted to 7% of the total annual family-sponsored and employment-based preference limits.
Key Highlights :
Expiration of EB-4 Non-Minister Religious Worker Program
The EB-4 Non-Minister Religious Worker program expires on December 20, 2024. If Congress does not take action to extend the program by that date, it will become “unavailable” after midnight on December 19, 2024. Consequently, immigrant visas or adjustment of status applications can only be approved under this category once reauthorization occurs. If the program is extended, it will follow the exact Final Action dates as the general EB-4 category. listed for the general EB-4 category.
Future Visa Availability in EB-5 Set-Aside Categories
According to the State Department’s Visa Bulletin for January 2025, more EB-5 applicants are processing their applications under the EB-5 set-aside categories for Rural areas, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure. As a result, the State Department indicates that it may be necessary to establish Filing and Final Action Dates for these categories during fiscal year 2025 to prevent them from surpassing their annual limits.
Highlights of the Visa Bulletin January 2025
Employment-Based Visa Categories: Final Action Date
Employment-based visas are categorized into five main groups, each with a specific allocation of available visas:
- EB-1 Priority Workers: India will remain dated February 1, 2022, while China will remain dated November 8, 2022. All other countries will continue to have current dates.
- EB-2 Advanced Degree Professionals and Exceptional Ability: India will advance by two months to October 1, 2012, while China will advance by one month to April 22, 2020. All other countries will advance by two weeks to April 1, 2023.
- EB-3 Skilled Workers and Professionals: T India will advance by three weeks to December 1, 2012, while China will advance by two months to June 1, 2020. All other countries will advance by two weeks to December 1, 2022.
- EB–3 Other Workers: India will advance by three weeks to December 1, 2012. China will remain at January 1, 2017. All other countries will advance by one week, to December 8, 2020.
- EB-4 Special Immigrants: India will advance by three weeks to December 1, 2012, while China will remain at January 1, 2017. All other countries will advance by one week, to December 8, 2020.
- EB-5 Employment Creation: China’s date will be set to July 15, 2016, while India’s date will be set to January 1, 2022. All other countries will remain current. The EB-5 set-aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure) will also remain current.
Family-Sponsored Visa Categories: Final Action Advancements
The January 2025 bulletin notes no movement in family-sponsored visa categories for countries like India, Mexico, and the Philippines, with cutoff dates as follows:
- F1 (Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens): The Philippines will advance by one week to March 8, 2012, and India, China, and Worldwide will advance by one month to November 22, 2015.
- F2A (Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents): Mexico will advance by one month to May 15, 2021.
- F-2B Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older) of Permanent Residents in India, China, and Worldwide will advance by three weeks to May 22, 2016
- F3 (Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens): Mexico will advance by one month to November 22, 2000. The Philippines will advance by two months to November 8, 2002.ans All other countries will advance by two months and sixteen days to July 1, 2010.
- F4 (Brothers and Sisters of U.S. Citizens): The Philippines will advance by three months to May 1, 2004, India will advance by one month to April 8, 2006
A.FINAL ACTION DATES FOR FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCE CASES
| Family-sponsored | All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed |
CHINA- mainland born |
INDIA | MEXICO | PHILIPPINES |
| F1 | 22NOV15 | 22NOV15 | 22NOV15 | 22NOV04 | 08MAR12 |
| F2A | 01JAN22 | 01JAN22 | 01JAN22 | 15MAY21 | 01JAN22 |
| F2B | 22MAY16 | 22MAY16 | 22MAY16 | 01JUL05 | 22OCT11 |
| F3 | 01JUL10 | 01JUL10 | 01JUL10 | 22NOV00 | 08NOV02 |
| F4 | 01AUG07 | 01AUG07 | 08APR06 | 01MAR01 | 01MAY04 |
B.DATES FOR FILING FAMILY-SPONSORED VISA APPLICATIONS
| Family-sponsored | All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed |
CHINA- mainland born |
INDIA | MEXICO | PHILIPPINES |
| F1 | 01SEP17 | 01SEP17 | 01SEP17 | 01OCT05 | 22APR15 |
| F2A | 15JUL24 | 15JUL24 | 15JUL24 | 15JUL24 | 15JUL24 |
| F2B | 01JAN17 | 01JAN17 | 01JAN17 | 01OCT06 | 01OCT13 |
| F3 | 22JUL12 | 22JUL12 | 22JUL12 | 15JUN01 | 08MAY04 |
| F4 | 01MAR08 | 01MAR08 | 15AUG06 | 30APR01 | 01JAN08 |
A. FINAL ACTION DATES FOR EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCE CASES
| Employment- based |
All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed |
CHINA- mainland born |
INDIA | MEXICO | PHILIPPINES |
| 1st | C | 08NOV22 | 01FEB22 | C | C |
| 2nd | 01APR23 | 22APR20 | 01OCT12 | 01APR23 | 01APR23 |
| 3rd | 01DEC22 | 01JUN20 | 01DEC12 | 01DEC22 | 01DEC22 |
| Other Workers | 08DEC20 | 01JAN17 | 01DEC12 | 08DEC20 | 08DEC20 |
| 4th | 01JAN21 | 01JAN21 | 01JAN21 | 01JAN21 | 01JAN21 |
| Certain Religious Workers | U | U | U | U | U |
| 5th Unreserved (including C5, T5, I5, R5, NU, RU) |
C | 15JUL16 | 01JAN22 | 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 |
B.DATES FOR FILING OF EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISA APPLICATIONS
| Employment- based |
All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed |
CHINA- mainland born |
INDIA | MEXICO | PHILIPPINES |
| 1st | C | 01JAN23 | 15APR22 | C | C |
| 2nd | 01AUG23 | 01OCT20 | 01JAN13 | 01AUG23 | 01AUG23 |
| 3rd | 01MAR23 | 15NOV20 | 08JUN13 | 01MAR23 | 01MAR23 |
| Other Workers | 22MAY21 | 01JAN18 | 08JUN13 | 22MAY21 | 22MAY21 |
| 4th | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 |
| Certain Religious Workers | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 |
| 5th Unreserved (including C5, T5, I5, R5) |
C | 01OCT16 | 01APR22 | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: (Rural – 20%) |
C | C | C | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: (High Unemployment – 10%) |
C | C | C | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: (Infrastructure – 2%) |
C | C | C | C | C |
B.DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT (DV) CATEGORY FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY
| Region | All DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately |
|
| AFRICA | 22,500 | Except: Algeria 22,000 Egypt 22,000 Morocco 22,000 |
| ASIA | 5,500 | Except: Iran 5,400 Nepal 3,500 |
| EUROPE | 12,000 | Except: Russia 11,750 Uzbekistan 7,750 |
| NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) | 20 | |
| OCEANIA | 1,100 | |
| SOUTH AMERICA, and the CARIBBEAN |
1,750 |
B. THE DIVERSITY (DV) IMMIGRANT CATEGORY RANK CUT-OFFS WHICH WILL APPLY IN FEBRUARY
| Region | All DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately |
|
| AFRICA | 22,500 | Except: Algeria 22,000 Egypt 22,000 Morocco 22,000 |
| ASIA | 5,500 | Except: Iran 5,400 Nepal 3,500 |
| EUROPE | 12,000 | Except: Russia 11,750 Uzbekistan 7,750 |
| NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) | 20 | |
| OCEANIA | 1100 | |
| SOUTH AMERICA, and the CARIBBEAN |
1750 |
USCIS will use the Dates for Filing chart to accept status application adjustments in January 2024.
** The content above is provided for informational purposes only. It should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. Use of this information does not create an attorney-client relationship. For legal Advice, You can Contract Immigration Attorney
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