U.S. February 2025 Visa Bulletin: Key Updates for Indian Applicants
The U.S. Department of State has released the February 2025 Visa Bulletin, which is crucial for those seeking green cards and visas in the United States. This update marks the second one for 2025 and highlights significant progress in employment-based (EB) visa categories, particularly benefiting applicants from India.
Key Highlights for Employment-Based Visa Categories
The February 2025 Visa Bulletin brings important changes for Indian applicants in employment-based visa categories:
- EB-2 (Second Preference): The final action date for EB-2, which applies to professionals with advanced degrees or exceptional abilities, has moved forward to October 15, 2012, from the previous date of October 1, 2012. However, the filing date remains unchanged at January 1, 2013.
- EB-3 (Third Preference) and Other Workers: These categories now share a final action date of December 15, 2012, moving ahead from December 1, 2012. However, their filing dates have remained the same.
Final Action Dates:
- EB-1 (Priority Workers): Significant retrogression for India, with the final action date moving to February 1, 2022.
- EB-2 (Advanced Degrees/Exceptional Ability): Final action date is now October 15, 2012, showing further delays.
- EB-3 (Skilled Workers and Professionals): Final action date is December 15, 2012, with slow but steady progress.
- Other Workers: Same as EB-3, with a final action date of December 15, 2012.
- EB-5 (Unreserved): The priority date for investors has moved to January 1, 2022, showing positive signs.
Dates for Filing:
- EB-1: Filing allowed for priority dates before April 15, 2022.
- EB-2: Filing allowed for priority dates before January 1, 2013.
- EB-3: Filing allowed for priority dates before June 8, 2013, giving a slight advantage to those with earlier filing dates.
India continues to face oversubscription in most categories, leading to retrogressed priority dates, especially for EB-1 and EB-2.
Updates on Family-Based Visa Categories
There have been no changes in family-based visa categories since the last Visa Bulletin. The cutoff dates for Indian applicants remain unchanged:
- F1 (Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens): The cutoff date is November 22, 2015.
- F2A (Spouses and unmarried children of lawful permanent residents): The cutoff date is January 1, 2022.
- F2B (Unmarried sons and daughters, 21 years and older, of lawful permanent residents): The cutoff date is May 22, 2016.
- F3 (Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens): The cutoff date is July 1, 2010.
- F4 (Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens): The cutoff date is August 1, 2007.
These cutoff dates reflect the waiting periods and backlogs for Indian applicants in each family-based category.
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Understanding the Visa Bulletin
The Visa Bulletin is essential for those seeking to adjust their immigration status and obtain a green card. It includes two main sections:
- Final Action Dates: This section estimates the wait time for application approval. It helps applicants know when their applications will be processed based on their visa category and country of origin.
- Dates for Filing: This section shows the earliest date applicants can submit their adjustment of status or immigrant visa applications. It helps applicants determine when they can start the process based on their priority dates.