US Visa Bulletin: There have been important changes for Indian applicants in the US Visa Bulletin May 2025. The filing date in the F2A category has been extended, while the cutoff in EB-5 Unreserved has been pushed back. Know what impact it will have.
The US State Department has released the Visa Bulletin for May 2025, which gives information about the cutoff dates for family and employment-based visa categories. This time the bulletin has brought some important indications for the people applying from India.
Family based Visa categories: Relief in F2A
There is no change in the Final Action Dates for Family-Sponsored Preferences this month. The dates for all categories for India – F1, F2A, F2B, F3 and F4 – remain the same as in April.
| Category | Last action date April 2025 | Last action date May 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 (unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens) | 15 March 2016 | 15 March 2016 | no changes |
| F2A (spouse and children of permanent residents) | 01 January 2022 | 01 January 2022 | no changes |
| F2B (unmarried sons and daughters of permanent residents, 21 years or above) | 22 July 2016 | 22 July 2016 | no changes |
| F3 (married sons and daughters of US citizens) | 01 April 2011 | 01 April 2011 | no changes |
| F4 (siblings of adult US citizens) | 15 June 2006 | 15 June 2006 | no changes |
However, there has been an important change in the filing dates. The filing date for the F2A category (spouses and children of permanent residents) has been extended from October 15, 2024 to February 1, 2025, which will give more applicants in this category an opportunity to submit applications.
| Category | Filing date April 2025 | Filing date May 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | 1 April 2006 | 1 April 2006 | no changes |
| F2A | 15 October 2024 | 01 February 2025 | Extended – Filing deadline for F2A extended from 15 October 2024 to 1 February 2025 |
| F2B | 1 April 2007 | 1 April 2007 | no changes |
| F3 | 22 July 2012 | 22 July 2012 | no changes |
| F4 | 1 October 2006 | 1 October 2006 | no changes |
Employment-based visa categories: Progress for EB-3, setback for EB-5
Among the employment-based categories, there has been some relaxation for applicants from India in the EB-3 category (skilled workers and professionals). Its final action date has been extended from April 1, 2013 to April 15, 2013. A similar change has been made in the “other workers” category.
| Category | April 2025 | May 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st preference (primary worker) | 15 February 2022 | 15 February 2022 | no changes |
| 2nd preference (advanced degree/extraordinary ability) | 01 January 2013 | 01 January 2013 | no changes |
| 3rd preference (skilled workers, professionals and other workers) | 01 April 2013 | 15 April 2013 | moved forward |
| Other workers | 01 April 2013 | 15 April 2013 | moved forward |
| 4th preference (certain immigrants) | U | U | no changes |
| Some religious activists | U | U | no changes |
| 5th (unreserved) | 01 November 2019 | 01 May 2019 | Earlier limit was in May (narrower window) |
In contrast, the cutoff date for the EB-5 Unreserved category has been pushed back from November 1, 2019 to May 1, 2019, which may limit visa prospects for many Indian investor applicants for the time being.
Visa filing dates remain steady
There have been no changes to filing dates for employment-based categories, indicating that the State Department intends to keep the pace of application review steady for now.
Why is Visa Bulletin important?
The Visa Bulletin plays a central role in the US green card process. It tells applicants when they can file their applications and when they should expect a final decision. It consists of two major sections.
Final Action Dates – When a decision on the visa application can be made.
Dates for Filing – When the application can be submitted, even if the visa number is not yet available for decision.
What is its effect?
The May 2025 bulletin indicates that thousands of Indian applicants queuing up for permanent residence in the US will now have a chance to move forward in some categories, while for some the wait may be longer.
