Bulletin archive

August 2025 Visa Bulletin

Effective August 1, 2025 · Fiscal Year 2025
Source: archived HTML
Data verified August 24, 2026

Your line

Across the whole bulletin
15moved
3retrogressed
135held
Bulletin day

What changed in the August 2025 bulletin

  1. F4 IndiaF4, India: advanced 4 months+4mLargest since 2017Cutoff now November 1, 2006.
  2. EB5 ChinaEB5, China: advanced 1.9 years+1y 11mLargest since 2015Cutoff now December 8, 2015.
  3. EB5 IndiaEB5, India: advanced 7 months+7mCutoff now November 15, 2019.
  4. EB2 All other countries · Mexico · the PhilippinesEB2, All other countries · Mexico · the Philippines: retrogressed 6 weeks−1mThe same move for all other chargeability areas, Mexico, and the Philippines.
  5. EB3 IndiaEB3, India: advanced 4 weeks+1mCutoff now May 22, 2013.
  6. EB3 Other Workers IndiaEB3 Other Workers, India: advanced 4 weeks+1mCutoff now May 22, 2013.
10 categories unchanged · Final action dates · how stamps are judged

In brief

The August 2025 bulletin’s biggest family move: F4 for India advances 4 months. 5 other family categories hold unchanged. On the employment side, EB5 for China advances 1.9 years.

Read the full breakdown of the August 2025 bulletin

For EB5 (China), this is the largest single-bulletin EB5 advance in our archive (since Oct 2015). For F4 (India), this is the largest single-bulletin F4 advance since 2017.

For issuance of Green Cards
Primary source

From the Department’s notes for August 2025

7 sections, reproduced verbatim from the U.S. Department of State’s August 2025 Visa Bulletin. The Department’s words, not ours.

A. STATUTORY NUMBERS FOR PREFERENCE IMMIGRANT VISASThis bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during August for: “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for…

This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during August for: “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center.

Unless otherwise indicated on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website at

www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo , individuals seeking to file applications for adjustment of status with USCIS must use the “Final Action Dates” charts below for determining when they can file such applications. When USCIS determines that there are more immigrant visas available for the fiscal year than there are known applicants for such visas, USCIS will state on its website that applicants may instead use the “Dates for Filing Visa Applications” charts in this Bulletin.

1. Procedures for determining dates. Consular officers are required to report to the Department of State documentarily qualified applicants for numerically limited visas; USCIS reports applicants for adjustment of status. Allocations in the charts below were made, to the extent possible, in chronological order of reported priority dates, for demand received by July 2nd . If not all demand could be satisfied, the category or foreign state in which demand was excessive was deemed oversubscribed. The final action date for an oversubscribed category is the priority date of the first applicant who could not be reached within the numerical limits. If it becomes necessary during the monthly allocation process to retrogress a final action date, supplemental requests for numbers will be honored only if the priority date falls within the new final action date announced in this bulletin. If at any time an annual limit were reached, it would be necessary to immediately make the preference category “unavailable”, and no further requests for numbers would be honored.

2. The fiscal year 2025 limit for family-sponsored preference immigrants determined in accordance with Section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is 226,000. The worldwide level for annual employment-based preference immigrants is at least 140,000. Section 202 prescribes that the per-country limit for preference immigrants is set at 7% of the total annual family-sponsored and employment-based preference limits, i.e., 25,620. The dependent area limit is set at 2%, or 7,320.

3. INA Section 203(e) provides that family-sponsored and employment-based preference visas be issued to eligible immigrants in the order in which a petition in behalf of each has been filed. Section 203(d) provides that spouses and children of preference immigrants are entitled to the same status, and the same order of consideration, if accompanying or following to join the principal. The visa prorating provisions of Section 202(e) apply to allocations for a foreign state or dependent area when visa issuances will exceed the per-country limit. These provisions apply at present to the following oversubscribed chargeability areas: CHINA-mainland born, INDIA, MEXICO, and PHILIPPINES.

4. Section 203(a) of the INA prescribes preference classes for allotment of Family-sponsored immigrant visas as follows:

FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES

First : ( F1 ) Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens: 23,400 plus any numbers not required for fourth preference.

Second : Spouses and Children, and Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Permanent Residents: 114,200, plus the number (if any) by which the worldwide family preference level exceeds 226,000, plus any unused first preference numbers:

A. ( F2A ) Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents: 77% of the overall second preference limitation, of which 75% are exempt from the per-country limit;

B. ( F2B ) Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older) of Permanent Residents: 23% of the overall second preference limitation.

Third : ( F3 ) Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens: 23,400, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences.

Fourth : ( F4 ) Brothers and Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens: 65,000, plus any numbers not required by first three preferences.

C. THE DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT (DV) CATEGORY RANK CUT-OFFS WHICH WILL APPLY IN SEPTEMBER

For September , immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2025 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows. When an allocation cut-off number is shown, visas are available only for applicants with DV regional lottery rank numbers BELOW the specified allocation cut-off number:

Region

All DV Chargeability Areas Except

Those Listed Separately

AFRICA

58,500

Except: Algeria 54,500

Egypt 52,000

Morocco 40,500

ASIA

14,500

Except: Iran 11,000

Nepal 14,450

EUROPE

23,000

Except: Russia 22,950

Uzbekistan 15,000

NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS)

Current

OCEANIA

1,775

SOUTH AMERICA,

and the CARIBBEAN

2,825

D. RETROGRESSION IN THE EMPLOYMENT-BASED SECOND PREFERENCE (EB-2) CATEGORY FOR REST OF WORLD COUNTRIES

Due to increased number use, it has become necessary to retrogress the EB-2 final action date for Rest of World countries. The issuance total in this category is rapidly approaching the annual limit for FY-2025, necessitating this slowdown of issuance rates. It is likely the annual limit will be reached sometime in August, if not sooner. Note that if at any time the EB-2 annual limit were reached, it would be necessary to immediately make the preference category “unavailable”, and no further requests for numbers would be honored. This situation will be continually monitored, and any necessary adjustments will be made accordingly.

E. VISA AVAILABILITY IN THE EMPLOYMENT-BASED THIRD PREFERENCE (EB-3) AND OTHER WORKERS (EW) CATEGORIES

Visa demand and number use remain high in the EB-3 and EW visa categories, and issuance totals are approaching the annual limits for FY-2025 in those categories. It will likely be necessary to either retrogress the final action dates or make the categories “Unavailable” in September, if not sooner. This situation will be continually monitored, and any necessary adjustments will be made accordingly.

F. VISA AVAILABILITY IN THE EMPLOYMENT-BASED FIFTH PREFERENCE (EB-5) UNRESERVED CATEGORY FOR CHINA

In the April 2025 Visa Bulletin , the EB-5 Unreserved final action date for China was retrogressed due to high Rest of World demand. In the months that followed, EB-5 number use has not materialized to the degree that was expected. Consequently, and in accordance with INA 202(a)(5), the EB-5 Unreserved final action dates for China has advanced to allow continued EB-5 Unreserved number use. Note that if at any time the EB-5 Unreserved annual limit were reached, it would be necessary to immediately make the preference category “unavailable”, and no further requests for numbers would be honored.

G. VISA AVAILABILITY IN THE EMPLOYMENT-BASED FIFTH PREFERENCE (EB-5) UNRESERVED CATEGORY FOR INDIA

In the April 2025 Visa Bulletin , the EB-5 Unreserved final action date for India was retrogressed due to high demand. It is expected that India will have unused family sponsored preference numbers that, under INA 202(a)(2), can fall down for use in the employment-based categories, including EB-5 Unreserved. As a result, the final action date for EB-5 Unreserved has been advanced to use these available numbers. Note that if at any time the EB-5 Unreserved annual limit were reached, it would be necessary to immediately make the preference category “unavailable”, and no further requests for numbers would be honored.

H. U.S. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISAS (SIVs)The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024, signed into law on December 22, 2023, may affect…

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024, signed into law on December 22, 2023, may affect certain current and former employees of the U.S. Government abroad, as well as certain surviving spouses and children of deceased employees of the U.S. government abroad, applying for SIVs or adjustment of status, as described in section 101(a)(27)(D) of the INA. This does not affect certain Iraqis and Afghans applying for SQ and SI SIVs. Applicants should contact the consular section at which they filed their Form DS‑1884 for further information on the impact of that law on their case.

I. FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON VISA PROCESSING AT U.S. EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES, PLEASE VISIT THE BUREAU OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS WEBSITE AT TRAVEL.STATE.GOV

Get the movement, monthly

Understanding the Two Charts

Final Action Dates

For issuance of Green Cards. If your priority date is earlier than the date shown for your category and country, a visa number is available and your case can be approved. “Current” means all priority dates are being processed; “Unavailable” means no visa numbers are authorized this month.

Dates for Filing

For submitting I-485 applications. This chart shows the earliest priority date at which you may assemble and submit documents — ahead of final action — when USCIS designates this chart as usable for the month. It lets applicants get in line earlier while waiting for a visa number.