The announcement made by the US Department of State in the Visa Bulletin for April 2025 pertained to the major changes in family-based immigrant visas and employment-based immigrant visas. The Visa Bulletin makes the most crucial announcements concerning visa access, retrogressions, and filing dates as it affects applicants from other countries.
US Visa Bulletin for April 2025
The Visa Bulletin has been published with the official monthly dissemination by the US Department of State. The Visa Bulletin will inform the advancement of family sponsored and employment based green card applications in the month. Important, it has two most pertinent sets of dates:
The Dates for Filing define the earliest date that can submit his or her application and Final Action Dates, by which green card or status change can be approved. Final Action Dates reflect that an application under the employment category a may process.
Significant Changes in Employment-Based Categories
The April 2025 Visa Bulletin for the United States contains significant changes for employment-based (EB) visa applicants, especially for nationals from China and India:
- EB-5 Unreserved Category: The EB-5 Unreserved category for was established more than two years back on November 1, 2019. The EB-5 Unreserved category for China has also been retrogressed by roughly 2-1/2 years to January 22, 2014.
- EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3,These categories have seen some minimal forward movement, but another slowdown is taking place by the virtue of higher demand.
- EB-4 Category: The EB-4 category is already all gone for all countries since the annual limit was reached effective February 28, 2025, and no more EB-4 will be issued until the beginning of the new financial year on October 1, 2025.
Updates Regarding Family Based Visa
Limits by country and per year would apply to family sponsored visa categories. For Fiscal Year 2025, there would be a family sponsored visa limit of 226,000 with a maximum of 7% per country. The latest Final Action Dates for applicants from India are as follows:
- F1 (Unmarried Sons or Daughters of Citizen of the USA): moved to 15 March 2016 (from 22 November 2015):
- F2A (Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents): stays at 01 January 2022:
- F2B (Unmarried Sons or Daughters of Permanent Residents): moved to 22 July 2016 (from 22 May 2016):
- F3 (Married Sons and Daughters of Citizenship USA): moved to 01 April 2011 (c.f. 01 July 2010):
- F4 (Brothers and Sisters of Citizens USA): Move from April 2006 to 15 June 2006.
Dates for Filing Family-Sponsored Green Cards
Dates for filing determine when applicants can submit their paperwork to USCIS. The latest Dates for Filing for Indian applicants are:
| Field | Original Date | Updated Date |
|---|---|---|
| F1 | 1st September 2017 | Unchanged |
| F2A | 15th July 2024 | 15th October 2024 |
| F2B | 1st January 2017 | Remains unchanged |
| F3 | 22nd July 2012 | Remains unchanged |
| F4 | 15th August 2006 | 1st October 2006 |
Employment-Based Visa Categories and Distribution
The following are the various preference categories based on which employment-based visas are distributed:
- EB-1 through Priority Workers: 28.6 percent of total employment-based visas.
- EB-2 through Advanced Degree Holders and Persons of Exceptional Ability: 28.6 percent.
- EB-3 through Skilled Workers and Professionals: 28.6 percent.
- EB-4 through Special Immigrants and Religious Workers: 7.1 percent.
- EB-5 through Immigrant Investors: 7.1 percent-divided as 20 percent for rural, 10 percent for high unemployment areas, 2 percent for infrastructure projects, and 68 percent for other eligible investors.
Impact of Retrogression
Retrogression, by itself, impacts the system tremendously as the demand for employment-based visas is increasing. The entire immigration system faces another strain because EB-4 visa availability is suspended until the next fiscal year. While some progress has been made in EB-1 and EB-2 and EB-3 for India, applicants should be prepared for possible delays.
FAQS:
What makes EB-4 visas unavailable until October 2025?
The EB-4 cap was reached in the year on February 28, 2025, so no visas are available prior to October 2025.
How is employment-based visa category divided?
EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 get 28.6% each, while EB-4 and EB-5 get 7.1% of the entire employment-based visa quota.