State Department August 2025 Visa Bulletin Summary

The Department of State has released the August 2025 Visa Bulletin. D&S provides a Monthly Summary of the employment-based priority dates. In August 2025, USCIS will accept employment-based adjustment of status applications based on the Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Preference chart. To be eligible to file an adjustment of status application in August 2025, foreign nationals must have a priority date that is earlier than that listed on the Final Action Dates chart.

The EB-1 Final Action Date for India will remain at February 15, 2022, and the Final Action Date for China will remain at November 15, 2022. All other countries will remain current.

The EB-2 Final Action Date for India will remain at January 1, 2013 and China will remain at December 15, 2020. All other countries have retrogressed by six weeks to September 1, 2023. According to the Department of State, the EB-2 issuance total for this category is rapidly approaching its annual limit for FY-2025. DOS has indicated that it is likely the annual limit will be reached in August.

The EB-3 Professional/Skilled Worker Final Action Date for India will advance by four weeks to May 22, 2013, while China will remain at December 1, 2020, and the Philippines will remain at February 8, 2023. All other countries will remain at April 1, 2023.

The EB-4 category will be “unavailable” in August and continuing through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025. The category was made “unavailable” on February 28, 2025, by which time all available EB-4 visas for the 2025 fiscal year had been used. The annual limit will reset at the start of the new fiscal year on October 1, 2025. 

With respect to the Final Action Date for the EB-5 Unreserved categories, India will advance by six months to November 15, 2019, while China will advance by twenty two months to December 8, 2015. All other countries will remain current. The EB-5 “Set-Aside” categories (Rural, High unemployment, and Infrastructure) will remain current for all countries.

Department of State Provides Immigrant Visa Availability Predictions for Remainder of Fiscal Year

This week, in his monthly "check-in" with stakeholders, Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, U.S. Department of State ("DOS"), provided some insights on immigrant visa availability for August and September 2016, the last two months of the immigration fiscal year.  D&S has provided a summary of the relevant employment-based predictions below:

EB-2 and EB-3 China. In June, the final action date for both EB-2 and EB-3 China retrogressed to January 1, 2010. DOS does not anticipate that there will be no forward movement in either of these categories for the remainder of this fiscal year.

EB-2 Worldwide and India. DOS predicts a cut-off date for EB-2 Worldwide by September due to sustained high demand. DOS also predicts that EB-2 India’s final action date will be one week ahead of EB-3 India through the rest of the fiscal year. Based on current usage, there should be sufficient available unused EB-3 numbers worldwide to enable moderate forward movement in EB-3 India in the month of September.

Cutoff Date for EB-1 China and India Expected by End of Fiscal Year. Due to high demand in recent months, DOS predicts a cut-off date will be imposed for EB-1 China and EB-1 India this fiscal year in either August or September. Both categories are expected to become current again in October, so the retrogression will be brief. A cut-off date will not be imposed for EB-1 Worldwide this fiscal year.

D&S will continue to monitor this developing situation and provide updates as they become available.