What does the August 2025 US Visa Bulletin mean for Indian applicants?

The U.S. Department of State has released the Visa Bulletin for August 2025, outlining key changes in employment-based and family-sponsored green card categories. The update shows notable forward movement in the EB-5 unreserved investor category for India and China, while EB-2 applicants in all countries except India and China face retrogression. Most family-based visa categories remain unchanged.

Editorial | Pivot away: On U.S. student visas, Trump administration

EB-5 India and China see significant forward movement

In the employment-based fifth preference (EB-5) unreserved category, the Final Action Date for India has moved forward by over six months to November 15, 2019, from the previous cutoff of May 1, 2019. This shift represents a substantial gain for Indian applicants waiting in the EB-5 investor queue. China also saw a notable advancement in this category, with its Final Action Date progressing to December 15, 2015.

Applicants from all other countries in the unreserved EB-5 category remain current, meaning there are no cut-off dates and applications can be processed immediately.

EB-2 retrogresses globally except for India and China

The employment-based second preference (EB-2) category has experienced retrogression for all countries except India and China. The Final Action Date for these countries has been revised to September 1, 2023, from July 1, 2024, as stated in the previous bulletin. The bulletin attributes the change to high demand and the approaching fiscal year’s annual visa limits.

For India, the EB-2 category remains at a Final Action Date of March 1, 2012, unchanged from the July 2025 bulletin. China’s EB-2 cutoff also remains static on February 1, 2020.

EB-3 India sees modest advancement

In the employment-based third preference (EB-3) category, India’s Final Action Date has advanced by one month, moving from April 22, 2013, to May 22, 2013. This modest forward movement may provide limited relief to Indian professionals in the EB-3 queue. Other countries in this category, including China, the Philippines, and Mexico, show no changes and remain current.

Also Read: How the new U.S. visa rules affect your online privacy | Explained

Family-sponsored categories remain mostly unchanged

All family-sponsored visa categories reflect no significant changes in the August bulletin. The Final Action Dates for most categories remain the same as in July 2025. Notably, the F2A category (for spouses and children of permanent residents) continues to show a Final Action Date of April 1, 2021, for all countries, unchanged from the previous month.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it will continue using the “Dates for Filing” chart for all family-sponsored adjustment of status applications in August 2025.

Visa availability and application guidance

• The August 2025 Visa Bulletin indicates that EB-2 and EB-3 categories may become unavailable in the coming months if demand continues to exceed the annual visa limits.

• Applicants are advised to monitor the monthly visa bulletin closely to track changes and plan their filings accordingly.

• For employment-based categories, the USCIS will use the Final Action Dates chart to determine eligibility for submitting Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status).

• For family-sponsored categories, the Dates for Filing chart will continue to be used to determine eligibility for filing adjustment applications.

Summary of key changes for India