The latest bulletin for Indian visa seekers reflects minor changes to family visa application rules and largely stable employment preferences, the State Department said.

WASHINGTON: With the start of the US fiscal year, the Department of State has released the November 2025 Visa Bulletin, detailing immigrant visa availability and new dates for applying for Adjustment of Status (AOS). For Indians seeking US visas, the bulletin reflects minor changes to family visa application rules and largely stable employment preferences.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that employment-based (EB) applicants for November should use the application filing dates chart. This will provide eligible applicants with clarity on when they can file their AOS applications, even if visas are not yet available.

Last action date

EB-1 (Priority Worker) applications for India have seen a sharp decline. The final action date has been extended to February 1, 2022. The final action date for EB-2 (Advanced Degree/Extraordinary Ability) applications has been extended from October 1, 2012, to October 15, 2012. However, the filing date remains January 1, 2013.

The final action date for both EB-3 (skilled worker/professional) and other worker categories is now December 15, 2012, a slight increase from December 1, 2012. The priority date for EB-5 (unreserved) is set at January 1, 2022. This provides some exemptions for investor-based immigration applicants from India.

Date for Indians

The stable final action dates for India in most EB categories reflect continued over-application and demand exceeding supply. The filing date for India in the F-1 (unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) category remains unchanged. The filing date for F-2A (spouses and children of permanent residents) category has been extended to October 22, 2025.

The continued high number of applications in employment categories means that Indians will have to rely on older priority dates and patience. There is no immediate relief for EB-1 or EB-2 applicants. USCIS's confirmation of the use of the filing date chart is a positive procedural development. This allows eligible applicants to apply earlier even if a visa number is not available.

PC:NBT