Visa Bulletin For April 2025

The U.S. Department of State released the April 2025 Visa Bulletin, which provides the availability of immigrant numbers for April 2025. This update presents the final action and filing dates for family and employment-based categories and notifies immigrant visa applicants when to submit the documents to the National Visa Center (NVC).

Highlights of the April 2025 Visa Bulletin

All cutoff dates listed refer to those in the dates for filing chart (i.e., Chart B), of family-based, and final action chart (i.e., Chart A) employment-based categories.

Family-Based Visa Bulletin

      • Family-based First preference (F1) category — Mexico advances to April 01, 2006, from October 01, 2005, compared to March 2025. The rest of the countries remain fixed as of September 01, 2017.
      • Family-based Second preference (F2A) category — All countries move ahead to October 15, 2024, from July 15, 2024, compared to the March 2025 bulletin.
      • Family-based Second preference (F2B) category — Mexico advances to April 01, 2007, from October 01, 2006, compared to March 2025. The rest of the countries remain fixed as of January 01, 2017.
      • Family-based Third preference (F3) category — The Philippines advanced to September 22, 2004, from May 08, 2004, compared to March 2025. Mexico has had no change since June 15, 2001, and the remaining countries remain fixed as of July 22, 2012.
      • Family-based Fourth preference (F4) category — There was no change in Mexico and the Philippines compared to March 2025. China moved from March 01, 2008, to April 01, 2008, India moved from August 15, 2006, to October 01, 2006, whereas other countries moved from March 01, 2008,  to April 01, 2008.

    Employment-Based Visa Bulletin

    • Employment-based First preference (EB1) category — India advances to February 15, 2022, from February 01, 2022, compared to March 2025. China has had no change since November 08, 2022, whereas all other countries remain current.
    • Employment-based Second preference (EB2) category — India moves ahead to January 01, 2013, and China advances to October 01, 2020. The cutoff date for all other countries is set at June 22, 2023.
    • Employment-based Third preference (EB3) category — China cutoff date progresses to November 01, 2020, and India forwards to April 01, 2013. The cutoff date for all other countries moves ahead to January 01, 2023.
    • EB3 Other Workers category — The cutoff date for the Philippines shifts forward to January 15, 2021. India’s cutoff date is April 01, 2013, whereas China moves up to April 01, 2017. For all other countries chargeability moves to May 22, 2021.
    • Employment-based Fourth preference (EB4) category — The cutoff date for all other countries is unavailable because the immigrant visa for this category has been completely used for the fiscal year. It remains unavailable until the new fiscal year starts on October 01, 2025.
    • Employment-based Fifth preference (EB5) category — India’s and China’s unreserved cutoff retrogresses to November 01, 2019, and January 22, 2014, respectively. The cutoff date for all other countries and countries of chargeability remains current.

    Are you new to “Visa Bulletin” or “Final Action Date”? No worries. Immigration Direct prepared the guide on “How to Read the Visa Bulletin” for you. Learn today!

    If you want to check the archive of the complete visa bulletin, you can check by using Travel.State.Gov.

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    When to File Adjustment of Status Application

    If you want to become a U.S. permanent resident through a family or employment-based visa, you need an immigrant visa petition filed by a relative or employer first. If no petition has been filed for you yet, learn about the Adjustment of Status process. If a petition is already filed or approved, you may need to wait for a visa to become available in your category before applying for Form I-485. The below table will help you know when to file your application based on categories.

    Every month U.S. Department of State releases two charts with “Final Action Dates” and “Dates For Filing”. USCIS decides what chart the applicants should refer to and file their applications. For April 2025, use “Dates for Filing” chart for Family-Sponsored  Green Cards, and “Final Action Dates” chart for Employment-Sponsored Green Cards.

    If you find

      • “C” on the chart is the current date and the numbers are authorized for issuance to all qualified applicants.
      • “U” means unauthorized, the numbers mentioned are not authorized for issuance.

    Below you can find the detailed chart with dates for individual categories.

    Family-Sponsored Preferences

    Final Action Dates for Family-Sponsored Applications (April 2025)

    Family-Sponsored CategoriesAll Other  AreasCHINA (Mainland Born)INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
    F115MAR1615MAR1615MAR1601JAN0515JUL12
    F2A01JAN2201JAN2201JAN2215MAY2101JAN22
    F2B22JUL1622JUL1622JUL1601JAN0622JAN12
    F301APR1101APR1101APR1115JAN0122MAR03
    F401AUG0701AUG0715JUN0615MAR0101JAN05

    Dates For Filing Family-Sponsored Applications (April 2025)

    Family-Sponsored CategoriesAll Other  AreasCHINA (Mainland Born)INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
    F101SEP1701SEP1701SEP1701APR0622APR15
    F2A15OCT2415OCT2415OCT2415OCT2415OCT24
    F2B01JAN1701JAN1701JAN1701APR0701OCT13
    F322JUL1222JUL1222JUL1215JUN0122SEP04
    F401APR0801APR0801OCT0630APR0101JAN08

    Employment-Based Preferences

    Final Action Dates For Employment-Based Applications

    (April 2025)

    Employment-Based CategoriesAll Other  AreasCHINA (Mainland Born)INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
    1stC08NOV2215FEB22CC
    2nd22JUN2301OCT2001JAN1322JUN2322JUN23
    3rd01JAN2301NOV2001APR1301JAN2301JAN23
    Other Workers22MAY2101APR1701APR1322MAY2122MAY21
    4thUUUUU
    Certain Religious WorkersUUUUU
    5th Unreserved
    (including C5, T5, I5, R5)
    C22JAN1401NOV19CC
    5th Set Aside:
    Rural (20%)
    CCCCC
    5th Set Aside:
    High Unemployment (10%)
    CCCCC
    5th Set Aside:
    Infrastructure (2%)
    CCCCC

    Dates for Filing Employment-Based Applications (April 2025)

    Employment-Based CategoriesAll Other  AreasCHINA (Mainland Born)INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
    1stC01JAN2315APR22CC
    2nd01AUG2301NOV2001FEB1301AUG2301AUG23
    3rd01MAR2315NOV2008JUN1301MAR2301MAR23
    Other Workers22JUN2101JAN1808JUN1322JUN2122JUN21
    4th01FEB2101FEB2101FEB2101FEB2101FEB21
    Certain Religious Workers01FEB2101FEB2101FEB2101FEB2101FEB21
    5th Unreserved
    (including C5, T5, I5, R5)
    C01OCT1601APR22CC
    5th Set Aside:
    Rural (20%)
    CCCCC
    5th Set Aside:
    High Unemployment (10%)
    CCCCC
    5th Set Aside:
    Infrastructure (2%)
    CCCCC

     

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    Diversity Immigrant (DV) Category

    Every year Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) permits 55,000 immigrant visas annually through the Diversity Visa program. This number of visas from countries with low admissions over the past five years. 5,000 visas are reserved annually for the NACARA program, reducing the DV-2025 limit to roughly 54,850. These DV visas are distributed across six regions, with a cap of seven percent per country each year.

    April 2025 Immigrant Numbers in the DV Category

    RegionAll DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately 
    AFRICA30,000Except:
    1. Algeria: 29,950
    2. Egypt: 27,950
    3. Morocco: 27,950
    ASIA6,000Except:
    1. Iran: 5,950
    2. Nepal: 5,950
    EUROPE16,000Except:
    1. Russia: 15,950
    2. Uzbekistan: 7,750
    NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS)20 
    OCEANIA1,500 
    SOUTH AMERICA,
    and the CARIBBEAN
    2,200 

    The Diversity (DV) Immigrant Category Rank Cut-offs (May 2025)

    RegionAll DV Chargeability Areas Except
    Those Listed Separately
     
    AFRICA35,000Except:
    1. Algeria: 34,500
    2. Egypt: 32,500
    3. Morocco: 30,000
    ASIA6,500Except:
    1. Iran: 6,450
    2. Nepal: 6,450
    EUROPE16,000Except:
    1. Russia: 15,950
    2. Uzbekistan: 9,000
    NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS)20 
    OCEANIA1,500 
    SOUTH AMERICA,
    and the CARIBBEAN
    2,250 

    Why it is Important to Check Visa Bulletin Every Month?

    Every month, you should check the visa bulletin to get the details about available immigrant visa numbersSince the U.S. Government sets an annual limit on the number of immigrant visas, there can be significant wait times due to high demand and country-specific limits.

    On the regular check, you can identify when a visa number becomes available for your category. It helps you to apply at the right time without missing opportunities.