The U.S. Department of State released the May 2025 Visa Bulletin, which provides the availability of immigrant numbers for May 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 May 2025 Visa Bulletin
All cutoff dates listed refer to those in the Dates for Filing chart (i.e., Chart B) for family-based categories and the Final Action chart (i.e., Chart A) for 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—The cutoff date for the EB1 category has not changed since the April 2025 visa bulletin. India remains at 15 Feb 2022, China remains at 08 Nov 2022, and all other countries remain current.
- Employment-based Second preference (EB2) category—The cutoff date for the EB2 category has not changed since the April 2025 visa bulletin. India remains on 01 Jan 2013, China on 01 Oct 2020, and all other countries on 22 Jun 2023.
- Employment-based Third preference (EB3) category—The cutoff date for the EB3 category has moved forward for India to 15 Apr 2013, whereas China (01 Nov 2020) and other countries (01 Jan 2023) have remained the same since April 2025.
- 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 May 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 (May 2025)
| Family-Sponsored Categories | All Other Areas | CHINA (Mainland Born) | INDIA | MEXICO | PHILIPPINES |
| F1 | 15MAR16 | 15MAR16 | 15MAR16 | 22APR05 | 15JUL12 |
| F2A | 01JAN22 | 01JAN22 | 01JAN22 | 15MAY21 | 01JAN22 |
| F2B | 22JUL16 | 22JUL16 | 22JUL16 | 01JAN06 | 08FEB12 |
| F3 | 01APR11 | 01APR11 | 01APR11 | 15JAN01 | 22SEP03 |
| F4 | 01JAN08 | 01JAN08 | 15JUN06 | 15MAR01 | 01JUN05 |
Dates For Filing Family-Sponsored Applications (May 2025)
| Family-Sponsored Categories | All Other Areas | CHINA (Mainland Born) | INDIA | MEXICO | PHILIPPINES |
| F1 | 01SEP17 | 01SEP17 | 01SEP17 | 01APR06 | 22APR15 |
| F2A | 01FEB25 | 01FEB25 | 01FEB25 | 01FEB25 | 01FEB25 |
| F2B | 01JAN17 | 01JAN17 | 01JAN17 | 01APR07 | 01OCT13 |
| F3 | 22JUL12 | 22JUL12 | 22JUL12 | 15JUN01 | 22SEP04 |
| F4 | 01JUN08 | 01JUN08 | 01OCT06 | 30APR01 | 01JAN08 |
Employment-Based Preferences
Final Action Dates For Employment-Based Applications
(May 2025)
| Employment-Based Categories | All Other Areas | CHINA (Mainland Born) | INDIA | MEXICO | PHILIPPINES |
| 1st | C | 08NOV22 | 15FEB22 | C | C |
| 2nd | 22JUN23 | 01OCT20 | 01JAN13 | 22JUN23 | 22JUN23 |
| 3rd | 01JAN23 | 01NOV20 | 15APR13 | 01JAN23 | 01JAN23 |
| Other Workers | 22MAY21 | 01APR17 | 15APR13 | 22MAY21 | 22MAY21 |
| 4th | U | U | U | U | U |
| Certain Religious Workers | U | U | U | U | U |
| 5th Unreserved (including C5, T5, I5, R5) | C | 22JAN14 | 01MAY19 | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: Rural (20%) | C | C | C | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: High Unemployment (10%) | C | C | C | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: Infrastructure (2%) | C | C | C | C | C |
Dates for Filing Employment-Based Applications (May 2025)
| Employment-Based Categories | All Other Areas | CHINA (Mainland Born) | INDIA | MEXICO | PHILIPPINES |
| 1st | C | 01JAN23 | 15APR22 | C | C |
| 2nd | 01AUG23 | 01NOV20 | 01FEB13 | 01AUG23 | 01AUG23 |
| 3rd | 01MAR23 | 15NOV20 | 08JUN13 | 01MAR23 | 01MAR23 |
| Other Workers | 22JUN21 | 01JAN18 | 08JUN13 | 22JUN21 | 22JUN21 |
| 4th | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 |
| Certain Religious Workers | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 |
| 5th Unreserved (including C5, T5, I5, R5) | C | 01OCT16 | 01APR22 | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: Rural (20%) | C | C | C | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: High Unemployment (10%) | C | C | C | C | C |
| 5th Set Aside: Infrastructure (2%) | C | C | C | C | C |
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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.
May 2025 Immigrant Numbers in the DV Category
| Region | All DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately | |
| AFRICA | 35,000 | Except: 1. Algeria: 34,500 2. Egypt: 32,500 3. Morocco: 30,000 |
| ASIA | 6,500 | Except: 1. Iran: 6,450 2. Nepal: 6,450 |
| EUROPE | 16,000 | Except: 1. Russia: 15,950 2. Uzbekistan: 9,000 |
| NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) | 20 | |
| OCEANIA | 1,550 | |
| SOUTH AMERICA, and the CARIBBEAN | 2,250 |
The Diversity (DV) Immigrant Category Rank Cut-offs (June 2025)
| Region | All DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately | |
| AFRICA | 42,500 | Except: 1. Algeria: 42,250 2. Egypt: 36,250 3. Morocco: 30,000 |
| ASIA | 8,250 | Except: 1. Iran: 8,000 2. Nepal: 8,000 |
| EUROPE | 17,500 | Except: 1. Russia: 17,450 2. Uzbekistan: 10,250 |
| NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) | 20 | |
| OCEANIA | 1,550 | |
| SOUTH AMERICA, and the CARIBBEAN | 2,300 |
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 numbers. Since 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.
