December 2025 Visa Bulletin Nudges EB Cutoffs, Creates Limited Filing Windows

Overview

• The State Department’s December 2025 Visa Bulletin reports modest advances in employment-based Final Action dates, allowing a small number of pending adjustment cases to be approved.
• Key movements include EB‑1 India to March 15, 2022 and EB‑1 China to January 22, 2023; EB‑2 Rest of World to February 1, 2024, EB‑2 India to May 15, 2013 and EB‑2 China to June 1, 2021; EB‑3 Rest of World to April 15, 2023, EB‑3 India to September 22, 2013 and EB‑3 China to April 1, 2021.
• EB‑4 advances to September 1, 2020 with the religious worker program reflected as renewed through January 29, 2026, and EB‑5 unreserved cutoffs move to July 1, 2021 for India and July 15, 2016 for China, with set‑aside categories remaining current.
• Family categories show selective shifts, including FB‑1 Mexico moving to March 1, 2006, while FB‑2A Final Action stays at February 1, 2024 and the FB‑2A Dates for Filing advance by one month to November 22, 2025.
• A narrow EB‑2 to EB‑3 downgrade window is reported for certain applicants—EB‑2 India with priority dates from December 1, 2013 through August 15, 2014 and EB‑2 China around late 2021—offering time‑sensitive filing strategies contingent on USCIS’s filing‑chart decision.