The April 2025 Visa Bulletin, issued by the U.S. Department of State, brings noteworthy changes in both employment-based and family-sponsored visa categories. Below, we analyze the significant updates and their implications for applicants.
Overview of Key Categories
Employment-Based First Preference (EB-1) Category
- India: Advances to February 15, 2022, indicating continued movement.
- China: Moves forward to November 8, 2022, maintaining steady progress.
- Other Countries: Remain current, ensuring immediate availability for applicants.
Employment-Based Second Preference (EB-2) Category
- India: Advances to January 1, 2013, showing a positive shift.
- China: Moves to October 1, 2020, reflecting incremental progress.
- Other Countries: Continue to remain current, offering fast processing times.
Employment-Based Third Preference (EB-3) Category
- India: Moves to April 1, 2013, indicating modest movement.
- China: Advances to November 1, 2020, reflecting steady improvement.
- Other Countries: Continue at January 1, 2023, showing stability.
EB-3 Other Workers
- India: Moves forward to April 1, 2013, keeping pace with the general EB-3 category.
- China: Moves ahead to April 1, 2017, signaling demand.
- Other Countries: Progresses to June 22, 2021, offering hope for applicants.
Employment-Based Fourth (EB-4) Preference
- All chargeability areas: Unavailable (U) due to annual limit exhaustion on February 28, 2025.
- Visa issuance in this category will not resume until the next fiscal year, starting October 1, 2025.
Employment-Based Fifth (EB-5) Preference
- EB-5 Unreserved for China: Retrogresses to January 22, 2014, reflecting high demand.
- EB-5 Unreserved for India: Retrogresses to November 1, 2019, indicating growing interest.
- Other Countries: Remain current, with reserved categories still available.
Family-Based Categories
- F2A (Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents): The cutoff date remains January 1, 2022, for all chargeability areas except Mexico, which follows May 15, 2021.
- F1 (Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens): The cutoff date for most countries advances to March 15, 2016, with Mexico lagging at January 1, 2005.
- F4 (Siblings of U.S. Citizens): Ranges from August 1, 2007 (most countries) to March 15, 2001 (Mexico). The Philippines moves to January 1, 2005.
Retrogression in EB-4 and EB-5 Categories
- EB-4 visas have reached the annual limit for FY 2025, making the category unavailable until October 1, 2025.
- EB-5 for India and China has retrogressed due to high demand, and further restrictions may be introduced in future bulletins.
Employment-Based Categories Forecast
While EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 continue to progress, the retrogression in EB-4 and EB-5 for key countries may cause delays. Applicants should prepare accordingly and stay informed about future movements.
Conclusion
The April 2025 Visa Bulletin reflects progress in some areas and delays in others. While EB-4 is unavailable, and EB-5 faces retrogression, steady movement in EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 categories offers hope to applicants.
For legal guidance and case-specific advice, contact NPZ Law Group at info@visaserve.com or call 201-670-0006, ext. 104. Stay updated with the latest immigration news and Visa Bulletins at www.visaserve.com.