EB-2 India: August vs September 2025 — No Movement, FA 01JAN13 DFF 01FEB13

(INDIA) EB-2 India shows no movement between the August 2025 and September 2025 Visa Bulletins. The Department of State kept the EB-2 India Final Action Date at 01JAN13 and the Dates for Filing at 01FEB13 across both months. While the posted cutoff dates are unchanged, both bulletins stress tight end-of-year number control, including the possibility that employment categories could be made “Unavailable” immediately if annual limits are reached in August or September. Applicants should also note that the Dates for Filing chart can be used for adjustment of status only if USCIS confirms it for that month; the bulletins themselves do not decide that point.

Key Changes Announced

• EB-2 India cutoff dates are unchanged:
  • Final Action Date: 01JAN13 (August 2025 and September 2025)
  • Dates for Filing: 01FEB13 (August 2025 and September 2025)
• The August 2025 bulletin (published July 2, 2025 by CA/VO) warned of EB-2 Rest of World retrogression due to heavy demand and noted possible “Unavailable” status if limits were reached.

• The September 2025 bulletin (published August 4, 2025 by CA/VO) stated that most employment-based category limits were expected to be reached in August and September, with immediate “Unavailable” postings required once a limit is hit.

• India remains in the oversubscribed list in both months under per-country proration rules.

• The employment-based worldwide limit details:

  • August (context): “at least 140,000” worldwide; 25,620 per-country (7%); 7,320 dependent area (2%).
  • September (finalized): 150,037 worldwide; 26,323 per-country; 7,521 dependent area.
  • With carryover included (September): per-country 26,862; dependent area 7,675.
• According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, no posted movement occurred for EB-2 India despite the higher finalized worldwide limit and the end-of-year warnings.

EB-2 India Cutoffs for August and September 2025

The EB-2 India Final Action Date (FA) remained at 01JAN13 for August and September 2025. This means a case is current for approval only if its priority date is earlier than that cutoff. A priority date on or after 01JAN13 is not current for approval during these two months.

The EB-2 India Dates for Filing (DFF) continued at 01FEB13 in both months. The DFF allows applicants with priority dates earlier than 01FEB13 to prepare and file adjustment of status materials if USCIS confirms use of the DFF chart for that month. The Department of State’s bulletin publishes the charts; USCIS decides each month whether the DFF or the FA chart governs adjustment filings inside the United States. You can check USCIS’s monthly chart selection at: https://www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo.

In short:
– Final Action Date controls approvals and final visa number allocation.
– Dates for Filing can allow earlier filing of adjustment applications, but only when USCIS says so.

Year-End Number Use and Risk Signals

The August 2025 bulletin flagged late fiscal-year pressure across employment categories and warned that EB-2 Rest of World had retrogressed due to rising demand and could become “Unavailable” if the worldwide limit was reached. It also noted high demand in EB-3/EW, pointing to possible retrogression or “Unavailable” status in September.

The September 2025 bulletin broadened the warning and stated that most employment-based category limits were expected to be reached in August and September. When that happens, the bulletin states the category must be made “Unavailable” immediately for the rest of the fiscal year. Practically, this means number requests would no longer be honored until the new fiscal year opens on October 1.

Despite these warnings, the posted EB-2 India dates did not move between August and September. That stability is important for planning: the chart for EB-2 India is the same across both months, even while the environment is tight.

Important takeaway: a category can be made “Unavailable” mid-month if limits are hit, which can pause final approvals even when posted cutoff dates appear current.

Numerical Limits and Per-Country Caps for FY-2025

The bulletins outline the numerical framework that affects all employment-based movement:

• August 2025 bulletin (context figures):
  • Employment-based worldwide: “at least 140,000”
  • Per-country limit (7%): 25,620
  • Dependent area limit (2%): 7,320
• September 2025 bulletin (finalized figures):
  • Employment-based worldwide: 150,037
  • Per-country limit (7%): 26,323
  • Dependent area limit (2%): 7,521
  • With carryover included:
  • Per-country: 26,862
  • Dependent area: 7,675

These totals reflect total capacity for the fiscal year. The September finalization did not produce forward movement for EB-2 India; FA and DFF stayed at 01JAN13 and 01FEB13 respectively, maintaining the same one-month gap between filing and final action cutoffs.

Practical Effects for Applicants in India

What these static dates mean for people waiting in EB-2 India:

• If your priority date is earlier than 01JAN13:
  • Your case is current for approval in both August and September. Approval still depends on case readiness (security checks, medicals on file, and a visa number available at the time of final review). However, the bulletins warn that numbers can be cut off mid-month if a limit is reached.
• If your priority date is on or after 01JAN13 but earlier than 01FEB13:
  • You fall within the EB-2 India Dates for Filing in both months. Whether you can actually file an adjustment of status depends on USCIS’s choice of chart. The Department of State directs applicants to check USCIS’s monthly posting to see if the DFF chart is in use for that month: https://www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo.
• If your priority date is on or after 01FEB13:
  • You are outside both the FA and DFF cutoffs for these two bulletins, meaning you cannot file based on the published DFF and are not current for approval under FA.

Because late fiscal-year months can trigger strict number control, families should be prepared for possible pauses in final approvals even when the chart shows current. This is not a prediction of movement or retrogression; it reflects the bulletins’ statements that a category can become “Unavailable” immediately once its limit is met.

Filing Versus Approval at Fiscal Year-End

• Filing (inside the United States) depends on USCIS’s monthly chart selection. Even if your priority date is within the DFF, you can file only if USCIS selects the DFF chart for that month.
• Approval requires a current Final Action Date and a visa number available at the time the officer is ready to approve. If the annual limit is reached and a category is made “Unavailable,” even otherwise-ready cases can pause until the next fiscal year.

End-of-year caution matters most in August and September. If limits are reached, the “Unavailable” label stops further number use until October 1, when the new fiscal year begins and new numbers are released.

Gap Between Dates and What It Means for EB-2 India

The gap between EB-2 India’s DFF and FA remained one month in both August and September 2025: DFF 01FEB13 versus FA 01JAN13. A one-month gap is relatively narrow and supports two planning points:

• People with priority dates in January 2013 but before February 2013 remain in a narrow zone where DFF is ahead of FA. If USCIS selects the DFF chart, this group could file even though they cannot be approved yet under FA.
• People with priority dates earlier than 01JAN13 are within FA and can be approved when a number is available and the case is otherwise ready.

The gap size does not indicate whether dates will advance or retrogress next. The bulletins avoid forecasting EB-2 India movement and instead focus on guarding annual limits as the fiscal year ends.

EB-2 India in the Wider EB-2 Context

Both bulletins listed unchanged EB-2 cutoffs across regions in August and September 2025:

• Final Action Dates (EB-2):
  • All Chargeability: 01SEP23
  • China (mainland-born): 15DEC20
  • India: 01JAN13
  • Mexico: 01SEP23
  • Philippines: 01SEP23
• Dates for Filing (EB-2):
  • All Chargeability: 15NOV23
  • China (mainland-born): 01JAN21
  • India: 01FEB13
  • Mexico: 15NOV23
  • Philippines: 15NOV23

The August bulletin warned of retrogression in EB-2 Rest of World. The September bulletin noted that many EB categories were expected to hit their limits in August and September. Yet none of these broader signals translated into a posted change for EB-2 India in either month. India also remained listed as oversubscribed in both bulletins under per-country proration rules.

How USCIS Chooses the Monthly Filing Chart

Each monthly Visa Bulletin includes both the Final Action Dates and the Dates for Filing, but USCIS tells applicants which chart they can use for adjustment of status filings inside the United States. The bulletins instruct readers to check with USCIS for that month’s choice. That information is posted here: https://www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo.

If USCIS selects the DFF chart for employment-based filings in a given month, an EB-2 India applicant with a priority date earlier than 01FEB13 could file the adjustment of status package that month. If USCIS selects the FA chart instead, only applicants current under 01JAN13 would be able to file that month. The selection can change month to month, even if the posted cutoff dates remain the same.

Risk of Mid-Month “Unavailable” and Processing Impact

Both bulletins emphasize end-of-year controls: if a preference category reaches its limit, the Department of State will post “Unavailable” immediately, and no further number use can occur until the next fiscal year. This general rule can affect case timing:

• If “Unavailable” is posted mid-month, pending final approvals may pause even for cases with current priority dates under FA.
• New number requests would not be honored until October 1, when the next fiscal year starts and new numbers are released.

Applicants should not read this as a change to their posted priority date status. It is a number control measure that can temporarily halt approvals in late August or September. When the new fiscal year starts, processing resumes under the new year’s limits and the new Visa Bulletin.

Focused Q&A Based on the Two Bulletins

• My EB-2 India priority date is 15 December 2012. What do these bulletins mean for me?
  • Your date is earlier than 01JAN13, so you are current for approval under the FA chart in both months, assuming a visa number is available at the time of decision and your case is otherwise ready. Be aware that “Unavailable” can appear if limits are hit before the fiscal year ends, temporarily pausing approvals.
• My EB-2 India priority date is 25 January 2013. Can I file?
  • Your date is earlier than 01FEB13, so you fall within the DFF cutoff in both months. Whether you can file depends on whether USCIS chose the DFF chart for that month. Check USCIS’s monthly page: https://www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo.
• If the charts show no movement, could my case still be delayed?
  • Yes. If an annual limit is reached, a category can become “Unavailable” immediately, stopping further number use until October 1. This can slow final approvals even if posted dates do not change.
• Does the higher finalized worldwide number in September (150,037) mean EB-2 India will advance next?
  • The bulletins do not say that. They finalized the employment-based worldwide limit and listed per-country and dependent area figures, but EB-2 India’s posted dates did not change in September. There is no forward movement stated for EB-2 India in these two bulletins.

What Employers and Families Should Note Right Now

Employers sponsoring EB-2 India workers and families waiting on green card approvals should align expectations with the two bulletins:

• Posted EB-2 India dates are static at FA 01JAN13 and DFF 01FEB13 for both August and September 2025.
• The DFF can only be used for adjustment filing if USCIS confirms it for that month; this is not decided by the Department of State bulletin.
• The close of the fiscal year brings tighter number control. If limits are reached, “Unavailable” can be posted mid-month and stop further issuances until October 1.
• India remains in the oversubscribed list under per-country rules in both months.

These points come straight from the August and September 2025 Visa Bulletins. VisaVerge.com reports that the stability in EB-2 India’s dates—despite the finalized worldwide limit and the end-of-year warnings—kept the practical picture unchanged across these two months.

Sources and Attributions

• August 2025 Visa Bulletin (CA/VO publication date: July 2, 2025):
  • EB-2 India: FA 01JAN13, DFF 01FEB13
  • Warning: EB-2 Rest of World retrogression due to demand; possible “Unavailable” if limits are reached
  • Oversubscribed list includes India
  • Context figures: employment-based worldwide “at least 140,000”; per-country 25,620; dependent area 7,320
• September 2025 Visa Bulletin (CA/VO publication date: August 4, 2025):
  • EB-2 India: FA 01JAN13, DFF 01FEB13
  • End-of-year notice: most employment-based categories expected to reach limits in August/September; “Unavailable” posted immediately once a limit is reached
  • Oversubscribed list includes India
  • Finalized figures: employment-based worldwide 150,037; per-country 26,323; dependent area 7,521; with carryover per-country 26,862, dependent area 7,675
• USCIS monthly chart selection for adjustment of status filings:
  • Official page to confirm whether the Dates for Filing chart can be used in a given month: https://www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo

Bottom-Line View for EB-2 India Across the Two Bulletins

The core point is unchanged: the Final Action Date is 01JAN13 and the Dates for Filing is 01FEB13 in both August 2025 and September 2025. The one-month gap between filing and final action remains. USCIS decides month to month whether the DFF chart may be used for adjustment filings. The numerical framework tightened as the fiscal year closed, and the Department of State warned that categories could be made “Unavailable” immediately when limits were reached. Yet, for EB-2 India, no posted cutoff changed between the two months covered here.

By following the bulletins closely, applicants can plan around a steady set of dates and an important set of cautions: rely on FA 01JAN13 and DFF 01FEB13 for both months; monitor USCIS’s monthly choice of chart for filing; and be ready for end-of-year number controls that can slow approvals even if the chart itself has not moved.