EB-2 ROW November 2025: Final Action Not Current, Filing Current

For EB-2 Rest of World (EB-2 ROW) in November 2025, the picture is clear and unchanged from October: Final Action Dates are not current and remain set at 01DEC23, while Dates for Filing are current (“C”). In plain terms, that means two different gates are in place at the same time.

• Approvals (green card issuance or adjustment approval) are controlled by the Final Action Date. Only cases with a priority date earlier than 01DEC23 can be approved in November.
• Filings (starting the immigrant visa or adjustment process) are controlled by the Dates for Filing chart. For EB-2 ROW, it’s current in both October and November, so anyone in the category may file—if the United States 🇺🇸 agency that month allows use of the Filing chart for adjustment of status inside the country.

There was no movement from October to November. If you were approvable in October because your priority date was before 01DEC23, you remain approvable in November. If your priority date is on or after 01DEC23, you still can’t be approved yet. However, if you’re inside the U.S. and USCIS allows the Filing chart for the month, you can file an I-485 even if your priority date is later than the cutoff. That creates a planning window for work and travel benefits while you wait for the Final Action Dates to reach your place in line.

What the Two Charts Mean and How They Work

Every Visa Bulletin prints two employment-based charts that matter each month:

• Final Action Dates (approvals): This chart controls who can be approved. If your priority date is earlier than the published cutoff for your category and country, your case can be approved. If your row says “C” (current), there’s no date limit—any qualified case can be approved.
• Dates for Filing (submissions): This chart controls who may start the process. For applicants in the U.S., USCIS decides which chart to use each month for adjustment of status filings. If your row says “C”, anyone in that category can file regardless of priority date. For applicants abroad, consulates issue visas based on Final Action Dates.

For EB-2 ROW in both October 2025 and November 2025:
– Final Action Dates: 01DEC23 (not current)
– Dates for Filing: Current (“C”)

The result is a split reality: you may be able to file now (if USCIS allows the Filing chart), but you cannot be approved unless your priority date is before 01DEC23.

Step-by-Step: Inside the United States (Adjustment of Status)

When you’re in the U.S. and seeking a green card through adjustment of status, outcomes depend on which chart USCIS designates for the month.

1) If USCIS allows the Filing chart
– Check the USCIS decision for the month on the exact USCIS page: https://www.uscis.gov/visas/immigrant-visa-process/visa-availability-and-priority-dates/adjustment-of-status-filing-charts-from-the-visa-bulletin.
– Because EB-2 ROW shows “C” on the Dates for Filing chart, you may submit:
– Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status) — https://www.uscis.gov/i-485
– Form I-765 (Employment Authorization Document) — https://www.uscis.gov/i-765
– Form I-131 (Advance Parole travel document) — https://www.uscis.gov/i-131
– What to expect:
– You can enter the queue for an EAD and, if filed, Advance Parole. This provides work and travel flexibility while you wait for your Final Action Date to become current.
– Your I-485 cannot be approved until your priority date is earlier than 01DEC23. Your case may still progress through background checks, medical review, and other administrative steps while pending.

2) If USCIS requires the Final Action chart
– You may file an I-485 only if your priority date is earlier than 01DEC23.
– If your priority date is on or after 01DEC23, you must wait to file until the cutoff advances past your date in a future month.
– If you can file (because your priority date is earlier), you may also submit I-765 and I-131 with your I-485 to gain work and travel benefits during adjudication.

Practical tips for both situations:
– Know your exact priority date. A single day can decide whether you can file or be approved.
– Track the USCIS chart choice each month. The green light for early filing depends on the chart USCIS picks for that month.
– Keep your case ready. When your Final Action Date becomes current, approvals can issue faster if your case is fully prepared (medicals, supporting documents, job offer evidence).

Step-by-Step: Outside the United States (Consular Processing)

For applicants outside the U.S., consular processing is tied to Final Action Dates:

• You and your family can continue preparing your case while waiting, but the consulate can only issue an immigrant visa if your priority date is earlier than 01DEC23.
• If your priority date is earlier than 01DEC23, the November window is favorable for issuance—assuming your case is otherwise documentarily qualified and complete.
• If your priority date is on or after 01DEC23, you’ll likely continue case preparation and wait for the Final Action Date to move forward.

Consular applicants do not use the USCIS monthly chart choice. Your issuing gate is the Final Action Date—the same rule in October remains in November.

October vs. November 2025: What Stayed the Same and Why It Matters

Comparison:

• Final Action (October 2025): 01DEC23
• Final Action (November 2025): 01DEC23
• Dates for Filing (October 2025): Current (“C”)
• Dates for Filing (November 2025): Current (“C”)

What this means:
– If your EB-2 ROW priority date is earlier than 01DEC23, you remain approvable in November.
– If your date is on or after 01DEC23, you’re still not approvable yet.
– If USCIS allows the Filing chart, anyone in EB-2 ROW can file I-485 in November just as in October.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, keeping Filing “current” helps keep USCIS and consular pipelines active while approvals are managed through the Final Action date gate.

Planning Paths Based on Your Priority Date

Your plan for November 2025 should match your place in line:

• If your priority date is before 01DEC23
  • You are current for approval in November (and were in October).
  • For adjustment cases, make sure your file is complete, including medicals if requested, and that the job offer remains valid for EB-2.
  • For consular cases, watch for appointment scheduling or visa issuance if your case is otherwise ready.
• If your priority date is on or after 01DEC23
  • You cannot be approved yet.
  • If USCIS allows the Filing chart in November, consider filing I-485 with I-765 and I-131. The EAD and Advance Parole can support work and travel while you wait.
  • If USCIS requires the Final Action chart, you must wait to file until your date becomes eligible.

In both cases, check USCIS’s monthly chart selection and confirm your category (EB-2) and chargeability (ROW). Small errors can cause big delays.

Why 01DEC23 Holds: Demand, Limits, and Allocation Mechanics

The unchanged cutoff suggests steady demand that the Department of State (DOS) is pacing within the legal limits that govern immigrant visas:

• Annual employment-based numbers are at least 140,000 worldwide.
• The per-country limit is 7% of total family- and employment-based numbers.
• Cases are allocated in priority date order.
• When demand from a category or country exceeds the numbers available, the category is marked “oversubscribed,” and DOS sets a cutoff on the Final Action Dates chart.
• DOS may move dates forward, hold them, or retrogress if necessary to stay within annual and per-country limits.

For October allocations, DOS considered demand “received by September 3rd.” For November, DOS looked at demand “received by October 1st.” Holding 01DEC23 in both months signals that EB-2 ROW demand visible to DOS as of those snapshot dates continued to require a gate. Meanwhile, leaving Dates for Filing as current keeps the paperwork moving so USCIS and consular posts can avoid future bottlenecks when approval numbers open.

Monthly Variability and What to Watch

The bulletin process is monthly and reactive to demand. This means:
– The Final Action Dates can advance, freeze, or retrogress.
– A category can be marked “U” (unavailable) if an annual limit is reached before the end of the fiscal year.
– USCIS can switch between using the Dates for Filing or Final Action Dates chart for adjustment filings inside the U.S.

Because November 2025 mirrors October, you have a stable picture for at least another month. Still, it’s smart to check the USCIS chart choice each month and keep your documents ready in case your Final Action Date becomes current.

Family Members and Linked Outcomes

Spouses and children qualify under INA §203(d) and follow the principal applicant. In practice:

• Their ability to file and be approved is tied to the principal’s priority date and the monthly movement of Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing.
• If the principal can file an I-485 under the Filing chart, dependents usually file together and gain access to I-765 and I-131 benefits.
• If the principal can be approved because the priority date is before 01DEC23, eligible dependents can be approved as well, assuming their cases are complete and current.

This linked status is important for planning school, work, and travel for the whole household.

Practical Scenarios and Expected Agency Actions

1) Inside the U.S., Filing chart allowed, priority date in 2024
– You can file I-485 now (because EB-2 ROW is current on the Filing chart).
– You may also file I-765 and I-131 to request work and travel authorization while your green card case is pending.
– USCIS can process parts of your case, but can’t approve your I-485 until the Final Action Date moves beyond 01DEC23 to cover your 2024 priority date.

2) Inside the U.S., Final Action chart required, priority date 15NOV23
– You cannot file in November because your date is not earlier than 01DEC23.
– You watch for a future month when the Final Action Date advances past your priority date, at which point you can file adjustment (and work/travel requests).

3) Outside the U.S., consular case, priority date 20NOV23
– Your consulate cannot issue the visa in November because Final Action Dates are at 01DEC23.
– You can keep preparing the case, but issuance must wait until your priority date becomes earlier than the cutoff.

4) Outside the U.S., consular case, priority date 01NOV23
– With a date earlier than 01DEC23, you are in an approvable window in November if your case is documentarily qualified and ready.
– The consulate can issue the visa subject to standard checks and availability.

Across all scenarios, the gate that matters for approval is Final Action Dates, while Dates for Filing control when you may start, if USCIS allows that chart inside the United States.

Process Timeline Overview Without Guesswork

Because the bulletin moves monthly and DOS allocates based on demand snapshots, exact timelines are not fixed in advance. Here’s what you can expect at each stage:

• Before filing
  • Confirm your priority date and chargeability.
  • Check the USCIS chart choice for the current month on the exact USCIS page: https://www.uscis.gov/visas/immigrant-visa-process/visa-availability-and-priority-dates/adjustment-of-status-filing-charts-from-the-visa-bulletin.
• When filing inside the U.S. (if permitted by the chart)
  • Submit Form I-485, and consider filing I-765 and I-131 with it.
  • Expect USCIS to process your applications while approval waits for the Final Action Date to reach your priority date.
• While waiting for approval
  • Monitor the Visa Bulletin each month for EB-2 ROW movement.
  • Keep medicals, job offer details, and address updates current so there are no last-minute delays when your date is current.
• Approval or visa issuance
  • If your priority date is earlier than 01DEC23, November remains an approval window (subject to case readiness).
  • If not, approvals must wait until the Final Action gate advances.

Looking Ahead Without Guesswork

The steady handoff from October to November—Final Action fixed at 01DEC23, Filing current—suggests DOS believes this gate fits the demand picture visible as of the month-end snapshots used to set those months (September 3rd for October, October 1st for November). If filings continue strong under a current Filing chart, the inventory of ready cases may grow, keeping pressure on the Final Action gate. If demand cools, or if usage in other areas frees numbers, the cutoff could advance.

The only certain plan is to keep your file ready and watch the charts each month.

For EB-2 ROW in November 2025, the operating rules remain simple:
– Final Action Dates: 01DEC23 — approvals require a priority date earlier than this.
– Dates for Filing: Current (“C”) — early filing is possible inside the U.S. if USCIS uses the Filing chart that month.

This twin-track setup lets many start their cases and gain work/travel flexibility, while approvals move in strict date order within the legal annual and per-country limits that govern the system.