F1 Visa Bulletin: November 2025 Stagnation for India and China

For family-based F1 applicants from India and China, the October 2025 and November 2025 Visa Bulletin excerpts you provided show the same cut-offs across both months. The F1 Final Action Date is set at 08NOV2016 in October and remains 08NOV2016 in November—there’s no movement. The F1 Filing dates (Dates for Filing chart) for India and China are 01SEP2017 in both months—again, no movement. The pasted tables don’t display the F1 cells for Mexico or the Philippines in either month, so the October/November numbers for those two chargeability areas can’t be confirmed from this text alone.

Where the F1 Dates Stand for October and November 2025

• F1 Final Action Date (India and China): 08NOV2016 in October → 08NOV2016 in November (no movement).
• F1 Filing dates (India and China): 01SEP2017 in October → 01SEP2017 in November (no movement).
• Mexico and Philippines: The F1 cells are not visible in the pasted rows for either month; their values and any movement cannot be stated based on the provided excerpt.

The F1 preference covers unmarried sons and daughters (age 21 or older) of U.S. citizens. The Visa Bulletin presents two charts for family categories:

• Final Action Dates (A chart): The government may issue an immigrant visa or approve a green card when the applicant’s priority date is earlier than the cut-off shown.
• Dates for Filing (B chart): The earliest dates when applicants may submit full applications, if USCIS authorizes use of the Filing chart for that month.

Both bulletins in your excerpt repeat the standard instruction to check with USCIS to see whether adjustment-of-status filers must use Final Action or may use Filing. That monthly choice isn’t included in the excerpt, so no assumption can be made here. To verify which chart applies for a given month, use the USCIS page that explains which Visa Bulletin chart to follow for adjustment filings: see USCIS’s guidance at the Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page.

Step-by-Step: How to Check Your Place for October and November 2025

1) Confirm your category and chargeability
– Category: F1 (unmarried sons/daughters, 21+, of U.S. citizens).
– Chargeability: Based on your country of birth; your excerpt lists India and China–mainland born explicitly. The Mexico and Philippines cells are missing in the pasted F1 rows.

2) Find your priority date
– Use the priority date assigned to your petition. It’s the date the government considers your place in line. Compare it against the charts below.

3) Compare your priority date to the October and November 2025 charts
– For India and China:
– Final Action Date: 08NOV2016 in both October and November. If your priority date is earlier than this, your case falls within the Final Action window for those months (subject to visa number availability and normal processing).
– Filing dates: 01SEP2017 in both October and November. If USCIS authorizes use of the Filing chart for the month, cases with priority dates earlier than this could submit full applications during that month.
– For Mexico and the Philippines:
– The pertinent F1 cells are not shown in the pasted rows for either month, so the October/November numbers—and any movement—can’t be derived from this excerpt.

4) Check whether USCIS allows the Filing chart
– Each month, USCIS announces whether adjustment filers must follow Final Action or may use Filing. The excerpts remind readers to confirm this monthly decision. The texts you provided don’t specify USCIS’s choice for October or November 2025.

5) Decide your immediate action
– If your priority date is earlier than 08NOV2016 (India/China): You’re inside the Final Action cut-off in both months. If your case is otherwise ready and a visa number is available in the month of adjudication, approval can proceed.
– If your priority date is between 08NOV2016 and 01SEP2017 (India/China): You’re outside Final Action but inside Filing—if USCIS permits the Filing chart that month. Filing early can place your case in the pipeline so it’s ready when the Final Action Date eventually reaches you.
– If your priority date is on or after 01SEP2017 (India/China): You’re outside both charts in the months shown and must wait until the dates move forward.

What Happens at Each Stage (and What You Should Do)

Stage 1: You’re within Filing dates, but not yet current for Final Action
– What DOS/USCIS do: If USCIS authorizes the Filing chart for the month, USCIS will accept complete filings with priority dates earlier than the Filing cut-off (India/China: 01SEP2017). DOS maintains the Final Action Date to regulate the pace of approvals.
– What you do: If the Filing chart is authorized that month and your date is earlier than 01SEP2017, gather your full application, submit it within the window, and then pursue any follow-up steps the agencies request. Filing doesn’t mean immediate approval; it positions your case so final review can happen once the Final Action Date reaches your priority date.

Stage 2: You’re current under the Final Action Date
– What DOS/USCIS do: DOS uses monthly visa numbers to approve cases with priority dates earlier than 08NOV2016 (India/China in both months). If overall demand is heavy, actual approvals still depend on that month’s available numbers and your case’s readiness.
– What you do: Make sure any agency requests have been answered. If you’re documentarily qualified and your priority date is earlier than 08NOV2016, your case is in the window for final action in October and November (subject to visa number availability in each month).

Why the Dates Aren’t Moving: Oversubscription Mechanics

Your excerpts highlight the structure that keeps F1 static when demand is high:

• Fixed family ceilings: The total annual worldwide limit for family-sponsored preferences is 226,000 under INA §201. F1 is only a portion of that total.
• Per-country limits: INA §202 imposes a 7% per-country ceiling within the preference limits, which can further slow movement for demand-heavy countries.
• Cut-off logic: When demand exceeds supply, DOS creates a cut-off date, which is essentially the priority date of the first applicant who can’t be reached without going over the limit. That’s the posted date on the A chart.
• Proration and retrogression: DOS can adjust categories to stay within annual caps. If necessary, categories may even retrogress. The stasis from October to November reflects careful metering to avoid exceeding limits.

The October bulletin allocations are based on demand received by September 3; the November allocations use demand through October 1. With F1 backlogs, these internal checkpoints often result in flat dates unless meaningful room appears under the annual limits. VisaVerge.com reports that this kind of no movement in backlogged family categories is common when the agency needs to meter usage evenly across the fiscal year.

Scenarios for India and China Based on Your Excerpted Dates

• Priority date: July 2016
  • Result: Earlier than 08NOV2016, so it’s current for Final Action in both October and November 2025. If you’re otherwise ready, your case can be approved when a number is available that month.
• Priority date: December 2016
  • Result: After 08NOV2016 but earlier than 01SEP2017. You’re not current for Final Action, but you’d be within Filing if USCIS permits the Filing chart that month. Filing early can move your case into the queue for final action later.
• Priority date: October 2017
  • Result: On or after 01SEP2017. You’re outside both charts in the months shown. You’ll need to wait for the Filing dates to move past your priority date before you can submit, and then for the Final Action Date to eventually reach you.

These examples show how the same priority dates would be treated in October and November 2025 when there is no movement between months.

Mexico and the Philippines: Data Gaps in the Provided Tables

The F1 rows in the pasted October and November charts don’t display the Mexico or Philippines cells. Because those cells are missing for both months, this analysis cannot:

• State their F1 Final Action Date or Filing dates for October 2025.
• State their F1 Final Action Date or Filing dates for November 2025.
• Measure any month-to-month movement.

Applicants from Mexico or the Philippines can still follow the same process described here—identify their priority date, find their country’s F1 row, compare to Final Action and Filing dates, and check whether USCIS allows the Filing chart for that month—but their exact October/November 2025 values are not available in the provided text.

Planning Your Timeline with the Given Cut-Offs

• If your priority date is earlier than 08NOV2016 (India/China): Treat October and November as active months for potential final action. Make sure your case is fully ready so an available number can be used without delay.
• If your priority date is between 08NOV2016 and 01SEP2017 (India/China): Track the Filing dates and USCIS’s monthly chart choice. When USCIS authorizes Filing, submit promptly. Early filing helps your case move through preliminary steps while you wait for the Final Action Date to reach your priority date.
• If your priority date is on/after 01SEP2017 (India/China): Expect continued waiting until the charts progress. The excerpts indicate a steady state across October and November 2025, with no movement on either chart.

Behind the scenes, DOS is applying per-country proration and watching overall usage to stay within the 226,000 family cap. If demand remains heavy, forward movement can stall so the agency doesn’t need to retrogress later.

What to Expect from the Agencies

• Department of State (DOS)
  • Sets monthly Final Action Dates and Filing dates based on demand up to the internal checkpoints named in your excerpts (September 3 for October allocations and October 1 for November).
  • May hold dates steady when usage must be metered to fit annual and per-country limits under INA §201 and §202.
  • Can retrogress a category if numbers would otherwise be exceeded; can also make a category temporarily “unavailable” if an annual limit is reached.
• USCIS
  • Decides monthly whether adjustment filers must use the A chart or may use the B chart. The excerpts don’t include USCIS’s choice for either October or November 2025.
  • Accepts filings under the B chart if authorized for that month, which allows cases to enter processing earlier than the Final Action Date.

Applicant Action Checklist for October and November 2025

• Confirm your priority date and chargeability area.
• For India and China F1:
  • Compare your date to 08NOV2016 (Final Action) and 01SEP2017 (Filing), noting there’s no movement between October and November 2025.
  • If your date is earlier than 08NOV2016, prepare for final action steps and respond quickly to any agency requests.
  • If your date falls between 08NOV2016 and 01SEP2017, watch whether USCIS authorizes the Filing chart and be ready to submit if permitted.
  • If your date is on/after 01SEP2017, keep monitoring; you’re outside both charts in the months shown.
• For Mexico and the Philippines F1:
  • The pasted F1 cells are missing, so the October/November dates can’t be confirmed from this excerpt. Follow the same comparison process once you have those cells for your month.
• Each month, verify whether USCIS allows Filing by checking the Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page.

• Keep your case “documentarily qualified” so you can move forward as soon as numbers are available under the A chart.

Important: The USCIS monthly choice (A chart vs. B chart) is decisive for adjustment filers. The excerpts you provided don’t state that choice for October or November 2025—confirm it before taking filing action.

Why This Process Matters

The excerpts make clear that F1 is a demand-heavy category. Because of the 226,000 total family cap and the 7% per-country ceiling, movement often pauses unless a month leaves room to advance. The steady 08NOV2016 F1 Final Action Date for India and China, plus the 01SEP2017 Filing dates with no movement from October to November, show DOS managing within tight limits and demand that hasn’t eased enough to allow forward action.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, long-standing backlogs like F1 often see flat months while agencies balance usage across the fiscal year to avoid later retrogression. For applicants, the most practical approach is to:

• Evaluate your priority date against both charts every month,
• Confirm which chart USCIS allows for adjustment filings, and
• Take action as soon as your situation fits the published cut-offs.

In months like October and November 2025—when the India and China F1 dates are static—clear planning still helps. If you’re within Final Action, be ready for approval steps. If you’re only within Filing (and USCIS opens that chart), submit early so your case is staged for final action later. If you’re outside both charts, remain prepared and keep monitoring the bulletins, as monthly updates reflect demand received by the specific internal dates the excerpts name (September 3 and October 1), which is how DOS manages the flow under the statutory caps.