July 2025 Visa Bulletin vs. June 2025 Visa Bulletin
A detailed, side-by-side analysis of every meaningful change
1. What the Visa Bulletin charts mean (refresher)
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Final Action Date (Chart A) | The cut-off a case must be earlier than to receive a visa or approve Adjustment of Status this month. |
| Date for Filing (Chart B) | The cut-off a case must be earlier than so applicants can submit all documents now (even if the government cannot issue the green card yet). |
| C | “Current” – everyone in that category may act immediately. |
| U | “Unavailable” – no numbers can be issued. |
(Sources: official July 2025 and June 2025 Visa Bulletins) (travel.state.gov, travel.state.gov)
2. Executive summary
| Area | Biggest July movement | How much it moved | Who benefits / impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family F2A (spouses & children of permanent residents) | Worldwide Final Action Date jumped from 1 Jan 2022 → 1 Sep 2022 | + 8 months (Mexico + 8 m 17 d) | Thousands of married-to-green-card-holder families can now receive green cards. |
| Family F1 (adult sons/daughters of U.S. citizens) | Worldwide Final Action Date advanced 1 month 7 days | 8 Jun 2016 → 15 Jul 2016 | Modest relief for this back-logged category. |
| Employment EB-3 Worldwide | Final Action advanced ≈ 1 month 24 days (8 Feb 23 → 1 Apr 23) | Filing Date moved + 2 months | Employers filing new PERM-based cases get earlier AOS filing windows. |
| China EB-1 | Final Action advanced one week (8 Nov 22 → 15 Nov 22) | + 7 days | Senior Chinese researchers/executives gain slight relief. |
| India – most EB categories | No forward movement | — | Wait-times remain essentially unchanged for India EB-1/EB-2; small 7-day advances in EB-3/Other-Worker. |
| Diversity Visa (DV-2025) | Africa, Asia, Europe cut-offs all rose about 2,500–7,500 rank numbers | Increases vary by region | More selectees can schedule interviews before FY-end (30 Sep 2025). |
3. Family-sponsored categories
3.1 Final Action Dates (Chart A) – June vs. July 2025 (Worldwide)
| Preference | Jun 2025 | Jul 2025 | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|
| F-1 | 8 Jun 16 | 15 Jul 16 | + 1 mo 7 d |
| F-2A | 1 Jan 22 | 1 Sep 22 | + 8 mo (largest jump) |
| F-2B | 22 Sep 16 | 15 Oct 16 | + 23 d |
| F-3 | 22 Jun 11 | 1 Aug 11 | + 1 mo 10 d |
| F-4 | 1 Jan 08 | 1 Jan 08 | — |
Country-specific highlights
- Mexico: Only F-3 and F-4 stayed flat; F-2A leapt to 1 Feb 22 (+ 8 m 17 d).
- Philippines: Strongest move in F-4 (1 Jun 05 → 1 Jan 06, + 7 months).
- China & India: Mirror worldwide numbers; F-2A eight-month advance is the key win.
3.2 Dates for Filing (Chart B)
| Preference | Jun 2025 | Jul 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| F-1 | 1 Sep 17 | 1 Sep 17 | — |
| F-2A | 1 Feb 25 | 1 Mar 25 | + 1 month |
| F-2B | 1 Jan 17 | 1 Jan 17 | — |
| F-3 | 22 Jul 12 | 22 Jul 12 | — |
| F-4 | 1 Jun 08 | 8 Sep 08 | + 3 m 7 d |
Notable exceptions:
- Mexico F-1 gained two months (1 Apr 06 → 1 Jun 06).
- Mexico F-2B advanced a full year (1 Apr 07 → 1 Apr 08).
- Philippines F-3 advanced to 1 Dec 04 (+ 2 m 9 d).
4. Employment-based categories
4.1 Final Action Dates (Chart A)
| Category | Area | Jun 2025 | Jul 2025 | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | China | 8 Nov 22 | 15 Nov 22 | + 7 d |
| India | 15 Feb 22 | 15 Feb 22 | — | |
| Rest of World | Current | Current | — | |
| EB-2 | China | 1 Dec 20 | 15 Dec 20 | + 14 d |
| India | 1 Jan 13 | 1 Jan 13 | — | |
| ROW | 15 Oct 23 | 15 Oct 23 | — | |
| EB-3 | ROW | 8 Feb 23 | 1 Apr 23 | + 1 m 24 d |
| China | 22 Nov 20 | 1 Dec 20 | + 9 d | |
| India | 15 Apr 13 | 22 Apr 13 | + 7 d | |
| Other Workers | ROW | 22 Jun 21 | 8 Jul 21 | + 16 d |
| China | 1 Apr 17 | 1 May 17 | + 1 m | |
| India | 15 Apr 13 | 22 Apr 13 | + 7 d | |
| EB-4 & SR | All | U | U | — |
| EB-5 (Unreserved) | China | 22 Jan 14 | 22 Jan 14 | — |
| India | 1 May 19 | 1 May 19 | — | |
| Others | Current | Current | — |
4.2 Dates for Filing (Chart B)
| Category | Area | Jun 2025 | Jul 2025 | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | China | 1 Jan 23 | 1 Jan 23 | — |
| India | 15 Apr 22 | 15 Apr 22 | — | |
| EB-2 | ROW | 15 Nov 23 | 15 Nov 23 | — |
| EB-3 | ROW | 1 Mar 23 | 1 May 23 | + 2 months |
| China | 22 Dec 20 | 22 Dec 20 | — | |
| India | 8 Jun 13 | 8 Jun 13 | — | |
| All other EB categories | unchanged |
5. Diversity Visa program (DV-2025)
| Region | June cut-off | July cut-off | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | 42,500 | 45,000 | + 2,500 |
| Asia | 8,250 | 9,000 | + 750 |
| Europe | 17,500 | 19,000 | + 1,500 |
| Oceania | 1,550 | 1,650 | + 100 |
| S. America/Caribbean | 2,300 | 2,450 | + 150 |
| Bahamas | 20 | 20 | — |
Cut-offs rose in every region, widening the interview window for late-rank selectees. Remember all DV-2025 numbers expire 30 Sep 2025. (travel.state.gov, travel.state.gov)
6. What did not change
- EB-2 India (1 Jan 2013) – still the oldest date in the bulletin, reflecting the deepest backlog.
- EB-1 India (15 Feb 2022) – unchanged for a seventh straight month.
- EB-4 (religious workers & other special immigrants) – remains “U” across the board.
- EB-5 set-aside categories (rural, high-unemployment, infrastructure) – all remain “Current,” offering the fastest immigrant visa path for investors able to meet the program rules.
7. Practical take-aways
| Stakeholder | Action Items |
|---|---|
| Permanent residents sponsoring spouses/children (F-2A) | If your priority date is on or before 1 Sep 2022 (worldwide) / 1 Feb 2022 (Mexico), you can file or expect adjudication now. Submit Form I-485/DS-260 promptly to capitalise on the eight-month advance. |
| Employers with pending EB-3 PERMs | For ROW cases with priority dates ≤ 1 Apr 2023, Adjustment of Status may be approved in July; new cases with PERM approved by 1 May 2023 can at least file AOS (Chart B) immediately. |
| Chinese EB-1 high-skilled workers | A modest 7-day advance keeps the door open. Continue monitoring – late-summer retrogressions are historically possible if demand spikes. |
| Indian EB-2/EB-3 workers | July offers only week-long progress in EB-3. Expect wait-times to remain lengthy; strategise on EB-1 upgrades, family-based alternatives, or employer sponsorship for EB-5 Rural/Infrastructure where feasible. |
| DV-2025 selectees | Check your rank number vs. new cut-offs. Schedule the interview as soon as KCC emails you; numbers can exhaust before 30 Sept. |
8. Looking ahead
Historically, the State Department tightens or retrogresses employment-based cut-offs in the September bulletin to ensure annual visa caps are met. Watch EB-3 Worldwide and China EB-1 for potential pull-backs. Family-based categories, especially F-2A, could continue forward movement if demand remains manageable, but sudden slow-downs are always possible late in the fiscal year.
For real-time updates monitor: travel.state.gov/visa-bulletin and the monthly YouTube live-streams from Charles Oppenheim’s successor at Visa Office. (travel.state.gov)
Prepared 9 June 2025. All dates and interpretations derived from the official July 2025 and June 2025 Visa Bulletins published by the U.S. Department of State.
