This article provides a structured, data-driven comparison of the December 2025 Visa Bulletin (Number 9, Volume XI) and the November 2025 Visa Bulletin (Number 8, Volume XI) issued by the U.S. Department of State.

The analysis:

• Covers Family-Sponsored, Employment-Based, and Diversity Visa (DV) categories.
• Examines both Final Action Dates (FAD) and Dates for Filing (DFF).
• Focuses on key chargeability areas:
  All Chargeability Areas (Worldwide), China (mainland born), India, Mexico, and the Philippines.
• Uses only the data present in the provided bulletin excerpts and does not introduce external or speculative information.

Where the November data is partially misaligned in the text, this article clearly notes limitations and refrains from guesswork.

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2. Key Concepts

Before comparing month-to-month movements, it is important to clarify terminology used in both bulletins:

• Final Action Date (FAD)
  The priority date cutoff used to decide whether a visa can be issued (or an adjustment of status can be approved).
  • If your priority date is earlier than or equal to the listed FAD, a visa number may be allocated now.
• Date for Filing (DFF)
  The priority date cutoff for when you may submit your immigrant visa application or adjustment of status application (if USCIS authorizes using the filing chart).
  • If your priority date is earlier than or equal to the listed DFF, you may file, even if you must wait for the FAD to become current for final approval.
• “C” – Current
  There is no backlog: all qualified applicants in that category and chargeability area may proceed regardless of priority date.
• “U” – Unavailable
  No numbers are available in that category for that month; approvals cannot be made.

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3. High-Level Summary of Changes

3.1 Employment-Based (EB) Categories

Between November and December 2025:

• EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, and Other Workers:
  • Final Action Dates move forward for all chargeability areas, including India and China, though India remains much earlier in EB-2/EB-3 than other countries.
• EB-4 and SR (Certain Religious Workers):
  • EB-4 Final Action Date advances to 01SEP20 for all countries.
  • SR category changes from Unavailable (U) in November to available with a final action date of 01SEP20 in December.
• EB-5 Unreserved:
  • China and India both see meaningful forward movement in Final Action Dates.
  • All EB-5 set-aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, Infrastructure) remain Current throughout.
• EB Filing Dates:
  • Many EB-2 and EB-3 Filing Dates retrogress for India, China, and Worldwide.
  • Mexico often sees large improvements in Filing Dates in EB-2, EB-3, and Other Workers.

3.2 Family-Sponsored Categories

• F2A (Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents):
  The underlying February 2023 / February 2024 structure and accompanying narrative remain effectively the same in both months (pre-01FEB23 exempt from per-country limit; 01FEB23–before 01FEB24 subject to per-country limit, with Mexico’s numbers exempt).
• Filing Dates:
  • Some Filing Dates advance significantly (for example, F2A Filing in December is 22NOV25 for all categories).
  • Others retrogress, especially for Mexico and the Philippines in F2B/F3/F4, based on the data sections that are clearly readable.

Because the November family tables in the provided text are partially misaligned, this article only compares those entries that are clearly attributable to each country.

3.3 Diversity Visa (DV-2026) Program

• For December 2025 DV issuance, regional cut-offs mostly match November, except:
  • Algeria’s DV cut-off increases from 14,500 (November) to 17,250 (December).
• The December bulletin also announces January 2026 DV rank cut-offs, which are substantially higher for:
  • Africa (35,000 overall; Algeria 20,000) and
  • Asia (15,000 overall; Nepal remains at 6,000).

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4. Employment-Based Categories – Final Action Dates

This section compares the Final Action Dates (FADs) between November and December for each EB preference and major chargeability area.

4.1 EB-1 – Priority Workers

Table 1: EB-1 Final Action Dates

Chargeability Area	Nov 2025	Dec 2025	Movement
All Chargeability (Worldwide)	C	C	No change
China (mainland born)	22DEC22	22JAN23	+1 month
India	15FEB22	15MAR22	+1 month
Mexico	C	C	No change
Philippines	C	C	No change

Interpretation

• India and China see modest forward movement, allowing some additional early-2022 EB-1 cases to become current.
• Worldwide, Mexico, Philippines remain Current, indicating no backlog in EB-1 for these areas.

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4.2 EB-2 – Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees / Exceptional Ability

Table 2: EB-2 Final Action Dates

Chargeability Area	Nov 2025	Dec 2025	Movement
All Chargeability	01DEC23	01FEB24	+2 months
China (mainland born)	01APR21	01JUN21	+2 months
India	01APR13	15MAY13	~6 weeks forward
Mexico	01DEC23	01FEB24	+2 months
Philippines	01DEC23	01FEB24	+2 months

Interpretation

• World, Mexico, Philippines: EB-2 Final Action Dates move forward by two months.
• China: Also moves forward two months.
• India: Advances by approximately six weeks, but remains in mid-2013, far behind other chargeability areas.

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4.3 EB-3 – Skilled Workers and Professionals

Table 3: EB-3 Final Action Dates

Chargeability Area	Nov 2025	Dec 2025	Movement
All Chargeability	01APR23	15APR23	+2 weeks
China (mainland born)	01MAR21	01APR21	+1 month
India	22AUG13	22SEP13	+1 month
Mexico	01APR23	15APR23	+2 weeks
Philippines	01APR23	15APR23	+2 weeks

Interpretation

• EB-3 Final Action Dates move forward modestly for all countries.
• India remains in 2013, while most other chargeability areas remain in the 2021–2023 range.

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4.4 EB-3 Other Workers

Table 4: EB-3 “Other Workers” Final Action Dates

Chargeability Area	Nov 2025	Dec 2025	Movement
All Chargeability	15JUL21	01AUG21	~+17 days
China (mainland born)	01DEC17	08DEC17	+1 week
India	22AUG13	22SEP13	+1 month
Mexico	15JUL21	01AUG21	~+17 days
Philippines	15JUL21	01AUG21	~+17 days

Interpretation

• All regions show forward movement, although the increments remain modest.
• The NACARA note in both bulletins confirms the annual limit for this subcategory is reduced and in FY 2026 the reduction is approximately 150 visas.

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4.5 EB-4 – Certain Special Immigrants (Non-SR)

Table 5: EB-4 Final Action Dates

Chargeability Area	Nov 2025	Dec 2025	Movement
All Chargeability	01JUL20	01SEP20	+2 months
China (mainland born)	01JUL20	01SEP20	+2 months
India	01JUL20	01SEP20	+2 months
Mexico	01JUL20	01SEP20	+2 months
Philippines	01JUL20	01SEP20	+2 months

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4.6 EB-4 – Certain Religious Workers (SR)

Table 6: SR Final Action Dates

Chargeability Area	Nov 2025	Dec 2025	Movement
All countries (SR)	U	01SEP20	From U to +date

Interpretation

• In November 2025, the SR category is Unavailable, reflecting that the program had expired (per H.R. 1968).
• In December 2025, following H.R. 5371, the SR category is extended until January 30, 2026 and given a Final Action Date of 01SEP20, matching the EB-4 date.

This is a major change for religious worker applicants, reopening a previously closed category.

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4.7 EB-5 – Employment Creation (Unreserved)

Table 7: EB-5 Unreserved Final Action Dates

Chargeability Area	Nov 2025	Dec 2025	Movement
All Chargeability	C	C	No change
China (mainland born)	08DEC15	15JUL16	~+7 months
India	01FEB21	01JUL21	+5 months
Mexico	C	C	No change
Philippines	C	C	No change

Set-Aside Categories (Rural, High Unemployment, Infrastructure) remain Current for all chargeability areas in both months.

Interpretation

• Significant forward movement for China and India in EB-5 Unreserved.
• Other chargeability areas remain Current.

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5. Employment-Based – Dates for Filing

This section compares the Dates for Filing (DFF) for employment-based categories.

5.1 EB-1 Filing

Table 8: EB-1 Dates for Filing

Chargeability Area	Nov 2025	Dec 2025	Movement
All Chargeability	C	C	No change
China (mainland born)	15MAY23	15MAY23	No change
India	15APR23	15APR23	No change
Mexico	C	C	No change
Philippines	C	C	No change

No change in EB-1 Filing chart between the two months.

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5.2 EB-2 Filing

Table 9: EB-2 Dates for Filing

Chargeability Area	Nov 2025	Dec 2025	Movement
All Chargeability	C	15JUL24	From Current → cut-off (retrogression)
China (mainland born)	15JUL24	01DEC21	Retrogression
India	01DEC21	01DEC13	Significant retrogression
Mexico	C* / 01DEC13**	15JUL24	Marked improvement in Dec***
Philippines	C	15JUL24	From Current → cut-off (retrogression)

* The November table shows C for All and Mexico;
** 01DEC13 appears in the India column line but is better interpreted as the Mexico entry;
*** The December chart clearly lists Mexico at 15JUL24, which is substantially more favorable than the older 2013 cut-off.

Interpretation

• For All chargeability areas and Philippines, a cut-off date (15JUL24) replaces a Current status, meaning filing is now restricted to earlier priority dates.
• China and India experience strong retrogression in Filing Dates.
• Mexico sees a substantial improvement, with the Filing Date moving up to 15JUL24.

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5.3 EB-3 Filing

Table 10: EB-3 Dates for Filing

Chargeability Area	Nov 2025	Dec 2025	Movement
All Chargeability	15JUL24	01JUL23	Retrogression (~1 year earlier)
China (mainland born)	01JUL23	01JAN22	Retrogression
India	01JAN22	15AUG14	Significant retrogression
Mexico	15JUL24	01JUL23	Retrogression (for new filings)
Philippines	15JUL24	01JUL23	Retrogression

Interpretation

• EB-3 Filing becomes more restrictive for All chargeability, China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines in December.
• The most pronounced impact is on India, which retrogresses from 01JAN22 to 15AUG14.

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5.4 EB-3 Other Workers Filing

Table 11: Other Workers – Dates for Filing

Chargeability Area	Nov 2025	Dec 2025	Movement
All Chargeability	01JUL23	01DEC21	Retrogression
China (mainland born)	01DEC21	01OCT18	Retrogression
India	01OCT18	15AUG14	Retrogression
Mexico	01JUL23	01DEC21	Retrogression
Philippines	01JUL23	01DEC21	Retrogression

Interpretation

• EB-3 Other Workers Filing chart tightens considerably for all countries, especially for India and China.

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5.5 EB-4 Filing (Non-SR and SR)

Table 12: EB-4 Dates for Filing

Chargeability Area	Nov 2025*	Dec 2025	Movement
All Chargeability	01DEC21	15FEB21	Retrogression
China (mainland born)	15FEB21	15FEB21	No change
India	01DEC21	15FEB21	Retrogression
Mexico	15FEB21	15FEB21	No change
Philippines	15FEB21	15FEB21	No change

* Reconstructed from the November row where All and India were at 01DEC21 and others at 15FEB21.

SR (Certain Religious Workers):

• November 2025: Filing Date is Unavailable (U).
• December 2025: Filing Date is 15FEB21, aligned with EB-4.

Interpretation

• EB-4 Filing becomes more restrictive for All chargeability and India.
• The SR category moves from completely unavailable to aligning with EB-4 Filing Dates in December.

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5.6 EB-5 Filing – Unreserved and Set-Asides

Table 13: EB-5 Unreserved Dates for Filing

Chargeability Area	Nov 2025	Dec 2025	Movement
All Chargeability	C	C	No change
China (mainland born)	01JUL16	22JUL16	Slight advancement
India	01APR22	01APR22	No change
Mexico	C	C	No change
Philippines	C	C	No change

EB-5 Set-Aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, Infrastructure) remain Current for all countries in both months.

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6. Family-Sponsored Categories

Because the November family tables in the provided text are partially misaligned, this section focuses on clearly identifiable movements.

6.1 F2A – Final Action and Narrative

December 2025 F2A Final Action Dates:

Chargeability Area	Dec 2025 FAD
All Chargeability	01FEB24
China (mainland born)	01FEB24
India	01FEB24
Mexico	01FEB23
Philippines	01FEB24

Both November and December bulletins contain identical narrative rules:

• F2A numbers exempt from per-country limit:
  • Authorized for issuance to applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than 01FEB23.
• F2A numbers subject to per-country limit:
  • Authorized for issuance to all countries except Mexico with priority dates beginning 01FEB23 and earlier than 01FEB24.
  • All F2A numbers for Mexico remain exempt from the per-country limit.

Interpretation

• The structural cutoff (pre-01FEB23 vs. 01FEB23–before 01FEB24) does not change between November and December.
• December’s table explicitly reflects this with the 01FEB24 cutoff (01FEB23 for Mexico).

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6.2 Selected Family Filing Movements (Where Clearly Readable)

F2A – Dates for Filing

November 2025 (Filing):

• All Chargeability: 01MAR07
• China: 22OCT25
• India: 22OCT25
• Mexico / Philippines: exact attribution between “22OCT25” and “22APR15” is unclear from the pasted text.

December 2025 (Filing):

Chargeability Area	Dec 2025 F2A Filing
All Chargeability	22NOV25
China (mainland born)	22NOV25
India	22NOV25
Mexico	22NOV25
Philippines	22NOV25

Interpretation

• For All chargeability, China, and India, the Filing Date becomes substantially more generous, shifting to 22NOV25.
• For Mexico and the Philippines, December clearly sets the Filing Date at 22NOV25, which is significantly more favorable than the earlier dates (though exact November values per country cannot be safely reconstructed).

F2B – Dates for Filing

November 2025 (Filing):

• All Chargeability: 22OCT25
• China: 08MAR17
• India: 08MAR17
• Mexico: 08MAR17
• Philippines: 22OCT25

December 2025 (Filing):

Chargeability Area	Dec 2025 F2B Filing
All Chargeability	08MAR17
China (mainland born)	08MAR17
India	08MAR17
Mexico	15MAY09
Philippines	01OCT13

Interpretation

• All Chargeability: Filing retrogresses from 22OCT25 to 08MAR17.
• China and India: remain at 08MAR17 (no change).
• Mexico and Philippines: show significant retrogression, restricting filing mainly to older priority dates.

F3 – Dates for Filing

November 2025 (Filing):

• All Chargeability: 15MAY09
• China: 22JUL12
• India: 22JUL12
• Mexico: 22JUL12
• Philippines: 01OCT13

December 2025 (Filing):

Chargeability Area	Dec 2025 F3 Filing
All Chargeability	22JUL12
China (mainland born)	22JUL12
India	22JUL12
Mexico	01JUL01
Philippines	01NOV05

Interpretation

• All Chargeability: Filing Date moves forward to 22JUL12 (improvement).
• China and India: unchanged at 22JUL12.
• Mexico and Philippines: Filing Dates retrogress, limiting new filings to much older priority dates.

F4 – Dates for Filing

December 2025 (Filing):

Chargeability Area	Dec 2025 F4 Filing
All Chargeability	01MAR09
China (mainland born)	01MAR09
India	15DEC06
Mexico	30APR01
Philippines	01JAN08

November 2025 (Filing):
From the pasted text, reliably readable entries include:

• All Chargeability: 01JUL01
• China: 01MAR09
• India: 01NOV05

Mexico and Philippines rows are mixed with additional dates; therefore, comparisons for those two are not stated.

Interpretation (limited to clear data)

• All Chargeability: Filing advances markedly from 01JUL01 to 01MAR09.
• India: Filing moves from 01NOV05 to 15DEC06, representing forward movement.
• China: remains at 01MAR09.

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7. Diversity Visa (DV-2026) Category

7.1 DV Cut-Offs for November and December 2025

For the month of November 2025:

Region	Nov 2025 Cut-Off
Africa	17,500 (Algeria 14,500; Egypt 16,000)
Asia	10,000 (Nepal 6,000)
Europe	7,750
North America (Bahamas)	20
Oceania	1,100
South America & Caribbean	1,850

For the month of December 2025 (from December bulletin, Section B):

Region	Dec 2025 Cut-Off
Africa	17,500 (Algeria 17,250; Egypt 16,000)
Asia	10,000 (Nepal 6,000)
Europe	7,750
North America (Bahamas)	20
Oceania	1,100
South America & Caribbean	1,850

Key Change

• Algeria: Increases from 14,500 (November) to 17,250 (December), permitting higher-ranked selectees to receive numbers.
• All other regional cut-offs remain unchanged between the two months.

7.2 January 2026 DV Cut-Offs (Announced in December Bulletin)

The December 2025 bulletin also sets cut-offs for January 2026:

Region	Jan 2026 Cut-Off
Africa	35,000 (Algeria 20,000; Egypt 16,000)
Asia	15,000 (Nepal 6,000)
Europe	8,500
North America (Bahamas)	20
Oceania	1,100
South America & Caribbean	1,850

Interpretation

• There is substantial expansion in available DV numbers for Africa and Asia going into January 2026.
• The bulletins reiterate that DV-2026 visas are only available through September 30, 2026 and can be exhausted before that date.

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8. Practical Implications for Applicants

8.1 Applicants from India

• EB-1:
  • Slight improvement (Final Action moves to 15MAR22), benefiting early-2022 priority dates.
• EB-2 / EB-3:
  • Final Action Dates advance modestly.
  • Filing Dates, however, retrogress sharply, especially in EB-2 and EB-3, limiting who may newly file.
• Family Categories (F2B, F3, F4):
  • F3 and F4 Filing Dates show forward movement (where data is clear), potentially easing document submission for some long-pending cases.

8.2 Applicants from China (Mainland Born)

• EB-1, EB-2, EB-3:
  • All see forward movement in Final Action, but Filing Dates in EB-2 and EB-3 retrogress, slowing new filings.
• EB-5 Unreserved:
  • Significant improvement in Final Action Date (to 15JUL16) and slight improvement in Filing Date.

8.3 Applicants from Mexico and the Philippines

• Employment-Based:
  • Final Action Dates for EB-1–EB-3 mirror Worldwide movement (slight advances).
  • EB Filing charts generally tighten, but in several places (especially EB-2/EB-3 for Mexico), December is more favorable than November.
• Family-Based:
  • F2A Filing becomes uniformly favorable at 22NOV25 for all, including Mexico and the Philippines.
  • Conversely, F2B, F3, and F4 Filing often retrogress, especially for Mexico and the Philippines, limiting new filings for more recent priority dates.

8.4 Religious Workers (SR Category)

• November 2025: No SR visas could be issued or filed (SR category: Unavailable).
• December 2025: SR category is restored:
  • Final Action Date: 01SEP20
  • Filing Date: 15FEB21
• This re-opens the path for eligible religious workers whose priority dates fall within these cut-offs.

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9. Conclusion

Comparing the December 2025 and November 2025 Visa Bulletins reveals a mixed but coherent pattern:

• Final Action Dates generally advance across most employment-based categories, including for backlogged countries like India and China, though India remains constrained in EB-2 and EB-3.
• Dates for Filing tell a more nuanced story:
  • Many EB Filing Dates retrogress, especially for India, China, and Worldwide, slowing down new filings.
  • Some categories, notably EB-2 and EB-3 for Mexico and F2A for all countries, become more favorable.
• The EB-4 SR category transitions from Unavailable in November to available with firm cut-offs in December, which is a critical development for religious worker applicants.
• The DV-2026 program sees expanded availability for Algeria in December and a strong increase in rank cut-offs for Africa and Asia in January 2026.

For applicants, the net effect is:

• Those with already established priority dates in backlogged EB categories may see gradual progress toward visa issuance in December.
• Those hoping to initiate filings now must carefully review the Filing Date charts, as retrogressions in several categories significantly affect when new filings are allowed.

This analysis should help applicants and practitioners quickly understand what changed, by how much, and in which direction between the November 2025 and December 2025 Visa Bulletins.