October 2025 Visa Bulletin – Everything you need to Know

This article explains the U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin for October 2025 in clear, simple language and highlights all key dates, countries, and categories exactly as provided.

How to read this bulletin

• Final Action Dates (Chart A): When the government can actually approve your green card. Your priority date must be earlier than the date shown.
• Dates for Filing (Chart B): The earliest you may submit your application package to the National Visa Center (consular) or, if USCIS allows, to file for adjustment of status in the U.S. (Check USCIS each month to see which chart you can use.)
• “C” (Current): There is no wait—any qualified applicant can be processed.
• “U” (Unavailable): No visas can be issued in that category this month.
• Oversubscribed countries/areas: China (mainland-born), India, Mexico, Philippines—these often have earlier cut-off dates due to high demand.

Important context for October 2025

• Allocations were made in priority-date order for demand received by September 3, 2025.
• FY-2026 annual limits: Family-sponsored = 226,000; Employment-based = at least 140,000.
• Per-country limit: 7% of the total annual family + employment numbers (25,620). Dependent area limit: 2% (7,320).

A. Final Action Dates for Family-Sponsored Preference Classes

B. Dates for Filing Family-Sponsored Visa Applications

A. Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Preference Cases

B. Dates for Filing of Employment-Based Visa Applications

Diversity Immigrant (DV) Category – October 2025

Diversity Immigrant (DV) Category – November 2025

FAMILY-SPONSORED CATEGORIES

What each family category means

• F1: Unmarried sons/daughters (21+) of U.S. citizens
• F2A: Spouses and children (under 21) of permanent residents
• F2B: Unmarried sons/daughters (21+) of permanent residents
• F3: Married sons/daughters of U.S. citizens
• F4: Brothers/sisters of adult U.S. citizens

A) Final Action Dates — Family

Special note on F2A for October:

• Exempt from per-country limit: All countries with PD earlier than 01FEB2023 are authorized.
• Subject to per-country limit: All countries except Mexico with PD from 01FEB2023 up to (but before) 01FEB2024 are authorized.
• Mexico: All F2A numbers are exempt from the per-country limit this month.

B) Dates for Filing — Family

EMPLOYMENT-BASED CATEGORIES

What each EB category means

• EB-1: Priority workers
• EB-2: Advanced degree professionals or exceptional ability
• EB-3: Skilled workers, professionals, and “Other Workers”
• EB-4: Certain special immigrants (includes religious workers)
• EB-5: Investors (with set-asides for rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure)

A) Final Action Dates — Employment

NACARA note (EB-3 “Other Workers”): For FY-2026, the annual reduction is approximately 150 numbers.

B) Dates for Filing — Employment

DIVERSITY VISA (DV-2026)

Annual limits and reductions

• Up to 55,000 DVs each fiscal year, minus:
  • NACARA usage in FY-2025 (reduces DV-2026 to about 54,850), and
  • NDAA 2024 reductions (further reduces DV-2026 to about 52,000).
• No country can receive more than 7% of available DVs in a year.

October 2025 DV regional rank cut-offs

Visas are available for applicants with rank numbers below the listed cut-offs:

DV timing reminders

• DV-2026 entitlement ends September 30, 2026. No DV-2026 visas can be issued after that date.
• Derivative spouses/children are also only entitled until September 30, 2026.
• Numbers may be exhausted before the fiscal year ends.

November 2025 DV preview (as listed)

The bulletin lists the same regional cut-offs as October for November:

• 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 & the CARIBBEAN 1,850

Perfect — thanks for clarifying 📝

Instead of just listing the numbers, let’s now tell the story of the October 2025 Visa Bulletin as a proper article — like how a news site or immigration blog would publish it.

I will keep the data fully accurate from the bulletin you gave, but present it in paragraph style, explaining what’s happening, why it matters, and how the Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing have moved, while calling out the key dates for each country naturally inside the narrative.

October 2025 Visa Bulletin: Start of the New Fiscal Year Brings Mixed Movement

The U.S. Department of State has published the Visa Bulletin for October 2025 (Number 7, Volume XI), officially launching Fiscal Year 2026 for U.S. immigrant visas. This bulletin determines when applicants in both the family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories can move forward with their green card process.

Every October marks the reset of the annual visa quotas — 226,000 for family-sponsored immigrants and at least 140,000 for employment-based immigrants — and the Department of State redistributes these numbers across categories and countries. No country can receive more than 7% (about 25,620 visas) of the combined total, which is why high-demand countries like India, China (mainland-born), Mexico, and the Philippines remain oversubscribed and have earlier cutoff dates than the rest of the world.

👨‍👩‍👧 Family-Sponsored Visa Categories: Long Waits Continue

The family-sponsored categories remain heavily backlogged, particularly for Mexico and the Philippines. There are five main preference categories:

• F1 (unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens)
• F2A (spouses and minor children of green card holders)
• F2B (unmarried adult children of green card holders)
• F3 (married children of U.S. citizens)
• F4 (siblings of adult U.S. citizens)

Final Action Dates

These dates represent when visas can actually be issued.

In October 2025, F1 stands still at November 8 2016 for most countries, while Mexico lags far behind at November 22 2005 and the Philippines at January 22 2013.

F2A, which has been one of the fastest categories, is at February 1 2024 for most regions but February 1 2023 for Mexico.

F2B remains stuck at November 22 2016 globally, while Mexico is still back at December 15 2007 and the Philippines at October 1 2012.

More distant cutoffs appear in the F3 category, which sits at September 8 2011 for most countries, but just April 15 2001 for Mexico and September 22 2004 for the Philippines.

The F4 category (siblings) is also deeply retrogressed, holding at January 8 2008 globally, November 1 2006 for India, April 8 2001 for Mexico, and March 22 2006 for the Philippines.

These stagnant dates make clear that family-sponsored visas are still facing decade-long queues, particularly for Mexican and Filipino applicants.

Dates for Filing

The “Dates for Filing” chart tells applicants when they may begin submitting documents to the National Visa Center.

For October, F1 applicants can file if their priority date is before September 1 2017 (except Mexico: October 8 2006; Philippines: April 22 2015).

F2A is current at September 22 2025 for all regions, meaning new applications can be submitted immediately, a rare bright spot.

F2B applicants can file if their date is before January 1 2017, but Mexico lags at December 15 2008 and the Philippines at October 1 2013.

F3 is at July 22 2012 for most countries but June 15 2001 for Mexico and August 1 2005 for the Philippines.

F4 is at March 1 2009 for most regions, with India at December 15 2006, Mexico at April 30 2001, and the Philippines at January 1 2008.

This means F2A remains the only family category moving at a reasonable pace, while most others are still stuck over a decade behind.

💼 Employment-Based Visa Categories: India and China Remain Backlogged

The employment-based categories tell a different story. Demand remains high, especially from India and China, but there is more forward movement than in family categories. The five preference categories are:

• EB-1: Priority workers
• EB-2: Advanced degrees / exceptional ability
• EB-3: Skilled workers and professionals (plus “Other Workers”)
• EB-4: Certain special immigrants
• EB-5: Immigrant investors

Final Action Dates

EB-1 remains Current (no backlog) for most of the world, but China sits at December 22 2022 and India at February 15 2022, showing continued high demand.

EB-2 shows the sharpest divide: December 1 2023 for most countries, but April 1 2021 for China and as far back as April 1 2013 for India.

EB-3 is at April 1 2023 globally, March 1 2021 for China, and August 22 2013 for India.

In the EB-3 “Other Workers” subcategory, cutoffs are July 15 2021 for most regions, December 1 2017 for China, and again August 22 2013 for India.

EB-4 stands frozen at July 1 2020 for all countries, while the Religious Worker (SR) subcategory has gone “Unavailable” because Congress allowed its authorization to expire on September 29 2025.

EB-5 investor visas are largely Current worldwide, except for China (December 8 2015) and India (February 1 2021) under the unreserved track. The rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure set-aside quotas remain fully Current for all countries.

Dates for Filing

The filing chart shows a similar pattern.

EB-1 is open for everyone except China (May 15 2023) and India (April 15 2023).

EB-2 applicants can file if their date is before July 15 2024, except China at December 1 2021 and India at December 1 2013.

EB-3 is at July 1 2023 for most, January 1 2022 for China, and August 15 2014 for India.

Other Workers are at December 1 2021 globally, October 1 2018 for China, and August 15 2014 for India.

EB-4 is at February 15 2021 for all, while EB-5 is Current worldwide except for China (July 1 2016) and India (April 1 2022) under the unreserved track.

This confirms that India and China continue to face the longest waits, especially in EB-2 and EB-3, while most other countries are close to current.

🌍 Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery: 2026 Program Begins

The DV-2026 Diversity Visa lottery also opens its numbers in this bulletin. Due to legal provisions under NACARA and the 2024 NDAA, the normal 55,000 cap has been reduced to about 52,000 visas this year.

For October 2025, the cut-off rank numbers are:

• 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 and the Caribbean: 1,850

These same cutoffs will also apply in November 2025.
DV winners must complete their green card process by September 30 2026 or they lose eligibility.

⚖️ Legal Notes

• If a category hits its annual limit, it will be marked “Unavailable” (U) until the next fiscal year.
• Visa numbers are issued strictly by priority date order, and spouses and children receive the same priority date as the main applicant.
• The EB-4 Religious Worker category expired on September 29 2025 and is currently closed. If Congress extends it, it will reopen immediately under the EB-4 cutoff dates.
• Certain U.S. government employees abroad may qualify for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) under new NDAA provisions.

The October 2025 Visa Bulletin shows a familiar pattern:

• Family-based categories are still deeply backlogged, especially Mexico and the Philippines.
• F2A stands out as the only family category near current, offering hope to green card holders sponsoring their spouses and children.
• Employment-based visas are healthier overall, but India and China remain severely retrogressed in EB-2 and EB-3, while most other countries stay close to current.
• EB-5 investor visas and DV lottery numbers are largely open, creating opportunities for new applicants.
• The new fiscal year brings a fresh allocation of visas, but backlogs for oversubscribed countries will continue to shape the pace of green card issuance throughout FY 2026.

Special Topics and Reminders

Religious Workers (EB-4 SR) — Scheduled expiration

• H.R. 1968 extended the SR program through September 30, 2025.
• No SR visas may be issued and no final actions may be taken after midnight September 29, 2025.
• Visas issued before that date are valid only until September 29, 2025, and entrants must be admitted by then.
• For October 2025, SR is listed “Unavailable” for all countries. If Congress extends the program, it would likely become immediately available and share the same dates as other EB-4 categories.

U.S. Government Employee SIVs

• The NDAA for FY-2024 (Dec 22, 2023) may affect some current/former U.S. Government employees abroad and certain surviving family members applying for SIVs under INA 101(a)(27)(D).
• This does not affect Iraqi and Afghan SQ/SI SIV programs.
• Applicants should contact the consular section where they filed DS-1884 for case-specific guidance.

USCIS filing chart choice

• Each month, check USCIS (uscis.gov/visabulletininfo) to see whether you can use the “Dates for Filing” chart (Chart B) for adjustment of status, or if you must use “Final Action Dates” (Chart A).

Quick Reference: Which countries are oversubscribed?

• China (mainland-born), India, Mexico, Philippines

These countries have their own columns and often earlier cut-off dates due to higher demand within the per-country limits.

Using this bulletin

1. Find your category (Family or Employment; and the precise subcategory like F2A, EB-2, etc.).
2. Locate your country (oversubscribed countries have their own column).
3. Compare your priority date to:
   • Final Action Date (approval timing), and
   • Dates for Filing (when you may submit documents/possibly file AOS if USCIS allows).
4. Watch for special rules (e.g., F2A per-country notes; SR category status; EB-5 set-asides; DV cut-offs).

Final note

All tables and details above are exactly as listed for October 2025 in the provided bulletin text. Always double-check USCIS for which chart you may use for filing in a given month.