EB-2 vs EB-3 India: October 2025 Bulletin Shows Faster Movement

The October 2025 Visa Bulletin is a pivotal moment for Indian professionals navigating EB-2 India and EB-3 India. This is the first bulletin of a new fiscal year, and with it comes a reset of annual visa numbers and a fresh set of movements to evaluate. The immediate question most families ask is simple but critical: which path is moving faster right now, EB-2 or EB-3? The answer matters because it affects when you can file, when you might receive interim benefits like work authorization and travel documents, and when a green card could actually be approved.

This guide walks you through the entire journey step by step—understanding the categories, reading the October 2025 Visa Bulletin, comparing it to September 2025, deciding on strategy (including downgrades for those who qualify), and setting realistic expectations for the months ahead.

Fundamentals: EB-2 vs EB-3

• EB-2: For professionals with advanced degrees (Master’s or higher) or individuals with exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, or business.
• EB-3: Broader category covering:
  • Skilled Workers and Professionals — jobs requiring at least a bachelor’s degree or two years of training/experience.
  • Other Workers — roles requiring less than two years of training/experience (statutory cap of 10,000 visas per year).

Both categories operate under:
– annual worldwide limits
– per-country limits
– monthly cut-offs in the Visa Bulletin

India’s demand has been chronically oversubscribed, producing multi-year—often decade-plus—waits for many applicants.

How to Read the Visa Bulletin: Two Essential Charts

Focus on these two charts in the Visa Bulletin:

1. Final Action Dates (Chart A)
   • Determines when a case can actually be approved and a visa issued (consular immigrant visa or adjustment of status approval).
   • If your priority date is earlier than the Chart A cut-off, your case is approval-ready.
2. Dates for Filing (Chart B)
   • Indicates when certain applicants can submit paperwork even if approval is not yet possible.
   • Filing earlier can open access to interim benefits: work authorization (EAD) and advance parole (travel document).

For deeply backlogged categories like EB-2 India and EB-3 India, families follow both charts:
– Chart B to enter the pipeline and secure practical benefits.
– Chart A to know when approval could become reality.

Baseline: September 2025 vs October 2025

Use September 2025 as the baseline to see what changed in October.

September 2025 (baseline):
– EB-2 India Final Action Date: January 1, 2013
– EB-3 India Final Action Date: May 22, 2013
– EB-3 Other Workers India Final Action Date: May 22, 2013
– EB-2 India Dates for Filing: December 1, 2013
– EB-3 India Dates for Filing: June 8, 2013

This reflected the familiar pattern: EB-3 India was ahead of EB-2 India on Final Action Dates, both stuck in early-to-mid 2013.

October 2025 (new picture):
– EB-2 India Final Action Date: April 1, 2013
– EB-3 India Final Action Date: August 22, 2013
– EB-3 Other Workers India Final Action Date: August 22, 2013
– EB-2 India Dates for Filing: December 1, 2013 (no change)
– EB-3 India Dates for Filing: August 15, 2014

Key takeaway: EB-3 India’s filing window jumped by over a year, creating immediate filing opportunities for many applicants who previously could not file.

Quantifying Month-to-Month Movement

• EB-2 India Final Action Date: moved 3 months (Jan 1, 2013 → Apr 1, 2013).
• EB-2 India Dates for Filing: no change (Dec 1, 2013).
• EB-3 India Final Action Date: moved 3 months (May 22, 2013 → Aug 22, 2013).
• EB-3 India Dates for Filing: jumped ~14 months (June 8, 2013 → Aug 15, 2014).

Summary: Both EB-2 and EB-3 advanced equally on approval readiness (Chart A), but EB-3 India made an outsized move on filing eligibility (Chart B).

Three Key Observations for Planning

1. On Final Action Dates (approval control), EB-3 India is ahead by ~4 months, 21 days (Aug 22, 2013 vs Apr 1, 2013).
2. On Dates for Filing, EB-3 India is far ahead—EB-2 didn’t move, while EB-3 leaped to mid-2014.
3. The relative advantage depends on your goal:
   • Approval-ready sooner: EB-3 India slightly better.
   • File now to obtain EAD / Advance Parole: EB-3 India far more favorable.

Why EB-3 India Is Ahead (Plausible Drivers)

• Demand management: Agencies may be encouraging EB-3 filings to balance demand between EB-2 and EB-3 (many applicants qualify for both).
• Spillover dynamics: Lower EB-1/EB-2 demand worldwide can spill numbers into EB-3, temporarily accelerating EB-3 movement.
• Workforce needs: EB-3 covers many employer-critical roles; moving EB-3 helps employers convert pending cases into actionable filings and stabilize staffing.

Exact Gaps and Their Implications

• Final Action Dates gap: EB-2 = Apr 1, 2013; EB-3 = Aug 22, 2013 → 4 months, 21 days lead for EB-3.
• Dates for Filing gap: EB-2 = Dec 1, 2013; EB-3 = Aug 15, 2014 → 8 months, 14 days lead for EB-3.

Implications:
– Approval gap is modest; EB-3 cases are somewhat more likely to become approval-ready sooner.
– Filing gap is substantial; EB-3 opens the door today for many applicants with 2014 priority dates to file and secure interim benefits.

Practical Scenarios (Examples)

• Priority date Apr 15, 2013:
  • EB-2: not approval-ready (cut-off Apr 1, 2013).
  • EB-3: getting closer to approval readiness (cut-off Aug 22, 2013).
• Priority date Feb 10, 2014:
  • Neither category is approval-ready (both Chart A in 2013).
  • EB-3: can file (cut-off Aug 15, 2014).
  • EB-2: cannot file (cut-off Dec 1, 2013).
• Priority date Aug 10, 2014:
  • EB-3: can file now.
  • EB-2: cannot file.
  • Final approvals still restricted to 2013 dates.
• Priority date Dec 2012:
  • May be approval-ready under both EB-2 and EB-3 (earlier than both Chart A cut-offs).

Action Roadmap: What to Do Right Now

1. Confirm which category you qualify for
   • EB-2: advanced degree or exceptional ability.
   • EB-3: skilled/professional or other worker (note 10,000 cap for Other Workers).
   • If you qualify for both, the choice affects timing of filing and approval readiness.
2. Identify your priority date
   • This determines your place in line and is central to strategy.
3. Compare to Final Action Dates (Chart A)
   • Approval-ready if earlier than Apr 1, 2013 (EB-2) or Aug 22, 2013 (EB-3).
4. Compare to Dates for Filing (Chart B)
   • You can file if earlier than Dec 1, 2013 (EB-2) or Aug 15, 2014 (EB-3).
   • Filing under EB-3 now can secure EAD and advance parole.
5. Decide whether to file now under EB-3
   • The October shift allows many EB-3 cases to file and obtain interim benefits.
   • Filing can provide family/work stability while waiting for Final Action Dates to advance.
6. Evaluate downgrading from EB-2 to EB-3 (if eligible)
   • If EB-3 enables filing now and EB-2 does not, downgrading may unlock immediate benefits.
   • Consider priority date, movement trends, employer support, and long-term plans.

1. Set timing expectations for FY 2026
   • October often sees larger movement reflecting fresh quotas.
   • EB-2 India may continue modest gains if EB-1/EB-2 worldwide demand is steady.
   • EB-3 may see volatility—spikes in filings could lead to moderation or retrogressions later.
   • Neither category is likely to move beyond 2014 in FY 2026 without extraordinary spillover.
2. Monitor agency behavior monthly
   • The Department of State and USCIS adjust both charts monthly to manage demand.
   • A surge in EB-3 filings could prompt future recalibration (steadying or retrogression).

VisaVerge.com offers guidance to coordinate filings strategically so you secure interim benefits while keeping long-term approval pathways clear.

Broader Context: Where India Stands

• EB-1 India Final Action Date: Feb 15, 2022
• EB-2 Worldwide Final Action Date: Dec 1, 2023
• EB-3 Worldwide Final Action Date: Apr 1, 2023

These figures show India remains among the most backlogged countries (alongside China). Worldwide EB-2 and EB-3 are years ahead of India’s categories, reflecting how per-country limits and extremely high Indian demand create enduring delays.

Historical Perspective

• Early 2010s: EB-2 India generally moved faster.
• 2019–2020: EB-3 India surged ahead → many EB-2→EB-3 downgrades.
• 2021–2023: Retrogressions/demand patterns allowed EB-2 to regain advantage.
• Late 2025: EB-3 has pulled slightly ahead again.

This “whiplash” shows both categories are tightly linked and responsive to policy, spillover, and demand. Monitor both monthly and be ready to adjust strategy—especially if you qualify for both categories.

Immediate Practical Impact

• Thousands of EB-3 India applicants with priority dates in mid-2013 through Aug 2014 can now file adjustment applications.
• Near-term benefit: access to work authorization (EAD) and advance parole after filing, even if final approval remains years away.
• EB-2 India: modest advancement (3 months to Apr 1, 2013) while Dates for Filing remain Dec 1, 2013. If your EB-2 priority date is before Dec 1, 2013, you can file; otherwise consider EB-3 options.

Short Answer: Which Category Is Moving Faster Now?

• On Final Action Dates: both advanced 3 months, but EB-3 India leads (Aug 22, 2013) vs EB-2 India (Apr 1, 2013).
• On Dates for Filing: EB-3 India clearly outpaces EB-2 (Aug 15, 2014 vs Dec 1, 2013).
• Conclusion: If your goal is approval readiness: EB-3 slightly better. If your goal is to file now and obtain interim benefits: EB-3 is vastly more favorable.

Planning for the Remainder of FY 2026

• Use the October window to act if you can file in EB-3 India.
• Watch for volatility—new filings could slow or reverse EB-3 movement later.
• Expect modest EB-2 gains if worldwide demand patterns hold.
• Do not expect either EB-2 India or EB-3 India to move beyond 2014 this fiscal year absent extraordinary spillover.

Final note: Final Action Dates govern green card approvals; Dates for Filing govern when you can submit and secure benefits. Approach the October 2025 Visa Bulletin as a process: understand where you fit, what you can do now, and what to expect over the next fiscal year.

Action steps you can take today:
– Determine whether you meet EB-2, EB-3, or both criteria and map your priority date against both charts.
– If within EB-3 India’s Dates for Filing (up to Aug 15, 2014), consider filing to secure EAD and advance parole while you wait for approvals.
– If you hold an EB-2 approval but EB-3 offers earlier filing, evaluate a downgrade only after considering priorities and consequences.
– Set realistic expectations for FY 2026: continued movement is possible, especially early in the year, but breakthroughs beyond 2014 are unlikely without extraordinary spillover.

By treating the Visa Bulletin as an ongoing process—tracking monthly shifts and aligning filing strategy to changing cut-offs—you can make informed choices with confidence. At VisaVerge.com, we help applicants interpret each month’s bulletin, compare EB-2 India and EB-3 India in practical terms, and take timely action so you can move forward with clarity and assurance in a backlogged landscape.