F4 India: No Movement in Final Action or Filing Dates (Nov–Dec 2025)

(INDIA) Siblings of adult U.S. citizens from India face another still month in the queue. From November 2025 to December 2025, the Family‑sponsored Fourth Preference—known as F4 India—saw no movement in either the Final Action Date or the Date for Filing in the Visa Bulletin. The Final Action Date stayed at 01NOV06, and the Date for Filing held at 15DEC06. For families watching the bulletin closely, that means the government did not open the door to any new F4 India cases in December. It also means this category remains on a timeline measured in decades, not months.

Policy context and who is affected

The F4 category exists under INA 203(a)(4) and is defined as: “Brothers and Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens: 65,000, plus any numbers not required by first three preferences.” In practice:

• A U.S. citizen who is at least 21 years old can file an I-130 family petition for a brother or sister abroad.
• That sibling—and their qualifying spouse and minor children—wait in the F4 line behind a strict priority‑date system.
• The priority date is the day the government received the I-130. Because demand in India is extremely high, F4 India is one of the slowest family categories.

The Visa Bulletin contains two separate charts that control two different gates:

• Final Action Date = approval gate: a consulate or USCIS can grant the immigrant visa or adjustment of status only when your priority date is earlier than the posted cut-off.
• Date for Filing = document‑submission gate: signals when applicants may send full paperwork to the National Visa Center (NVC) for consular processing, or—if USCIS allows—file adjustment of status inside the U.S. 🇺🇸.

In November and December 2025, F4 India’s Final Action Date remained 01NOV06, and the Date for Filing remained 15DEC06. So there was no change in who could be approved, and no change in who could even begin the final stage.

Step‑by‑step journey for F4 India in late 2025

Below is a process‑focused roadmap showing each stage, required actions, and what to expect while both charts remain stuck.

Stage 1: Petition filing and priority date set

• What happens: An adult U.S. citizen files an I-130 for a sibling. The day USCIS receives that petition becomes the priority date.
• Required action from the petitioner:
  • Submit a complete I-130 with correct supporting evidence to lock in the earliest possible priority date.
  • Form link: Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative.
• What to expect from authorities: A receipt notice showing the filing date. That date is the anchor for all future Visa Bulletin movement.

Estimated timeframe: The queue for F4 India is roughly nineteen years deep. The government is finalizing cases with priority dates in late 2006, even though the calendar is late 2025.

Stage 2: Long wait until your date is reached

• What happens: After I-130 approval, cases sit in line by priority date. The Department of State moves the Visa Bulletin cut‑offs forward when visa numbers are available under annual limits and per‑country caps.
• Required action from the family:
  • Monitor the Visa Bulletin every month.
  • Keep civil records and financial readiness in mind so you can act quickly when your date is called.
• What to expect from authorities: Movement may be slow or flat month to month. From November to December 2025, F4 India showed zero movement in both charts—Final Action 01NOV06 and Date for Filing 15DEC06. Analysis by VisaVerge.com highlights how tight the F4 India backlog remains.

Estimated timeframe: With the Final Action Date at 01NOV06 in late 2025, the effective wait hovers around nineteen years for many Indian sibling cases.

Stage 3: When the Date for Filing is reached

• What happens: The Date for Filing controls when you can start the last stage. For F4 India it is 15DEC06 in both November and December 2025.
• Required action from the applicant:
  • Consular processing: send all civil and financial documents to NVC when invited.
  • Adjustment in U.S.: if USCIS uses the Dates for Filing chart that month, submit the full adjustment package during that window.
• What to expect from authorities: The case can move into pre‑processing, but final approval still waits for the Final Action Date to reach your priority date. Applicants with pending adjustment may gain interim benefits like work authorization, but the final green card requires the Final Action Date to be current.

Important: Because the Date for Filing did not change from November to December, no new F4 India cases gained the ability to file during that month‑to‑month period.

Stage 4: When the Final Action Date is current

• What happens: Once your priority date is earlier than the Final Action cut‑off, the consulate or USCIS can approve your immigrant visa or adjustment.
• Required action from the applicant:
  • Ensure the case is documentarily qualified so it can be scheduled or approved once current.
  • Keep civil records and financial evidence complete and up to date, including the affidavit of support.
• What to expect from authorities: If all checks are done and the file is ready, approval can occur. For November and December 2025, applicants with priority dates earlier than 01NOV06 remained current for F4 India.

Estimated timeframe: In late 2025, approvals are happening for late‑2006 priority dates. A case filed in October 2006 could be current now; a case filed in March 2007 is still outside both cut‑offs.

Why the stillness matters

A flat month may look simple, but it has real effects:

• Families with priority dates on or after 01NOV06 still cannot be finally approved.
• Families with priority dates after 15DEC06 cannot even start the last stage.
• Those in the narrow window between 01NOV06 and 15DEC06 are not yet current for Final Action, and December’s bulletin did not expand the filing window.

This stagnation — zero movement in both charts — signals structural pressure in F4 India. Relevant statutory limits:

• Annual family‑sponsored preference totals: 226,000.
• Per‑country cap: 7% across family and employment preferences combined (equals 25,620 per country, per year).
• F4 allocation: 65,000 plus any numbers not required by the first three family preferences.

When demand exceeds these limits, the Department of State moves dates cautiously and sometimes keeps them flat to stay within annual and per‑country ceilings.

Where India stands next to other countries

• Most countries held steady in November–December 2025.
  • All Chargeability and China stayed at 08JAN08 across both months.
  • Mexico remained 08APR01.
  • Philippines advanced from 22MAR06 to 15JUL06 (a jump of almost four months).
  • India stayed fixed at 01NOV06 (Final Action) and 15DEC06 (Dates for Filing).
• In short: India’s standstill fits a broader pattern of caution, with the Philippines the exception on the Final Action chart that month.

What each priority‑date group should do right now

Priority date earlier than 01NOV06

• Status: Your case is current on the Final Action chart.
• Action steps:
  • Confirm your case is fully documented.
  • Ensure all civil and police certificates are in place.
  • Make sure the affidavit of support is complete.
  • Respond quickly to any consulate or USCIS requests.
• Expectation: The lack of movement doesn’t hurt you. You remain eligible for approval if the file is ready.

Priority date from 01NOV06 to before 15DEC06

• Status: Not current for Final Action; may be eligible to file if USCIS uses Dates for Filing.
• Action steps:
  • Keep records and financial documents ready so you can act as soon as a window opens.
  • Watch the Visa Bulletin monthly for signs the Final Action Date is moving into late 2006.
• Expectation: December brought no new filing opportunity and no approval window yet. You’re in a sensitive band that benefits quickly from even small forward movement.

Priority date on or after 15DEC06

• Status: Outside both Final Action and Date for Filing.
• Action steps:
  • Plan for a long wait; keep personal records up to date.
  • Check the Visa Bulletin monthly to avoid missing your chance when it arrives.
• Expectation: With cut‑offs still in late 2006 during late 2025, you’re looking at a queue measured in decades unless demand or law changes.

Practical checklist to stay ready

Even when the charts are frozen, preparation matters. Use the flat month to:

• Review your case history and confirm the priority date.
• Keep civil records available and valid.
• Keep financial documents current, including the affidavit of support.
• Track the monthly Visa Bulletin: Visa Bulletin.
• If adjusting status in the U.S. during a month when USCIS permits the Date for Filing chart, file within the allowed window — final approval still requires Final Action to be current.

Reading the numbers: what zero movement signals

When both the Final Action Date and Date for Filing don’t move, it usually means:

• Demand is intense and number use is tight.
• The government is balancing visa usage across countries and within annual caps.
• For India, this has been true for years in F4.

Current state (late 2025): Final Action at 01NOV06, Date for Filing at 15DEC06. The practical message:

• If your date is early enough, you can be approved now.
• If it’s close, you must be poised to act the moment the bulletin budges.
• If your date is later than December 2006, patience and steady monitoring are essential.

Clear information helps set expectations and reduces stress during the wait.

Putting it all together for F4 India

• Core facts for December 2025:
  • Final Action Date (F4 India): 01NOV06 (no change from November)
  • Date for Filing (F4 India): 15DEC06 (no change from November)
• What that means:
  • Only applicants with priority dates earlier than 01NOV06 can be approved.
  • Applicants with priority dates earlier than 15DEC06 may be allowed to file if USCIS uses the Dates for Filing chart that month, but must still wait for Final Action to reach their date for approval.
  • No new group gained a filing or approval window in December compared to November.
• Bigger picture:
  • F4 India is roughly nineteen years behind the calendar in late 2025.
  • Annual caps (226,000), per‑country ceilings (7%), and F4 allocation (65,000 +) shape the slow pace.
  • Most countries showed no month‑to‑month movement in F4; the Philippines was the exception on the Final Action chart.

Families often ask, “What can we do in a month with no movement?” Control what you can:

• Keep your case clean and ready.
• Check the Visa Bulletin every month.
• Be prepared to act if USCIS allows the Date for Filing chart and your priority date is within the filing cut‑off.
• If your priority date is before 01NOV06, ensure the case is documentarily qualified so you don’t miss approval.

In plain terms, December 2025 confirmed what November already told us: F4 India didn’t move. The Final Action Date stayed at 01NOV06 and the Date for Filing remained 15DEC06. The line did not advance, so families must plan around a multi‑year journey that, for many, stretches close to two decades from petition to approval.