Blog by Pasricha & Patel, LLC

USCIS Sets November 2025 Adjustment of Status Filing Charts for the Visa Bulletin

Categories: Adjustment of Status , Family-Based Visas , Immigration Law , Immigration News , Visa Availability , Visa Bulletin

https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-processes-and-procedures/visa-availability-priority-dates/when-to-file-your-adjustment-of-status-application-for-family-sponsored-or-employment-based-118

With the U.S. Department of State (“DOS”)’s publication of its November 2025 visa bulletin, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has decided to continue to use the Dates for Filing for Employment-Based Adjustment of Status Applications (Chart B).  This is the continuation of the change that began with the October 2025 visa bulletin, which began using Chart B after many months of using Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Adjustment of Status (Chart A).  Meanwhile, USCIS has decided to continue to follow the Dates for Filing for Family-Sponsored Adjustment of Status Applications table (Chart B).  Please refer to the sections below for specific discussions about the visa availability date movements and trends under both the employment-based immigrant visa petitions, as well as the family-based immigrant visa petitions.  In the meantime, EB-4 preference category remains ‘Unavailable’ for Certain Religious Workers, and will remain that way until U.S. Congress decides to take legislative action and extend this category.  As soon as such action is taken, then this visa category will become available effective immediately, and will still be subject to the same dates for filing and final action dates as the other Employment Fourth Preference categories based on foreign state of chargeability.

And in the EB-5 preference category, there is no movement when compared to the October 2025 visa bulletin.  So, for India, the date remains on February 1, 2021.  For China, the date remained the same on December 8, 2015.

Beginning with the dramatic change to dates for filing for employment-based adjustment of status applications (chart B) for October 2025, it appears the USCIS is continuing to try to increase the demand for adjustment of status applications, with the possible aim of gauging the level of demand of the various employment preference categories, and then using the initial response to decide how to plan for the rest of the fiscal year.  We suggest the reader to keep monitoring this site for any updates about this matter.

Employment-based Immigrant Visa Categories:

  • As has been the case for the last few years, USCIS and the Department of State are doing their best to manage the demand and usage of employment visa numbers, while fully recognizing that there is overwhelming demand, which resulted in the visa numbers in this category being exhausted and used up in late August to early September of 2025 in the last fiscal year.  Just like last fiscal year, the Department of State does expect visa numbers to be used up before the end of this latest fiscal year.
  • Employment-based first preference category (EB-1) (in the Final Action Dates table):
    • There are no movements in the EB-1 cutoff dates for November 2025. For India, the visa availability date remains on February 15, 2022. 
    • China’s visa cutoff date remains on December 22, 2022.
    • Meanwhile, for ‘World’, and Mexico, and Philippines, EB-1 continues to be Current/Available.
  • Employment-based second preference category (EB-2)(in the Final Action Dates table):
    • The visa availability date for EB-2 for India remains on April 1, 2013.  It will be interesting to see whether there will be steady movement in the coming months.  This certainly is a category that needs further monitoring.
    • For China’s visa preference category:   the visa availability date remains on April 1, 2021. 
    • There was no movement for Mexico, the Philippines, and the World:  they continue to show visa availability date of December 1, 2023. 

As this is just still early in the new Fiscal Year 2026, it will be interesting to see how much movement there will be in the coming months.  This is an area that certainly needs continual monitoring. 

  • Employment-based third preference category (EB-3) (in the Final Action Dates table):
    • EB-3 India’s visa availability date remains on August 22, 2013.  This is a jump of three (3) months from May 22, 2013 in the last fiscal year September 2025 visa bulletin.  It will be interesting to see how EB-3 dates progress in the upcoming months of fiscal year 2026.
    • EB-3 China’s visa availability date also remained on March 1, 2021.   
    • EB-3 world’s visa availability date remains on April 1, 2023.  The same date of April 1, 2023 is shown for Mexico as well.  Meanwhile, Philippines’ EB-3 date also remains on April 1, 2023.   
    • In the EB-3 Other Workers (EW) category, there was no movement in any of the countries.  For India, it remains on August 22, 2013. China’s date also stayed on December 1, 2017.  Mexico and Philippines’ dates both stayed on July 15, 2021.  And for the ‘World’ chargeability it also stayed on July 15, 2021.
  • Employment-based fourth preference category (EB-4):
    • Just like  the October 2025 visa bulletin, in the month of November, there are visas available, and it is set at July 1, 2020 for all countries of the world, including India, China, and the Philippines, and Mexico.
    • It should also be noted that unless U.S. Congress passes legislation to extend the EB-4 religious worker visa category, this category will continue to remain ‘unavailable’ and nonimmigrants cannot submit any I-360 petitions until legislation action is taken to resume this category.  Once it becomes available, then the visas will become available immediately.  So, this is an area that certainly requires continuing monitoring.
  • Employment-based fifth preference category (EB-5) (referring to the Final Action Date chart):
    • There is great demand and numbers usage by applicants in India and China.  And because of high demand, the Department of State has to updated India’s visa availability date to February 1, 2021.  This remains the same date as the October 2025 visa bulletin.  And it will interesting to see where it goes from here and at least in the next few months.
    • For the other countries, and the rest of the world, the visa continues to be current/available for the nationals from those countries and regions.  It will also be interesting how this category progresses in the upcoming year.
    • On the EB-5 immigrant investor visa category, a reminder once again to readers that DOS’s visa bulletin for EB-5 preference category has also been updated to reflect the new provisions of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act (RIA). 
    • It now has two (2) pools of visa numbers within the EB-5 category.  One is reserved for certain set-aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure projects), while the remaining available numbers remain ‘unreserved’.
    • Finally, in the Final Action Dates chart for EB5 Set Asides (which covers Rural, and High Unemployment, and Infrastructure areas) for Chinese born and Indian born applicants as well as applicants from around the world continue to remain ‘Current’. 

Family-based Immigrant Visa Categories (with discussions also touching on the Final Action Dates table):

  • A reminder that DOS continues to use the Dates for Filing for Family-Sponsored Adjustment of Status Applications chart. 
  • But in connection with the actual Final Action Dates table which is the actual visa availability date table to look at, and starting in June 2023, due to the steady usage of the F2A – Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents – DOS had to set a final action date for this category in order to maintain steady availability of this particular visa category for the upcoming months. 
  • So, in the Final Action Date for F-1 visa preference category (unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens)– India, the date has stayed on November 8, 2016.
  • As for F-2A - India for the November 2025 visa bulletin, it remains on February 1, 2024.  Other countries also see dates remained the same:  China, and World, and Philippines also stayed on February 1, 2024.  As for Mexico, their visa availability has stayed on February 1, 2023.
  • As early as back in the August 2023 visa bulletin, the DOS had also explained that the F2B – Unmarried Son and Daughters (21 years of age or older) of Permanent Resident, is experiencing steady usage throughout the years.
  • In fact, for the latest November 2025 visa bulletin, U.S. Department of State has some movement of dates in F2B as follows:
    • India moved ahead to December 1, 2016.
    • China also advanced to December 1, 2016.
    • The rest of the world also moved to December 1, 2016.
    • Mexico stayed on December 15, 2017, and the Philippines also remains on October 1, 2012.
  • There were also some movements in the F-3 dates though (Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. citizens):
    • India – September 8, 2011
    • China – September 8, 2011
    • The rest of the world also remained on September 8, 2011.
    • Mexico moved ahead to May 1, 2001.
    • The Philippines remains on September 22, 2004.
  • In the F-4 (brother and sister of U.S. citizen) category, dates remained the same as that of the October 2025 visa bulletin.
    • India – stays on November 1, 2006
    • China – stays on January 8, 2008
    • The rest of the world also stays on January 8, 2008
    • Mexico stayed the same on April 8, 2001
    • The Philippines also stayed the same on March 22, 2006.

Even at the early start of the new Fiscal Year 2026, the U.S. Department of State is still doing its best to try and keep the various employment-based and family-based visa numbers in steady movement and to not have the visa numbers be used up too quickly.  But with still high demand for these visas, Department of State will continue to be cautious in how it sets its monthly visa number goals.

With the first few months of the new fiscal year 2026, it is not uncommon to see the visa availability dates experience some fluctuations, especially in the start of the new fiscal year.  This is the period of time that we advise readers to keep their eyes out for any changes in this visa bulletin.

For this key reason, we do encourage readers to check in this space regularly for any further updates.

Pasricha & Patel’s Immigration Department has extensive experience in handling business and personal immigration matters. Our team is happy to speak with you on your specific issue.

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