The U.S. Department of State has released the September 2025 Visa Bulletin, setting the Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing for both family- and employment-based immigrant visas. This bulletin also provides updates on Diversity Visa (DV) allocations and special immigrant categories. Unless otherwise indicated on the USCIS Visa Bulletin page, applicants for adjustment of status must use the “Final Action Dates” charts to determine eligibility to file.
1. Family-Sponsored Preference Final Action Dates (September 2025)
| Family-Sponsored | All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed | China (Mainland) | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | 15JUL16 | 15JUL16 | 15JUL16 | 22APR05 | 15JUL12 |
| F2A | 01SEP22 | 01SEP22 | 01SEP22 | 01FEB22 | 01SEP22 |
| F2B | 15OCT16 | 15OCT16 | 15OCT16 | 01APR07 | 01MAY12 |
| F3 | 01AUG11 | 01AUG11 | 01AUG11 | 01FEB01 | 01MAY04 |
| F4 | 01JAN08 | 01JAN08 | 01NOV06 | 15MAR01 | 01JAN06 |
Note: For September, F2A numbers exempt from per-country limits are available to applicants with priority dates before 01FEB22. Mexico’s F2A allocation is fully exempt from the per-country limit.
2. Family-Sponsored Dates for Filing
| Family-Sponsored | All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed | China (Mainland) | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | 01SEP17 | 01SEP17 | 01SEP17 | 01JUN06 | 22APR15 |
| F2A | 01JUN25 | 01JUN25 | 01JUN25 | 01JUN25 | 01JUN25 |
| F2B | 01JAN17 | 01JAN17 | 01JAN17 | 01APR08 | 01OCT13 |
| F3 | 22JUL12 | 22JUL12 | 22JUL12 | 15JUN01 | 01MAY05 |
| F4 | 01JAN09 | 01JAN09 | 01DEC06 | 30APR01 | 01JAN08 |
3. Employment-Based Final Action Dates
| Employment-Based | All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed | China (Mainland) | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | C | 15NOV22 | 15FEB22 | C | C |
| EB-2 | 01SEP23 | 15DEC20 | 01JAN13 | 01SEP23 | 01SEP23 |
| EB-3 | 01APR23 | 01DEC20 | 22MAY13 | 01APR23 | 08FEB23 |
| Other Workers | 08JUL21 | 01MAY17 | 22MAY13 | 08JUL21 | 08JUL21 |
| EB-4 | U | U | U | U | U |
| EB-5 Unreserved | C | 08DEC15 | 15NOV19 | C | C |
| EB-5 Set Asides | C across Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure subcategories |
4. Employment-Based Dates for Filing
| Employment-Based | All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed | China (Mainland) | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | C | 01JAN23 | 15APR22 | C | C |
| EB-2 | 15NOV23 | 01JAN21 | 01FEB13 | 15NOV23 | 15NOV23 |
| EB-3 | 01MAY23 | 22DEC20 | 08JUN13 | 01MAY23 | 01MAY23 |
| Other Workers | 22JUL21 | 01JAN18 | 08JUN13 | 22JUL21 | 22JUL21 |
| EB-4 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 | 01FEB21 |
| EB-5 Unreserved | C | 01OCT16 | 01APR22 | C | C |
5. Diversity Visa (DV) Updates
- DV-2025 Final Allocation Cut-Offs (September)
- Africa: 58,500 (exceptions: Algeria 54,500; Egypt 52,000; Morocco 40,500)
- Asia: 14,500 (exceptions: Iran 11,000; Nepal 14,450)
- Europe: 23,000 (exceptions: Russia 22,950; Uzbekistan 15,000)
- North America (Bahamas): Current
- Oceania: 1,775
- South America & Caribbean: 2,825
- DV-2025 visas expire September 30, 2025 — no issuances afterward.
- DV-2026 October Cut-Offs
- Africa: 17,500 (exceptions: Algeria 14,500; Egypt 16,000)
- Asia: 10,000 (exception: Nepal 6,000)
- Europe: 7,750
- North America (Bahamas): 20
- Oceania: 1,100
- South America & Caribbean: 1,850
6. Key Notes for Applicants
- Demand Increase: USCIS and DOS expect most employment-based categories to reach their FY-2025 limits in August–September. If reached, categories will become “unavailable” immediately.
- Per-Country Limits: For FY-2025, per-country cap is 26,862; dependent area limit is 7,675 (including carryovers).
- Special Immigrant Visas (SIV): NDAA FY-2024 provisions may affect certain U.S. Government employees abroad—check with the filing post for guidance.
Foreign nationals with priority dates close to the cut-offs should prepare documentation promptly. If eligible, filing early can help avoid retrogression delays in future bulletins.
