The U.S. Department of State has released the October 2025 Visa Bulletin, outlining important changes for immigrant visa applicants in both family-sponsored and employment-based categories. This bulletin also provides updates for the Diversity Visa (DV) Program and the expiration of certain immigrant visa programs. Foreign nationals, visa holders, and investors should review these updates closely to plan their next steps in filing applications with USCIS and the National Visa Center (NVC).
Family-Sponsored Preference Categories
The statutory family-sponsored annual limit for FY 2026 is 226,000 visas, with per-country limits applying to oversubscribed nations such as China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines.
Final Action Dates for Family-Sponsored Preference Cases
| Family-Sponsored | All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed | China (Mainland Born) | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | 08NOV16 | 08NOV16 | 08NOV16 | 22NOV05 | 22JAN13 |
| F2A | 01FEB24 | 01FEB24 | 01FEB24 | 01FEB23 | 01FEB24 |
| F2B | 22NOV16 | 22NOV16 | 22NOV16 | 15DEC07 | 01OCT12 |
| F3 | 08SEP11 | 08SEP11 | 08SEP11 | 15APR01 | 22SEP04 |
| F4 | 08JAN08 | 08JAN08 | 01NOV06 | 08APR01 | 22MAR06 |
Employment-Based Preference Categories
The worldwide annual limit for employment-based immigrants remains at least 140,000 visas. As of October 2025, priority workers (EB-1) remain current for most countries, while India and China face significant retrogression.
Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Preference Cases
| Employment-Based | All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed | China (Mainland Born) | India | Mexico | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | C | 22DEC22 | 15FEB22 | C | C |
| EB-2 | 01DEC23 | 01APR21 | 01APR13 | 01DEC23 | 01DEC23 |
| EB-3 | 01APR23 | 01MAR21 | 22AUG13 | 01APR23 | 01APR23 |
| Other Workers | 15JUL21 | 01DEC17 | 22AUG13 | 15JUL21 | 15JUL21 |
| EB-4 | 01JUL20 | 01JUL20 | 01JUL20 | 01JUL20 | 01JUL20 |
| Certain Religious Workers | U | U | U | U | U |
| EB-5 (Unreserved) | C | 08DEC15 | 01FEB21 | C | C |
Diversity Visa (DV) Program
For Fiscal Year 2026, the DV program provides approximately 52,000 visas after required legislative reductions.
DV Cut-Offs for October 2025
- 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 and the Caribbean: 1,850
Expiration of Religious Worker Program
The Employment Fourth Preference Religious Worker (SR) category expired on September 29, 2025. Without legislative extension, no further visas may be issued or adjustments approved under this category.
Key Takeaways
- Family-sponsored categories continue to face long backlogs, particularly for Mexico and the Philippines.
- Employment-based visa retrogression remains most severe for India and China.
- The DV-2026 Program is underway with reduced annual limits.
- The Religious Worker visa category is currently unavailable unless extended by Congress.
Foreign nationals and employers should review their priority dates against the bulletin to determine eligibility for filing or final action in October 2025.
