The State Department has released the December 2025 US Visa Bulletin, which reveals updates to immigrant visa categories. The bulletin presents developments for India on employment visas and outlines details for “Final Action Dates” and “Application Dates”.
“The FY 2026 limit for family-sponsored preferential immigrants established pursuant to Section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is 226,000. The worldwide level of annual employment-based preferential immigrants is at least 140,000,” the bulletin said.
According to the bulletin, the last date of the action for the overloaded category is the priority date of the first applicant who could not be reached within the numerical limits. If the last action date needs to be pushed back during the monthly allocation process, additional requests for numbers will only be honored if the priority date falls within the new final action date announced in this bulletin.
Unless otherwise noted on US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), individuals who wish to file an adjustment of status application with USCIS must use the “Final Action Dates” tables below to determine when they can file such applications, the State Department said.
Dates of final events for family preference class for Indian applicants
(F1) Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens: November 8, 2016
(F2A) Spouses and children of permanent residents: February 1, 2024
(F2B) Unmarried sons and daughters (aged 21 or older) of permanent residents: December 1, 2016
(F3) Married sons and daughters of US citizens: September 8, 2011
(F4) Brothers and sisters of adult US citizens: November 1, 2006
Last event dates for Indian applicants
First: (Priority workers): March 15, 2022
Second: (Members of professions with higher education or persons with exceptional abilities) — May 15, 2013
Third: (Skilled workers, professionals and other workers) — September 22, 2013
Fourth: (certain special immigrant) — September 1, 2020
Some religious workers — September 1, 2020
Fifth: (Job Creation) — July 1, 2021
Submission deadlines for Indian applicants
First (EB-1): April 15, 2023
Second (EB-2): December 1, 2013
Third (EB-3): August 15, 2014
Fourth (EB-4): February 15, 2021
Some religious workers: February 15, 2021
Fifth (EB-5): April 1, 2022
“The table below reflects the dates for visa applications within the time frame that warrants immediate action in the application process. Immigrant visa applicants who have a priority date earlier than the application date in the table may collect and submit the required documents to the State Department’s National Visa Center after receiving a notification from the National Visa Center containing detailed instructions,” the US State Department said.
