July 2025 Visa Bulletin Released

 

The Department of State (DOS) has issued its July 2025 Visa Bulletin. This month we will see forward movement in most family-based immigrant visa categories and several employment-based categories. 

For employment-based categories, nationals of China will see slight progression in all three categories. The EB-3 category will move forward for all nationals except nationals of the Philippines. Historically, the EB-3 final action date for nationals of the Philippines has aligned with the worldwide date. However, in July, it will remain the same and will now fall behind the EB-3 worldwide date.

For family-based categories, all nationals except for nationals of Mexico and the Philippines will see forward movement in the F-1 category. The F-2A, F-2B, and F-3 categories will advance for all nationals, and the F-4 category will advance for nationals of India and the Philippines.

USCIS will continue to honor the Dates for Filing Chart for family-based green card applications in July (chart provided further below). However, employment-based green card applications will need to use the Final Action Dates Chart. This month, the Dates for Filing will advance for nationals of Mexico in the F-1, F-2A, and F-2B categories. The F-2A category will also move forward for all nationals, and nationals of the Philippines will see advancement in the F-3 category. The F-4 category will progress for all nationals except nationals of India, Mexico, and the Philippines. These dates are further ahead than the Final Action Dates, so beneficiaries of family-based immigrant petitions can get their applications filed and obtain interim benefits for employment and travel until the government can actually approve their application.

Employment-Based Movement 

In July, EB-1 and EB-2 China will advance by one and two weeks, respectively. The EB-3 category for skilled workers and professionals will move forward by nearly two months for all nationals except for nationals of China, India and the Philippines. Chinese and Indian nationals will see a one-week advancement, while the final action date for the Philippines will remain the same as last month.

The EB-3 category for other workers, whose positions require less than two years of training, will also see forward movement by two weeks for all nationals except for nationals of China and India. This category will advance by one month for nationals of China, and one week for nationals of India. 

Here’s a chart for easy reference:

 
 

Family-based Movement

In July, the F-1 category will advance by five weeks for all nationals except for nationals of Mexico and the Philippines, for whom final action dates will remain the same.

The F-2A category will advance by eight months for all nationals, and eight months and two weeks for nationals of Mexico. 

The F-2B category will also progress by three weeks for all nationals, over two months for nationals of the Philippines, and by a full year for nationals of Mexico. 

The F-3 category will move forward by five weeks for all countries except Mexico and the Philippines, which will see advancements of two weeks and nine weeks, respectively.

Lastly, in the F-4 category, final action dates for nationals of India will advance by three weeks, and for nationals of the Philippines by seven months. Final action dates for all other nationals will remain the same.

Here’s a chart for easy reference:

 
 

As mentioned previously, USCIS will honor the Dates for Filing chart (further below) for the family-based immigrant visa categories. 

By way of reminder, the categories are:

  • F-1 category:  unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens

  • F2-A category: spouses and children under 21 of lawful permanent residents

  • F2-B category: unmarried adult children (over 21) of lawful permanent residents

  • F-3 category:  married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens

  • F-4 category:  siblings of U.S. citizens

WHAT DATES IN THE VISA BULLETIN SHOULD YOU USE FOR FILING YOUR ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS APPLICATION WITH USCIS?

If USCIS determines that there are more immigrant visas available for a fiscal year than there are known applicants for such visas, then USCIS will state here that you may use the Dates for Filing Visa Applications chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin, which usually has dates later than the Final Action Dates noted above. Otherwise, USCIS will indicate on its website that you must use the Application Final Action Dates chart (above) to determine when you may file your adjustment of status application in the United States.

For July 2025, USCIS has confirmed the Dates for Filing (below) should be used for family-based categories. Employment-based categories must use the Final Action Dates (above).

 
 

If the priority date for your family-based category is before the date listed above and you are in the United States, you may file your application to adjust your status along with the applications for employment authorization and travel permission (assuming you have no bars to admissibility) with USCIS in July. 

The entire visa bulletin is available on the State Department’s website, which includes information on the diversity visa lottery and the EB-5 priority dates. 

If you would like more information on how to understand the monthly visa bulletin, please check out our blog post on this topic and our podcast available here. 

This alert is for informational purposes only.  Please contact us if you would like to discuss these developments further. 

 
Nadia Yakoob