The U.S. Department of State has released its June 2025 Visa Bulletin  imposing per-country cut-off dates that regulate immigrant visa availability and the flow of Adjustment of Status (AOS) applications and consular Immigrant Visa application interviews and approvals. In order to be “current,” the priority date held by a person applying for permanent residence must be before the cut-off date specified in the monthly Visa Bulletin.

The Visa Bulletin includes both a Dates for Filing chart and a Final Action Dates chart. The Final Action Dates chart indicates when a priority date is current and I-485 AOS applications or Immigrant Visa applications may  be approved and permanent residence granted. The Dates for Filing chart, when followed by USCIS, indicates when intending immigrants may file their AOS applications with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The June 2025 Final Action Dates chart has several changes from May 2025 bulletin for the various EB categories and countries of chargeability. EB-1 cut-off dates remain unchanged for the Rest of the World, China, India, Mexico and the Philippines from last month. The India EB-2 and EB-3 categories stay at 01/01/2013 and 04/15/2013, respectively. The China EB-2 category moves from 10/01/2020 to 12/01/2020, and the China EB-3 category moves from 11/01/2020 to 11/22/2020. The Rest of the World EB-2 category moves over three months from 06/22/2023 to 10/15/2023. The Rest of the World EB-3 category moves from 01/01/2023 to 02/08/2023.

The June Visa Bulletin’s Dates for Filing chart for the Employment-Based (EB) categories also has  forward movement from the May 2025 Visa Bulletin. Immigrant visas remain immediately available for EB-1 Rest of the World, Mexico, and Philippines. EB-1 China remains at 01/01/2023 and EB-1 India remains at 04/15/2022. The EB-2 India Dates for Filing category remains at 02/01/2013. EB-2 China moves from 11/01/2020 to 01/01/2021. The EB-2 categories for Rest of World, Mexico, and Philippines  moved from 08/01/2023 to 11/15/2023. The EB-3 Dates for Filing categories for Rest of World, Mexico, and Philippines remain at 03/01/2023. The EB-3 India category remains at 06/08/2013. The EB-3 China category moves from 11/15/2020 to 12/22/2020.

Final Action Dates Chart Will Control in June 2025

Each month, USCIS chooses either to follow the Final Action or the Dates for Filing chart. For June 2025, USCIS will follow the Final Action Dates chart for Employment-Based AOS application filings. However, to be eligible to have approved an Employment-Based (EB) AOS application, a foreign national must have a priority date that is earlier than the date listed below for his or her preference category and country of chargeability. The “C” listing indicates that the category is “current” and that applications may be approved with any priority date.

T&S Takeaway

This is the fifth month in a row that the USCIS has chosen to impose Final Action EB dates. The June Visa Bulletin makes no comment in this regard, but it is possible, like last month, that increased visa demand may have been a factor.  It is disappointing that more significant forward movement has not occurred in more historically backlogged categories since June marks the start of the fourth quarter of the current fiscal year and the Department of State had in the past  indicated that cut-off dates might be adjusted on a quarterly basis. More robust forward movement had been anticipated.

The attorneys of Tafapolsky & Smith LLP will monitor and analyze all developments affecting immigrant visa availability, including all statements made by the Department of State officers before the publication of the relevant Visa Bulletin and will provide immediate updates on any significant developments.