The U.S. Department of State has released its November 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 November 2025 Dates for Filing chart includes no movement from the October 2025 bulletin for the various EB categories and countries of chargeability. October was the first month of the Department of States’ 2026 fiscal year, and a significant influx of new immigrant visa numbers became available at the start of this fiscal year.

• • EB-1 cut-off dates remain Current for the Rest of the World, Mexico and the Philippines. EB-1 India stays at 04/15/2023. EB-1 China remains at 05/15/2023.

• • The India EB-2 category is unchanged at 12/01/2013. The India EB-3 category stays at 08/15/2014.

• • The China EB-2 category remains at 12/01/2021, and the China EB-3 category stays at 01/01/2022.

• • The Rest of the World, Mexico and the Philippines EB-2 category is unchanged at 07/15/2024. The Rest of the World, Mexico, and the Philippines EB-3 category stays at 07/01/2023.

The November 2025 Visa Bulletin’s Final Action Dates chart for the Employment-Based (EB) categories shows no advancement or retrogression from the October 2025 Visa Bulletin:

• • Under the Final Action Dates chart, EB-1 Rest of the World, Mexico, and Philippines remain Current. EB-1 China stays at 12/22/2022 and EB-1 India remains at 02/15/2022.

• • The EB-2 India category remains at 04/01/2013. EB-2 China stays at 04/01/2021. The EB-2 categories for the Rest of World, Mexico, and Philippines are unchanged at 12/01/2023.

• • The EB-3 category for Rest of World, Mexico and the Philippines stays at 04/01/2023. The EB-3 India category remains at 08/22/2013. The EB-3 China category stays at 03/01/2021.

 

Dates for Filing Chart Will Control in November 2025

Each month, USCIS chooses either to follow the Final Action or the Dates for Filing chart. For November 2025, USCIS will follow the Dates for Filing chart for Employment-Based AOS application filings. To be eligible to file 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, however recent.

 

Employment- based	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA- mainland born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
1st	C	15MAY23	15APR23	C	C
2nd	15JUL24	01DEC21	01DEC13	15JUL24	15JUL24
3rd	01JUL23	01JAN22	15AUG14	01JUL23	01JUL23

 

T&S Takeaway

The November 2025 Visa Bulletin makes no comment in this regard, but this is the second month in succession that USCIS has chosen to impose Dates for Filing EB dates. This has been done in recognition of the fact that the significant forward movement in the October Visa Bulletin’s cut-off dates means that large numbers of intending immigrants became eligible to file adjustment of status applications in October 2025 and USCIS may wish to encourage such filings.  All such persons should file their adjustment of status applications as soon as possible, since it is possible that cut-off date retrogression may occur later in the year.

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 in the relevant Visa Bulletin and will provide immediate updates on any significant developments.