The U.S. Department of State has released its May 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 May 2025 Final Action Dates chart has no changes from April 2025 for the various EB categories and countries of chargeability, except for slight forward movement in EB-3 India. 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 category stays at 01/01/2013 and India EB-3 category moves slightly forward from 04/01/2013 to 04/15/2013. The China EB-2 category remains at 10/01/2020, and the China EB-3 category stays at 11/01/2020. The Rest of the World EB-2 category remains at 06/22/2023 and the Rest of the World EB-3 category stays at 01/01/2023.

The May Visa Bulletin’s Dates for Filing chart for the Employment-Based (EB) categories remains unchanged from the April 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 category remains at 02/01/2013. EB-2 China stays at 11/01/2020. The EB-2 categories for Rest of World, Mexico, and Philippines stay at 08/01/2023.

The EB-3 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 remains at 11/15/2020.

Final Action Dates Chart Will Control in May 2025

Each month, USCIS chooses either to follow the Final Action or the Dates for Filing chart. For May 2025, USCIS will follow the Final Action Dates chart for Employment-Based AOS application filings. Thus, 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 fourth month in a row that the USCIS has chosen to impose Final Action EB dates. The May 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 very little to no forward movement has occurred, although this may occur in July, when the fourth quarter of the current fiscal year begins, since the State Department had in the past indicated that cut-off dates might be adjusted on a quarterly basis.

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