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By Toby Meyjes
News Editor
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The U.S State Department has released its October 2025 visa bulletin marking the start of the new fiscal year and revealing a significant boost for green card applicants in most employment based categories.
Why It Matters
The Department of State's Visa Bulletin controls the speed of green card processing, revealing updated information on when applications can move to the final stages of obtaining lawful permanent residence.
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The October bulletin is particularly significant because it marks the start of the new federal fiscal year when new visa numbers are allocated and priority dates in some categories can move forward.
For green card applicants, monitoring the visa bulletin is critical. It provides guidance on when they may be eligible to adjust their immigration status, typically based on the priority date established when an employer or family member filed a sponsorship petition.
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What To Know
The bulletin contains two charts - "Final Action Date" (FAD) or the "Dates for Filing" (DOF) - a change in either can convert years of waiting into actionable steps.
If an applicant's priority date is earlier than the DOF they can file a Form I‑485 for adjustment of status. If it is earlier than the FAD, then a visa number is available and a case could be approved.
The most significant updates in the October bulletin are:
- EB‑5 (Unreserved) for India: The FAD for EB-5 India has moved by almost 15 months from November 15, 2019 to February 1, 2021.
- F2A (Spouses & Children of Permanent Residents) for India: The FAD for F2A India advanced from Sept. 1, 2022 to Feb. 1, 2024.
- Other EB categories (India and China): EB‑2 and EB‑3 FAD for India and China show modest forward movement in October - while many other countries remain current or see smaller gains.
- Multiple EB categories: DOF for EB-1 to EB-3 advanced in many categories, some advancing more than a year
- EB-5 China Category: The DOF for EB-5 China Category has retrogressed by three months
What People Are Saying
Parisa Karaahmet, a partner for US-based immigration law practice Fragomen, told Newsweek: "A review of the visa bulletin for October 2025 indicates significant progress in dates for filing in most employment-based visa categories, allowing qualified individuals to file their cases as of October, even if a visa number may not be immediately available to them."
What Happens Next
The visa bulletin offers essential guidance for navigating the U.S. immigration process. Steven A. Brown, Partner at Reddy Neumann Brown P Legal firms, advises green card applicants to prepare early and thoroughly to avoid setbacks and shave weeks off their time. The bulletin will be updated again for November.
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