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November 2025 Visa Bulletin Released: What Employers Need to Know

November 5, 2025
The Department of State released the November 2025 Visa Bulletin and USCIS will accept continue to accept employment-based Adjustment of Status applications based on the more advanced Dates for Filing chart. All categories will continue to hold steady and remain unchanged under both the Final Action …
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Overview

The Department of State released the November 2025 Visa Bulletin and USCIS will accept continue to accept employment-based Adjustment of Status applications based on the more advanced Dates for Filing chart. All categories will continue to hold steady and remain unchanged under both the Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing charts for November 2025. The November Visa Bulletin indicates that details for the 2027 Diversity Visa Program will be forthcoming.

EMPLOYMENT-BASED (EB) PRIORITY DATE SUMMARY FOR DATES FOR FILING

USCIS confirmed that it will honor the Dates for Filing chart for purposes of eligibility to file an Adjustment of Status application. The Dates for Filing  are as follows:

EB-1, First Preference Category

  • EB-1 Worldwide (including El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, Mexico, and Philippines) remains current.
  • EB-1 China will maintain a filing cutoff date of May 15, 2023.
  • EB-1 India will remain at April 15, 2023.

EB-2, Second Preference Category

  • EB-2 Worldwide (including El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, Mexico, and Philippines) will hold steady at July 15, 2024.
  • China: Dates for Filing will maintain a filing cutoff of December 1, 2021.
  • India:  Dates for Filing will remain at December 1, 2013.

EB-3, Third Preference Category (Professional and Skilled Workers)

  • EB-3 Worldwide (including El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, Mexico and Philippines) will remain unchanged at July 1, 2023.
  • China: Dates for Filing will maintain a filing cutoff of January 1, 2022.
  • India: Dates for Filing will hold steady at August 15, 2014.

Other Workers

  • Other Workers (including El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, Mexico and Philippines) will maintain a filing cutoff date of December 1, 2021.
  • China and India will continue to remain at October 1, 2018 and August 15, 2014, respectively.

EB-5: Fifth Preference Category (Immigrant Investors)

  • For the EB-5 Unreserved categories (C5, T5, I5, and R5), India will hold steady at April 1, 2022 and China will maintain a filing cutoff date of July 1, 2016. All other countries will remain current.
  • The EB-5 “Set-Aside” categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure) will remain current.

Individuals with a priority date that is before the published cut-off date may file an Adjustment of Status application based on the dates outlined above.

WHAT SHOULD EMPLOYERS EXPECT?  

In the November Visa Bulletin, the Dept. of State notes that entrants registered for the 2026 Diversity Visa Program were selected at random and notified. Selectees of the 2026 Diversity Visa Program should act on their immigrant visa applications quickly as applicants must receive visas or status by September 30, 2026 in order to derive a benefit from the 2026 Diversity Visa registration. Further, the Dept. of State notes that the dates for the 2027 Diversity Visa Program will be widely publicized in the coming months.

While USCIS will continue to honor the Dates for Filing chart for November, it is important to note that these applications cannot be approved until a visa number becomes available pursuant to the Final Action Dates chart. The lack of forward movement may serve as a means in which the Dept. of State can allocate more visas and clear backlogs before potential advancement later in the fiscal year. Alternatively, if increased demand in applicant filings and visa usage across all employment-based categories persists, this may result in USCIS honoring the more modest Final Action Dates chart in the upcoming months.

With continued increased demand across all eligible employment-based categories and extensive processing delays associated with the PERM process, Employers may wish to consider commencing the green card process earlier for foreign national employees. Employers are also advised to submit Adjustment of Status applications for eligible applicants in November as it is uncertain how long the Dates for Filing chart may honored this fiscal year.

For additional information, please contact your designated Gibney representative or email info@gibney.com.