US Department of State Releases October 2025 Visa Bulletin

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will use the Dates for Filing chart for employment-based visa applications in October 2025. The availability of a new annual allotment of visas will bring priority date advancement for most visa categories.

The US Department of State has released its October 2025 Visa Bulletin outlining per-country priority date cutoffs that regulate immigrant visa availability and the flow of adjustment of status application and consular immigrant visa application filings and approvals.

WHAT DOES THE OCTOBER 2025 VISA BULLETIN SAY?

The bulletin includes both a Dates for Filing Visa Applications chart and an Application Final Action Dates chart. The former indicates when intending immigrants may file their applications for adjustments of status or immigrant visas, and the latter indicates when adjustment of status applications or immigrant visa applications may be approved and permanent residence granted.

Each month, the USCIS chooses which chart it will follow. For October 2025, the USCIS will follow the Dates for Filing chart for employment-based (EB) filings for adjustment of status. This means that individuals seeking to file applications for adjustment of status with the USCIS in October 2025 must use the Dates for Filing chart below.

DATES FOR FILING CUTOFF DATES

To be eligible to file an EB adjustment application in October 2025, a foreign national must have a priority date that is earlier than the date listed below for their preference category and country. The “C” listing indicates that the category is current, and applications may be filed regardless of the applicant’s priority date. The listing of a date for any category indicates that only applicants with a priority date that is earlier than the listed date may file their applications.

SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS

October 1, 2025 marks the beginning of the fiscal year, and the availability of a new annual allotment of 140,000 employment-based visas will result in an expansion of the pool of those eligible for adjustment of status. As Fiscal Year 2026 begins, USCIS will use the Dates for Filing Cutoff Date chart. Priority date movement throughout the fiscal year will depend on visa demand and issuance patterns for each category and chargeability area.