August 2025 Visa Bulletin: EB-2 Retrogresses Worldwide, EB-3 India Advances

The Department of State's August 2025 Visa Bulletin delivers notable changes across employment-based preference categories, with diverging trends for EB-2 and EB-3 applicants. Most significantly, EB-2 worldwide final action dates have retrogressed, meaning some applicants who were previously current may no longer be able to file for adjustment of status or receive an immigrant visa this month. For EB-3 applicants, the bulletin brings more encouraging news. India-born EB-3 applicants will see their priority dates advance, offering relief to one of the longest-backlogged chargeability groups. This forward movement, even if incremental, represents an important development for Indian nationals in the skilled worker and professional subcategories. The retrogression in EB-2 worldwide is notable because it affects applicants from countries not subject to per-country limits, indicating higher-than-anticipated demand in that category. Applicants who were current under the prior bulletin should verify their status under both the Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing charts before submitting any applications. Practitioners and applicants should review the full August 2025 bulletin carefully to confirm eligibility, particularly given that USCIS may choose to honor either the Final Action Dates or the Dates for Filing chart for concurrent filings in any given month.