Visa Bulletin for March 2025: EB-3 Final Action Dates and Filing Charts Released

The U.S. Department of State has published the Visa Bulletin for March 2025, which governs when immigrant visa applicants can proceed with their cases. The bulletin covers both 'Final Action Dates' and 'Dates for Filing Applications' charts, with USCIS determining on its website which chart adjustment-of-status applicants must use for the month. For EB-3 applicants, the bulletin's priority date allocations were based on demand received by February 3rd. As in prior months, oversubscribed categories are subject to per-country caps. The countries currently subject to oversubscription rules — and most relevant to EB-3 backlogs — are China (mainland born), India, Mexico, and the Philippines. The fiscal year 2025 employment-based preference visa limit remains at least 140,000 worldwide. The per-country cap is set at 7% of combined family-sponsored and employment-based limits, equating to 25,620 visas per country annually. This cap is the primary driver of multi-year and multi-decade backlogs for high-demand nationalities like India and China in the EB-3 category. EB-3 applicants should check the USCIS website at uscis.gov/visabulletininfo to confirm whether the 'Dates for Filing' or 'Final Action Dates' chart applies for March 2025. Using the wrong chart could result in a rejected or premature filing. Applicants with priority dates approaching the published cutoffs should work with their attorneys to prepare documentation in advance and monitor any retrogressions, which can occur if demand exceeds available numbers mid-month.