Visa Bulletin September 2025: EB-3 Final Action Dates and Filing Chart Released

The U.S. Department of State has published the Visa Bulletin for September 2025 (Volume XI, Number 6), detailing the availability of immigrant visa numbers for the month. The bulletin governs both Final Action Dates — used to determine when applicants may file for adjustment of status — and Dates for Filing Applications, which may be authorized by USCIS separately. For fiscal year 2025, the worldwide employment-based preference immigrant limit is set at 150,037, while the family-sponsored limit stands at 226,000. The per-country cap remains at 7% of the combined annual limits, equating to 25,620 visas per country. These caps continue to create significant backlogs for applicants born in high-demand countries. The bulletin identifies CHINA-mainland born, INDIA, MEXICO, and PHILIPPINES as oversubscribed chargeability areas, meaning applicants from these countries face longer waits due to per-country numerical limits. EB-3 applicants from these nations should pay close attention to their specific priority date cutoffs as listed in the Final Action Date charts. Allocations were made in chronological priority date order based on demand received through August 4, 2025. If a category became oversubscribed, the final action date was set to the priority date of the first applicant who could not be accommodated within the numerical limits. EB-3 applicants should verify whether USCIS has authorized use of the Dates for Filing chart at uscis.gov/visabulletininfo, as this can allow earlier filing even when a visa number is not yet immediately available. Staying current with each month's bulletin is essential for timely action on pending petitions.