The U.S. Department of State (DOS) continues to publish monthly updates through its Visa Bulletin to inform prospective immigrants about the current availability of immigrant visas, based on individual priority dates. This bulletin is an essential tool for determining when visa applicants can either file their applications or expect final visa issuance. Each month, the DOS issues two charts for every visa preference category—namely, the Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing Applications.
The Final Action Dates chart reveals when visas may be issued, while the Dates for Filing Applications chart indicates the earliest possible date an applicant may submit their application. For June 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has opted to maintain the use of Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Adjustment of Status Applications. Simultaneously, it will adhere to the Dates for Filing Applications for Family-Sponsored Adjustment of Status cases.
Although the June 2025 Visa Bulletin includes information relevant to applicants worldwide, this summary focuses specifically on Indian nationals and the changes that will impact them in family-based and employment-based visa categories.
In the family-sponsored visa categories, the Family First Preference Category (F-1), which applies to unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, has seen some progress. For Indian nationals, the cut-off date has advanced by about two and a half months to June 8, 2016. The Family Second Preference Category (F2A), covering spouses and children of permanent residents, has experienced no change, with the cut-off date for India remaining at January 1, 2022.
Meanwhile, in the Family Second Preference Category (F2B) for unmarried sons and daughters (21 years or older) of permanent residents, India’s cut-off date has progressed to September 22, 2016. The Family Third Preference Category (F3), which includes married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, has a new cut-off date of June 22, 2011, for Indian applicants. On the other hand, the Family Fourth Preference Category (F4), which covers brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens, remains unchanged at June 15, 2006.
Turning to employment-based categories, the Employment-Based First Preference Category (EB-1), which includes priority workers, shows no movement. For India, the date remains fixed at February 15, 2022. The Employment-Based Second Preference (EB-2), which applies to members of the professions holding advanced degrees or individuals of exceptional ability, also remains static, with the cut-off date for Indian applicants staying at January 1, 2013.
While this lack of movement may appear disappointing, there is a silver lining. It is still not clear if there will be any more significant or major movements in the next few months of FY 2025 visa bulletin though. But any forward movement in this category is certainly quite welcome news. This category will be closely watched in the coming months.
In the Employment-Based Third Preference Category (EB-3), which covers skilled workers and professionals, the cut-off date for India also remains unchanged at April 15, 2013. There has been no progress in this category for June 2025.
A significant update affects the Employment-Based Fourth Preference Category (EB-4), which includes certain special immigrants. On February 28, 2025, the U.S. Department of State announced that it had exhausted all visa numbers under this category due to overwhelming demand in the first half of the fiscal year. The department confirmed that “there would be no visas that can be issued in these categories for the remainder of the fiscal year 2025.” The annual limit for this category will reset on October 1, 2025, with the start of the new fiscal year (FY 2026).
The situation is similar for certain religious workers, whose visa availability has also been declared unavailable for the rest of FY 2025. This reflects the high demand and constrained supply within the EB-4 classification and related sub-categories.
In the Employment-Based Fifth Preference Category (EB-5), which involves immigrant investor visas, the unreserved category—including set-asides for rural areas, high unemployment regions, and infrastructure projects—has also seen no movement. The cut-off date for Indian applicants in this category remains on May 1, 2019.
The U.S. Department of State has made concerted efforts to maintain consistent progress in employment-based visa categories during the early months of FY 2025. However, it has had to make difficult choices in managing visa allocation. The agency noted that despite these efforts, it had to declare some visa types unavailable or retrogress them significantly. For instance, EB-4 has been marked unavailable, and EB-5 continues to face pressure due to demand.
“Even in the first few months of the new Fiscal Year 2025, the U.S. Department of State is still doing its best to try and keep the various employment-based visa numbers in steady movement and to not have the visa numbers be used up too quickly,” the bulletin explained. But challenges persist, and as a result, some categories have seen halted progress or complete unavailability.
The Department of State is expected to continue with a cautious approach in setting monthly visa number targets, particularly in light of strong demand from countries like India. This demand requires the DOS to balance visa allocations carefully to avoid exhausting categories prematurely.
“It will be interesting to see if India will still have steady movements in the coming months, because it is not certain if the Department of State will have enough leeway to move ahead with more visa movement advancements starting in October 2024 and through the next few months,” the bulletin emphasized. The future trajectory will depend on a mix of demand trends, applicant volumes, and government strategy.
Additionally, the course of action adopted by USCIS—whether it continues using the Dates for Filing or shifts to Final Action Dates—will also play a key role in determining how Indian applicants fare in FY 2025. Applicants and immigration professionals will need to monitor future visa bulletins closely to plan accordingly.
In summary, the June 2025 Visa Bulletin reflects cautious progress in several categories for Indian nationals, with minor forward movements in family-based categories and largely static conditions in employment-based preferences. The exhaustion of visas in EB-4 and religious worker categories, along with stagnant EB-2 and EB-3 dates, highlights the ongoing pressure on the U.S. immigration system. Applicants will need to stay vigilant, track monthly updates, and adjust their expectations in line with government announcements and procedural decisions in the months ahead.