The US visa bulletin summarizing the availability of immigrant numbers during January for Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing Applications, indicating when immigrant visa applicants need to submit required documentation to the National Visa Center, has been released.

In the US visa bulletin for January, the priority dates for every category in the Dates for Filing Chart are the same as they were the previous month. However, the Final Action Dates indicate some progress for EB-2 and EB-3 for specific nations, and categories.

In the EB-1 category, the category for first-priority workers—including multinational CEOs and those with exceptional abilities—remains the same for most countries, and there is no change for China and India.

In the EB-2-Advancements, China advances one month to April 22, 2020, while India advances two months to October 1, 2012. Every other nation will get to April 1, 2023, two weeks earlier.

India advances by three weeks to December 1, 2012, in the EB-3 category. China moves up to June 1, 2020, two months ahead of schedule. Every other nation gets two weeks closer to December 1, 2022.

There has been no change in the EB-5 category. India is still on January 1, 2022, while China is still on July 15, 2016, under the EB-5 Unreserved categories. The set-aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure) and all other nations also remain current.

The Department of State and USCIS note increased I-526E petition approvals, and both agencies see increasing numbers of individuals processing their applications to completion in the EB-5 set aside categories. It may become necessary to establish Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates during the fiscal year to ensure that issuances in these categories do not exceed annual limits. This situation will be continually monitored by USCIS and any necessary adjustments will be made accordingly.

Foreign immigrants seeking to file applications for adjustment of status with USCIS must use the Final Action Dates charts to determine when they can file such applications. When USCIS determines that more immigrant visas are available for the fiscal year than known applicants for such visas, applicants may instead use the Dates for Filing Visa Applications charts in the Bulletin.

The allocations in the charts are made in chronological order of reported priority dates, for demand received by December 3, 2024.

USCIS rules state that if not all demand could be satisfied, the category or foreign state in which excessive demand was deemed oversubscribed. The final action date for an oversubscribed category is the first applicant’s priority date, which could not be reached within the numerical limits.

If it becomes necessary during the monthly allocation process to retrogress a final action date, supplemental requests for numbers will be honored only if the priority date falls within the new final action date announced in this bulletin. If at any time an annual limit was reached, it would be necessary to make the preference category “unavailable immediately”, and no further requests for numbers would be honored.

USCIS determines filing dates for employment-based and family-sponsored Adjustment of Status (AOS) applications using the Dates for Filing Visa Applications or Application Final Action Dates charts each month.

An applicant’s priority date must be current in the chart used by USCIS to be eligible to file an application in a given month.

The chart indicates when USCIS or DOS can decide on Immigrant Visa applications, allowing applicants to file if their priority date is before the chart’s date in the specific preference category, and their country of birth.

The fiscal year 2025 limit for family-sponsored preference immigrants is 226,000. The worldwide level for annual employment-based preference immigrants is at least 140,000. The per-country limit for preference immigrants is set at 7% of the total annual family-sponsored and employment-based preference limits, i.e., 25,620. The dependent area limit is set at 2%, or 7,320.

The visa prorating provisions apply to allocations for a foreign state or dependent area when visa issuances will exceed the per-country limit. These provisions currently apply to the following oversubscribed chargeability areas: China-mainland born, India, Mexico, and Philippines.

The year of entitlement for all applicants registered for the DV-2025 program ends on September 30, 2025. DV visas may not be issued to DV-2025 applicants after that date. Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-2025 principals are only entitled to derivative DV status until September 30, 2025. DV visa availability through the very end of FY-2025 cannot be taken for granted. Numbers could be exhausted before September 30. The DV-2025 annual limit will be approximately 52,000. DVs are divided among six geographic regions. No one country can receive more than seven percent of the available diversity visas in any one year.

A. FINAL ACTION DATES FOR FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCE CASES

B. DATES FOR FILING FAMILY-SPONSORED VISA APPLICATIONS

A. FINAL ACTION DATES FOR EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCE CASES

B. DATES FOR FILING OF EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISA APPLICATIONS