US January 2025 visa bulletin: Slight progress for Indians in EB-2, F1, F3

The US January 2025 Visa Bulletin shows minor progress in few employment and family-based visa categories

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Surbhi Gloria Singh

New Delhi

 

The US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs released its January 2025 Visa Bulletin on Wednesday, outlining updates for green card applicants. The new year brings promising news for Indian applicants, with progress in some family-based and employment-based visa categories. In the EB-2 category, India advances by two months to January 1, 2013, while China moves forward to October 1, 2020. Additionally, there are adjustments in the F2B, F3, and F4 family-sponsored visa categories.

 

January 2025 US Bulletin: Key updates for Indians

 

Family-Sponsored Categories 

The January bulletin brings several noteworthy updates for family-sponsored categories. The F1 category, for unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens, has advanced to November 22, 2015, for final action. Similarly, the F3 category, covering married sons and daughters of US citizens, has moved to July 1, 2010, with its filing date advancing to July 22, 2012. The F4 category, which includes siblings of US citizens, has seen an increase to August 15, 2006. Meanwhile, the F2A category (spouses and children of permanent residents) and F2B category (unmarried sons and daughters of permanent residents) remain largely unchanged.

 

Advancements in Employment-Based Preferences 

In employment-based categories, the bulletin highlights significant progress in several preferences. The EB-2 category, for members of the professions holding advanced degrees or individuals of exceptional ability, has advanced to October 1, 2012, for final action, while filing dates remain at January 1, 2013. The EB-3 category, for skilled workers, professionals, and other workers, now has a final action date of December 1, 2012, though filing dates remain unchanged. Set-aside employment visas, including those for rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure projects, continue to be "current," ensuring timely processing for eligible applicants.

 

What is the Visa Bulletin and how does it work?

 

The US Visa Bulletin is a monthly publication that provides priority dates for green card applicants across various categories. This document helps applicants understand when they might move forward in the immigration process based on the number of visa applications already in the queue.

 

The Department of State reviews visa availability each month and makes adjustments based on the number of pending applications in different categories.

 

Paths to progress in the US immigration process: What are your options?

 

Applicants have two main routes depending on their current location:

 

1. Adjustment of status: For those already residing in the US, this process allows them to change their visa status to a permanent resident.

2. Immigrant visa application: For applicants outside the US, they must apply for an immigrant visa at a US consulate or embassy.

 

Breakdown of employment-based visa categories

 

The Visa Bulletin details five categories for employment-based visas, each with specific percentages of the total available visas:

 

EB-1 Priority Workers: Allocated 28.6% of global employment-based visas, with any surplus from EB-4 and EB-5 visas.

EB-2 Advanced Degree Professionals/Exceptional Ability: Receives 28.6% of global visas, plus any unused visas from EB-1.

EB-3 Skilled Workers and Professionals: Also allocated 28.6% of visas, with 10,000 reserved for 'other workers.'

EB-4 Special Immigrants: Receives 7.1% of global visas, with a portion designated for investors in specific areas.

EB-5 Employment Creation: Allocated 7.1% of worldwide employment-based visas for investors.

 

What’s happening with employment-based categories?

 

For January, the employment-based categories did not see any significant movement:

 

EB-1: China's date is January 1, 2023, while India's is April 15, 2022

EB-2: The date for China is October 1, 2020, while India advances to January 1, 2013

EB-3: Professionals and skilled workers' dates are unchanged, with India still at June 8, 2013.

EB-5: Unreserved categories remain unchanged for China and India.  

 

Family-sponsored visa categories remain unchanged

 

The January 2025 bulletin shows minor updates for family-based visa categories for India, Mexico, the Philippines, and other regions. Current cutoff dates remain as follows:

 

F1 (Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens): For Mexico, the date is October 1, 2005; for the Philippines, it is April 22, 2015; and for all other countries, it remains September 1, 2017.

 

F2A (Spouses and unmarried children of permanent residents): For all applicants, the cutoff is July 15, 2024

 

F2B (Unmarried children (age 21 or older) of US Green card holders):  For Mexico, the cut-off is October 1, 2006; for the Philippines, it is October 1, 2013; and for all other countries, it remains January 1, 2017.

 

F3 (Married children of US citizens): The cutoff for Mexico is June 15, 2001; for the Philippines, it is May 8, 2004. For India and other regions it has advanced to July 22, 2012.

 

F4 (Brothers and sisters of US citizens): India's cut-off date is August 15, 2006; for Mexico, it is April 30, 2001; for the Philippines, it is January 1, 2008; and for all other countries, it is March 1, 2008.

 

The Visa Bulletin continues to serve as an essential guide for green card applicants, helping them understand where they stand in the US immigration process. The next Visa Bulletin release is expected in February 2025, with potential updates for other categories.