U.S. Releases November 2025 Visa Bulletin: Filing Dates Open for Most Family and Employment Categories

The U.S. Department of State has released the Visa Bulletin for November 2025 (Number 8, Volume XI), outlining the availability of immigrant visa numbers for the upcoming month. The bulletin sets “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” which determine when individuals may file for adjustment of status or begin visa processing through the National Visa Center.

For November, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that applicants in both family-sponsored and employment-based categories may use the Dates for Filing chart, allowing more applicants to submit their paperwork earlier in the process.

Family-Based Visa Categories

The bulletin shows modest forward movement in most family-sponsored categories. The F2A category—covering spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents—remains current across all countries, allowing immediate filing. Meanwhile, the F1 (unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) category holds at September 1, 2017 for most countries, and April 22, 2015 for the Philippines.

For the F3 (married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) category, the cut-off for most countries is July 22, 2012, while Philippine applicants may file if their priority date is before November 1, 2005. The F4 (siblings of U.S. citizens) category remains heavily backlogged, with a cut-off of January 1, 2008 for the Philippines and March 1, 2009 for most other countries.

Employment-Based Visa Categories

Employment-based filings also show limited but stable progress. The EB-1 category (priority workers) remains current for most countries, though applicants from China and India are subject to cut-offs of May 15, 2023 and April 15, 2023, respectively.

The EB-2 category (professionals with advanced degrees) is current for most chargeability areas, with cut-offs set at July 15, 2024 for the general pool, December 1, 2021 for China, and December 1, 2013 for India. The EB-3 (skilled workers and professionals) filing dates remain at July 1, 2023 for most applicants and January 1, 2022 for China.

Special immigrant religious worker categories remain unavailable this month. The EB-5 investor visa programcontinues to have current filing dates in all reserved categories, including rural, high unemployment, and infrastructure investments.

What It Means for Applicants

The November 2025 bulletin offers renewed opportunity for thousands of families and skilled professionals waiting to file their visa or adjustment of status applications.

Because USCIS has authorized the use of the Dates for Filing chart, eligible applicants are encouraged to prepare documentation and file promptly to take advantage of this filing window.

Immigration experts note that while the ability to file does not guarantee immediate visa issuance, it allows applicants to secure important benefits such as employment authorization and advance parole while waiting for their final action dates to become current.

The full Visa Bulletin for November 2025 is available at travel.state.gov, where applicants can review detailed charts and filing instructions.