The U.S. Department of State has released the visa bulletin for October 2025, kicking off the new fiscal year with a significant green card boost to green card applicants across various categories.
This release is critical to the applicants awaiting permanent resident status, as it signals the period when applicants can proceed with the final steps of their immigration process.
The visa bulletin is a key tool of the U.S. immigration system, determining when applicants can move forward. It provides two essential tables: the “Final Action Date” (FAD), which reports when an applicant can receive a green card, and the “Dates for Filing” (DOF), which reports when the applicant can file his or her Form I-485 application for adjustment of status. If an applicant has a priority date prior to the DOF, they may file; if prior to the FAD, their case would be processed when a visa number becomes available.
The October bulletin is significant because it is the start of the federal government’s fiscal year in which new visa numbers are allocated. Updates this year bring much-needed momentum to many waiting applicants.
Among the most notable changes:
- EB-5 (Unreserved) for India: The FAD advanced by nearly 15 months, from November 15, 2019, to February 1, 2021.
- F2A (Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents) for India: The FAD jumped forward from September 1, 2022, to February 1, 2024.
- Other EB categories (India and China): EB-2 and EB-3 for both nations showed moderate but positive movement. For most other nations, categories are current or advanced a little.
- Multiple EB categories: The DOF for EB-1 to EB-3 advanced in multiple categories, sometimes more than a year.
- EB-5 China Category: The DOF retrogressed three months, one of the few steps backwards in this update.
Immigration experts say the revisions offer opportunities for thousands of applicants. Fragomen immigration law firm partner Parisa Karaahmet said the bulletin in October states “dramatic improvements in filing dates in most employment-based categories so that qualified individuals can file their cases as of October, even though a visa number potentially might not be immediately available.”
In the future, attorneys stress preparation. Steven A. Brown, a partner with Reddy Neumann Brown P, urged applicants to apply early: “Careful preparation can help applicants prevent delays and even cut weeks from their waiting times.”
The bulletin will again be updated in November, but meanwhile, the October 2025 release gives the much-needed respite and progress to thousands of the Permanent Residency seekers in the U.S. For hundreds of applicants, years of wait are finally turned into a real step towards approval.
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