Visa Bulletin August 2025: EB-2, EB-3, EB-5 and DV Lottery Updates

Index

• Visa Bulletin August 2025: EB-2 Retrogression Confirmed, EB-3 and EB-5 Stay Active
• Here’s Which Chart to Use for Your Green Card Application This August
• Key Updates You Should Know
• DV‑2025 (Diversity Visa Lottery): Processing Updates Across Regions
• Glossary Terms of Key Immigration Terms
• Employment-Based Green Card Final Action Dates
• Family-Based Green Card Dates for Filing

Visa Bulletin August 2025: EB-2 Retrogression Confirmed, EB-3 and EB-5 Stay Active

Key Updates Impacting Green Card Applicants in August 2025

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the Visa Bulletin for August 2025, which has notable changes that could affect employment-based green card applicants.

The most striking development this month is the retrogression in the EB-2 category (for applicants with advanced degrees or exceptional ability). Meanwhile, the EB-3 category (for skilled workers and professionals) moved forward one month for India. The EB-5 unreserved category (for immigrant investors not using targeted allocations) also moved forward significantly.

However, both the EB-2 and EB-3 categories are close to reaching their annual visa limits. The DOS has warned that these categories may become "unavailable" starting in September 2025 due to the exhaustion of visa numbers.

The official August 2025 Visa Bulletin is available here as a PDF. 
 

Here’s Which Chart to Use for Your Green Card Application This August

USCIS (ABD Vatandaşlık ve Göçmenlik Hizmetleri), başvuru sahiplerinin hangi dosyalama tablosuna göre ilerleyebileceğini belirler. Ağustos 2025 için geçerli tablolar: 

• Employment-based applicants must use the Final Action Dates chart. For your case to be approved or for you to adjust your status, your priority date must be current under this chart.

• Family-based applicants must follow the Dates for Filing chart. This allows you to submit your application earlier, even if it won't be approved immediately.
   

 See USCIS’s official chart confirmation here.

Key Updates You Should Know 

• EB-2: The final action date for the EB-2 category has moved back six weeks. This setback may delay green card approvals for applicants whose priority dates were approaching the current date.

• There was no movement in the EB-3 category this month. However, retrogression (a visa category’s priority date moving backward) or temporary unavailability is anticipated in September as employment-based visa numbers approach their annual cap.

• EB-5 (Unreserved): The EB-5 unreserved category saw significant advancement (forward shift in cutoff dates allowing more applicants to proceed) this month. China moved forward nearly two years (1y 10m 2w), and India progressed by 6.5 months. This advancement primarily affects high-demand countries and does not imply faster adjudication (the processing speed of individual green card applications).

• EB-4: This category is unavailable (temporarily closed) for the rest of fiscal year (FY) 2025 due to visa number exhaustion. No new approvals will be issued until the new fiscal year begins on October 1, 2025.
   

Note: The U.S. immigration fiscal year ends on September 30. The final months of the year often bring backlogs (application processing delays due to high demand), retrogression (a visa category’s priority date moving backward), and cutoffs (limits on who can proceed based on visa availability), especially in oversubscribed visa categories.

DV‑2025 (Diversity Visa Lottery): Processing Updates Across Regions

The U.S. Department of State continues to process Diversity Visa (Green Card Lottery) cases worldwide. The August 2025 Visa Bulletin lists the following regional cutoff numbers for interview scheduling:

• Africa: 50,000

• Asia: 11,000

• Europe: 22,000

• Oceania: 1,700

• South America and the Caribbean: 2,600

• North America (Bahamas only): Current (no cutoff)

Applicants with case numbers below their region’s August cutoff are eligible to schedule interviews in August.

In September 2025, the cutoff numbers will increase slightly. For example: 58,500 for Africa, 14,500 for Asia, and 23,000 for Europe. Visa issuance must be completed by September 30, the end of fiscal year 2025.

Since Diversity Visas are issued on a first-come, first-served basis and are tied to regional caps, eligible applicants must act quickly.

Preference Categories

Family-Based Green Card Categories:

• F-1: Unmarried children of U.S. citizens who are 21 years of age or older.
• F-2A: This applies to spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 of lawful permanent residents, also known as green card holders.
• F-2B: Unmarried children (age 21 and older) of lawful permanent residents
• F-3: Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens
• F-4: Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens

Employment-Based Green Card Categories

• EB-1: Priority workers - This category includes people with extraordinary abilities, outstanding professors and researchers, and multinational executives and managers.
• EB-2: Professionals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability
• EB-3: Skilled workers and other professionals who have bachelor's degrees, as well as unskilled workers.
• EB-4: Special immigrants, including religious workers and other specific groups
• EB-5: Immigrant investors

Glossary Terms of Key Immigration Terms  

• Priority Date: Priority Date: The date your green card petition is officially put in the queue. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or the National Visa Center (NVC) assigns this date when they first receive your petition, such as Form I-130 or Form I-140. Your visa eligibility depends on this date, which you can track by comparing it to the dates listed in the monthly Visa Bulletin.
• Current (C): If your priority date is listed as "Current" in the Visa Bulletin, a visa number is available, and your case can proceed immediately. It is labeled "C" in visa charts.
• Unavailable (U): This means that no visas are available for a specific category during that month, often because the annual quota has been reached. New applications or approvals may be temporarily paused. This is shown as "U" in visa charts.
• Retrogression: A backward shift in cutoff dates, usually caused by high demand in a particular visa category. When this happens, applicants with previously current priority dates may have to wait longer for approval.
• Advancement: A forward shift in cutoff dates. It typically occurs when visa processing speeds up or demand decreases, allowing more applicants to become eligible sooner.
• Adjustment of Status (AOS): The process of applying for a green card from within the United States using Form I-485. You can only file if your priority date is current.
• Consular Processing: The process of obtaining a green card from outside the U.S. through a U.S. consulate or embassy, using Form DS-260. This process is often used when applicants are living abroad.
• EB-5 Subcategories: Set-Aside vs. Unreserved
  - Unreserved: Refers to EB-5 investments not tied to specific locations or categories. These petitions compete for the EB-5 visa quota.
  - Set aside: EB-5 visas are for rural areas, infrastructure projects, or areas with high unemployment. These subcategories have separate annual allocations and often have quicker processing times.

Employment-Based Green Card Final Action Dates

EB-1:

EB-2: 

EB-3:

EB-4:

EB-5: (Unreserved/General) 

EB-5: Set-Aside 

Family-Based Green Card Dates for Filing 

F-1:

F-2A:

F-2B:

F-3:

F-4:

Do you need help with your Green Card or visa process?

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