The U.S. Department of State has released the October 2025 Visa Bulletin. Compared with September, most categories show forward movement (advancement) this month — some moves are small (days/weeks) and others are larger (months/years), depending on category and chargeability area.
Family Sponsored Preferences:
F1 (Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens) —
- All other areas: Advances by 3 months.
- Mexico: Advances by 7 months.
- Philippines: Advances by 6 months.
F2A (Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents) —
- All other areas: Advances by 1 year 5 months.
- Mexico: Advances by 1 year.
- Philippines: Advances by 1 year 5 months.
F2B (Unmarried Sons & Daughters, 21+) —
- All other areas: Advances by 1 month.
- Mexico: Advances by 8 months.
- Philippines: Advances by 5 months.
F3 (Married Sons & Daughters of U.S. Citizens) —
- All other areas: Advances by 1 month 7 days.
- Mexico: Advances by 2 months 14 days.
- Philippines: Advances by 4 months 21 days.
F4 (Brothers & Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens) —
- All other areas: Advances by 7 days.
- China: Advances by 7 days.
- India: No change.
- Mexico: Advances by 24 days.
- Philippines: Advances by 2 months, 21 days.
Employment-based Preferences –
EB-1 (Priority Workers) —
- All other areas: No change (remains Current).
- China-mainland born: Advances by 1 month 7 days.
- India: No change.
- Mexico / Philippines: No change.
EB-2 (Advanced degree / exceptional ability) —
- All other areas: Advances by 3 months.
- China: Advances by 3 months 17 days.
- India: Advances by 3 months.
- Mexico / Philippines: Advances by 3 months.
EB-3 (Skilled Workers & Professionals) —
- All other areas: No change.
- China: Advances by 3 months.
- India: Advances by 3 months.
- Mexico: No change.
- Philippines: Advances by 1 month 24 days.
EB-4 (Certain Special Immigrants) —
- September: Unavailable;
- October: Available (Final Action dates listed) — shows movement to dates (see DOS chart).
EB-5 (Investors, unreserved) —
- All other areas: No change.
- China: No change.
- India: Advances by 1 year 2 months.
- Mexico / Philippines: No change.
Key Takeaways
- Overall, forward movement in October. Unlike the small, mixed changes in September, October shows net advancement across most family and many employment categories (with several significant advances in family lines and EB-2/EB-3 chargeability-area moves).
- Notable moves: F2A jumps substantially (≈ 1 year 5 months) and several EB-2/EB-3 chargeability areas advance by roughly 3 months (China/India included in places).
- Practical effect: Many applicants with priority dates slightly earlier than September’s cutoffs should see their eligibility improve in October; review your priority date against the October charts before filing or submitting documents.
Predictions for fiscal year 2026
Based on current Visa Bulletin trends and FY2026 demand dynamics, EB-1 and EB-3 are more likely to see modest forward movement in the coming 1–3 months. EB-2 looks expected to remain more backlogged or show slower movement — demand for EB-2 (esp. India/China chargeability) and carryover prioritization mean EB-2 cutoffs will probably advance more slowly or even hold for several months.
