August 2025 Visa Bulletin
Key Insights:
EB-1: Priority Workers (Extraordinary Ability, Outstanding Professors/Researchers, Multinational Managers/Executives)
| Country | New Cut-off date | Movement |
|---|---|---|
| All other areas | Current | No Change |
| China | 15-Nov-2022 | No Change |
| India | 15-Feb-2022 | No Change |
| Mexico | Current | No Change |
| Phillippines | Current | No Change |
No movement across any category. EB-1 remains current for most countries, but India and China continue to face long-standing backlogs.
EB-2: Advanced Degree Holders and Exceptional Ability
| Country | New Cut-off date | Movement |
|---|---|---|
| All other areas | 1-Sept-2023 | Retrogressed 1.5 Months |
| China | 15-Dec-2020 | No Change |
| India | 1-Jan-2013 | No Change |
| Mexico | 1-Sept-2023 | Retrogressed 1.5 Months |
| Phillippines | 1-Sept-2023 | Retrogressed 1.5 Months |
India and China remain static; slight retrogression for all other regions due to demand nearing fiscal limits.
EB-3: Skilled Workers and Professionals
| Country | New Cut-off date | Movement |
|---|---|---|
| All other areas | 1-Apr-2023 | No Change |
| China | 01-Dec-2020 | No Change |
| India | 22-May-2013 | Forward 1 Month |
| Mexico | 8-July-2021 | No Change |
| Phillippines | 8-Feb-2023 | No Change |
India sees a modest advancement; no change elsewhere.
EB-3: Other Workers
| Country | New Cut-off date | Movement |
|---|---|---|
| All other areas | 08-July-2021 | No Change |
| China | 01-May-2017 | No Change |
| India | 22-May-2013 | Forward 1 Month |
| Mexico | 8-July-2021 | No Change |
| Phillippines | 8-Feb-2023 | No Change |
India sees a modest advancement; no change elsewhere.
EB-4: Special Immigrants ( Religious Workers, Juvenile Court Dependents, etc.)
| Country | New Cut-off date | Movement |
|---|---|---|
| All other areas | Unauthorized | NA |
The EB-4 category remains unavailable due to legislative constraints or visa caps.
EB-5: Immigrant Investors
| Country | New Cut-off date | Movement |
|---|---|---|
| All other areas | Current | No Change |
| China | 08-Dec-2015 | Forward 1 Year,10.5 Months |
| India | 15-Nov-2019 | Forward 6.5 Months |
| Mexico | Current | No Change |
| Phillippines | Current | No Change |
Significant advancements in the EB-5 category for China and India reflect improved visa flow and reduced backlog pressure.
What we can conclude:
While some categories, such as EB-3 India and EB-5 China/India, show modest forward movement, most employment-based categories remain stagnant, particularly for high-demand countries like India and China. Retrogression in EB-2 for “All Other Areas” indicates that visa number limits are being reached as the fiscal year progresses.
- EB-1 remains static for India and China.
- EB-2 for India is still stuck at 2013, making it one of the slowest-moving queues.
- EB-5 investors see the most meaningful progress, offering hope to high-net-worth applicants.
Applicants should continue to closely monitor their priority dates and explore alternative strategies, such as interfiling, concurrent filing, or EB-1 self-petitions, especially for Indian and Chinese nationals who are facing prolonged delays.
 Visa Bulletin September 2025 Prediction
Based on current trends, historical movement patterns, and the approaching end of the fiscal year (September 30, 2025), here’s a forecast for the September 2025 Visa Bulletin in the employment-based categories:
EB-1 Predictions
| Country | Current Cut-off | Predictions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All other areas | Current | Current | No backlog expected |
| China | 15-Nov-2022 | No Movement | Demand still exceeds quota |
| India | 15-Feb-2022 | No Movement | Long-standing backlog persists |
Stagnation is likely to continue for India/China. Unused EB-1 numbers from other countries may not be redistributed until September.
EB-2 Predictions
| Country | Current Cut-off | Predictions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All other areas | 1-Sept-2023 | No Movement | Nearing annual limits |
| China | 15-Dec-2020 | No Movement | Demand remains steady |
| India | 1-Jan-2013 | No Movement | Severely over-subscribed |
India EB-2 is unlikely to move until new visas are issued in FY2026 (October). Retrogression is possible for ROW to avoid exceeding quotas.
EB-3 Skilled Workers Predictions Predictions
| Country | Current Cut-off | Predictions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All other areas | 1-Apr-2023 | Likely Hold | Could move slightly in September |
| China | 01-Dec-2020 | No Movement | Backlog unchanged |
| India | 22-May-2013 | Minor movement | Some forward momentum is possible |
India EB-3 may inch forward again. ROW and others are likely to stay put until the end of the fiscal year.
EB-3 Other Workers Predictions
| Country | Current Cut-off | Predictions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All other areas | 8-July-2021 | No Movement | Consistently backlogged |
| China | 1-May-2017 | No Movement | No Sign of relief |
| India | 22-May-2013 | Small Advancement (1-2 Weeks) | Mirrors EB-3 Movement |
EB-4 Predictions ( Special Immigrants )
| Country | Current Cut-off | Predictions |
|---|---|---|
| All other areas | Unauthorized | Remains Unauthorized |
Category remains unavailable due to statutory caps and stalled congressional action.
EB-5 Predictions
| Country | Current Cut-off | Predictions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All other areas | Current | Current | Unused visas are flowing smoothly |
| China | 8-Dec-2015 | Small forward movement (1-2 Months ) | Recent progress may continue |
| India | 15-Nov-2019 | Forward Movement 2-3 Months | Trend likely to continue |
Overall forecast summary
| Category | India | China | Row(All Others) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Â EB-1 | No Change | No Change | Current |
| EB-2 | No Change | No Change | Possible retrogression |
| EB-3 | Small Forward movement | No Change | Likely Hold |
| EB-4 | Unauthorized | Unauthorized | Unauthorized |
| EB-5 | Continued Movement | Slow Movement | Current |
 Key Insights:
- August is typically a conservative month, with little advancement due to the nearing of yearly visa number limits.
- Most movement is deferred until September, when the DOS makes final fiscal year adjustments.
- India EB-3 and EB-5 are the only categories likely to see continued progress.
- Applicants should prepare now for possible movement in October, especially if their PDs are close to each other.
