January 2025 Visa Bulletin Summary-Key Updates & Predictions
The January 2026 Visa Bulletin reflects continued, targeted movement across both Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based categories. While most family-based categories remain essentially unchanged from December, selective advancement is seen for Mexico and the Philippines. Employment-based categories show more pronounced forward movement, particularly in EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, and EB-5 Unreserved for China and India.
USCIS has confirmed that applicants must use the Final Action Dates (FAD) chart to determine eligibility to file Form I-485 for both family-sponsored and employment-based cases in January 2026.
Family Sponsored Cases (Final Action Dates)
| Category | All Countries | China | India | Mexico | Philippines | Movement Notes |
| F1 | 08NOV16 → 08NOV16 | 08NOV16 → 08NOV16 | 08NOV16 → 08NOV16 | 22NOV05 → 01SEP06 | 22JAN13 → 01MAR13 | Mexico advanced ~6 months; Philippines advanced ~5 weeks |
| F2A | 01FEB24 → 01FEB24 | 01FEB24 → 01FEB24 | 01FEB24 → 01FEB24 | 01FEB23 → 01FEB23 | 01FEB24 → 01FEB24 | No movement |
| F2B | 01DEC16 → 01DEC16 | 01DEC16 → 01DEC16 | 01DEC16 → 01DEC16 | 15DEC07 → 15NOV08 | 01OCT12 → 22DEC12 | Mexico +6 months; Philippines +~2.5 months |
| F3 | 08SEP11 → 08SEP11 | 08SEP11 → 08SEP11 | 08SEP11 → 08SEP11 | 01MAY01 → 01MAY01 | 22SEP04 → 01MAR05 | Philippines advanced ~4 months |
| F4 | 08JAN08 → 08JAN08 | 08JAN08 → 08JAN08 | 01NOV06 → 01NOV06 | 08APR01 → 08APR01 | 15JUL06 → 22JUL06 | Philippines advanced ~1 week |
Family-Sponsored Cases (Dates For Filing)
| Category | All Countries | China | India | Mexico | Philippines | Movement Notes |
| F1 | 01SEP17 → 01SEP17 | 01SEP17 → 01SEP17 | 01SEP17 → 01SEP17 | 01MAR07 → 01SEP07 | 22APR15 → 22APR15 | Mexico advanced 6 months |
| F2A | 22NOV25→ 22DEC25 | 22NOV25→ 22DEC25 | 22NOV25→ 22DEC25 | 22NOV25→ 22DEC25 | 22NOV25→ 22DEC25 | Advanced 1 month across all regions |
| F2B | 08MAR17 → 15MAR17 | 08MAR17 → 15MAR17 | 08MAR17 → 15MAR17 | 15MAY09 → 15NOV09 | 01OCT13 → 01OCT13 | All Countries/China/India +7 days; Mexico +6 months |
| F3 | 22JUL12 → 22JUL12 | 22JUL12 → 22JUL12 | 22JUL12 → 22JUL12 | 01JUL01 → 01JUL01 | 01NOV05 → 01FEB06 | Philippines advanced 3 months |
| F4 | 01MAR09 → 01MAR09 | 01MAR09 → 01MAR09 | 15DEC06 → 15DEC06 | 30APR01 → 30APR01 | 01JAN08 → 15JAN08 | Philippines advanced ~2 weeks |
Employment-Based Cases (Final Action Dates)
| Category | All Countries | China | India | Mexico | Philippines | Movement Notes |
| EB-1 | C → C | 22JAN23→ 01FEB23 | 15MAR22→ 01FEB23 | C → C | C → C | China advanced ~10 days; India advanced ~10.5 months |
| EB-2 | 01FEB24→ 01APR24 | 01JUN21→ 01SEP21 | 15MAY13 → 15JUL13 | 01FEB24→ 01APR24 | 01FEB24→ 01APR24 | All regions advanced exactly 2 months |
| EB-3 | 15APR23→ 22APR23 | 01APR21→ 01MAY21 | 22SEP13→ 15NOV13 | 15APR23→ 22APR23 | 15APR23→ 22APR23 | Worldwide +7 days; China +1 month; India +~7 weeks |
| Other Workers | 01AUG21→ 01SEP21 | 08DEC17→ 08DEC18 | 22SEP13→ 15NOV13 | 01AUG21 → 01SEP21 | 01AUG21 → 01SEP21 | Worldwide/Mexico/Philippines +1 month; China +1 year; India +~7 weeks |
| EB-4 | 01SEP20→ 01JAN21 | 01SEP20 → 01JAN21 | 01SEP20 → 01JAN21 | 01SEP20 → 01JAN21 | 01SEP20→ 01JAN21 | All regions advanced exactly 4 months |
| Certain Religious Workers | 01SEP20→ 01JAN21 | 01SEP20 → 01JAN21 | 01SEP20 → 01JAN21 | 01SEP20→ 01JAN21 | 01SEP20 → 01JAN21 | All regions advanced exactly 4 months |
| EB-5 (Unreserved) | C → C | 15JUL16→ 15AUG16 | 01JUL21→ 01JUL21 | C → C | C → C | China +1 month; India +10 months |
| EB-5 Set Asides | C → C | C → C | C → C | C → C | C → C | No movement for any country |
Employment-Based Cases (Dates For Filing)
| Category | All Countries | China | India | Mexico | Philippines | Movement Notes |
| EB-1 | C → C | 15MAY23 → 15AUG23 | 15APR23 → 15AUG23 | C → C | C → C | China advanced ~3 months; India advanced ~4 months |
| EB-2 | 15JUL24 → 15OCT24 | 01DEC21 → 01JAN22 | 01DEC13 → 01DEC13 | 15JUL24 → 15OCT24 | 15JUL24 → 15OCT24 | All Countries/Mexico/Philippines +3 months; China +1 month; India no movement |
| EB-3 | 01JUL23 → 01JUL23 | 01JAN22 → 01JAN22 | 15AUG14 → 15AUG14 | 01JUL23 → 01JUL23 | 01JUL23 → 01JUL23 | No movement |
| Other Workers | 01DEC21 → 01DEC21 | 01OCT18 → 01OCT19 | 15AUG14 → 15AUG14 | 01DEC21 → 01DEC21 | 01DEC21 → 01DEC21 | China advanced exactly 1 year; all others unchanged |
| EB-4 | 15FEB21 → 15MAR21 | 15FEB21 → 15MAR21 | 15FEB21 → 15MAR21 | 15FEB21 → 15MAR21 | 15FEB21 → 15MAR21 | All regions advanced exactly 1 month |
| Certain Religious Workers | 15FEB21 → 15MAR21 | 15FEB21→ 15MAR21 | 15FEB21 → 15MAR21 | 15FEB21 → 15MAR21 | 15FEB21→ 15MAR21 | All regions advanced exactly 1 month |
| EB-5 Unreserved | C → C | 01JUL16 → 22AUG16 | 01APR22 → 01MAY24 | C → C | C → C | China +1 month; India +25 months |
| EB-5 Set-Aside: Rural | C → C | C → C | C → C | C → C | C → C | No movement |
SUMMARY:
The January 2025 Visa Bulletin brings:
The January 2026 Visa Bulletin reflects a measured start to the year, with limited movement in family-sponsored categories and targeted advancement in employment-based categories.
Forward movement in key categories
- Continued advancement in EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3, particularly for China and India.
- EB-5 Unreserved shows further progress, with notable gains for India and incremental movement for China.
- EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers advance uniformly across all chargeability areas.
Stability in many categories
- Most family-sponsored categories remain unchanged, with movement limited primarily to Mexico and the Philippines.
- EB-5 Set-Aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure) remain fully Current.
- Family-sponsored categories continue to reflect controlled demand management rather than broad advancement.
February 2026 Visa Bulletin Predictions :
Read the Upcoming visa bulletin prediction 2026 :
Family-Based Categories :
- Most family-based categories are expected to remain flat for All Countries, China, and India.
- Mexico and the Philippines may continue to see slight forward movement, typically measured in days to a few weeks.
- F2A is likely to remain stable, with no significant advancement anticipated in the near term.
Employment-Based Categories :
EB-1 :
- China and India may continue modest monthly advancement (approximately 2–4 weeks).
- All other countries are expected to remain Current.
EB-2 :
- Slow forward movement is likely for China and India (approximately 1–2 weeks).
- Other chargeability areas may continue with small, incremental monthly advances.
EB-3 :
- China and India are likely to experience a gradual movement (approximately 1–3 weeks).
- Worldwide categories may remain stable or see minimal advancement.
EB-4 :
- May continue to see small, monthly advancements until demand levels stabilize.
EB-5 (Unreserved) :
- China and India are expected to continue to progress, though at a slower pace than recent large jumps.
- All other countries are likely to remain Current.
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