August 2025 Visa Bulletin Overview
by Milena Sarukhanyan on July 14, 2025, 5:19 p.m.
1. Family‑Sponsored Preferences (Final Action Dates)
| Category | All Countries | China | India | Mexico | Philippines |
| F1 | Sep 1 2017 | Same | Same | Jun 1 2006 | Apr 22 2015 |
| F2A | Apr 1 2025 | Same across all |
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| F2B | Jan 1 2017 | Same | Apr 1 2008 | Oct 1 2013 |
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| F3 | Jul 22 2012 | Same | Jun 15 2001 | Dec 1 2004 |
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| F4 | Jan 1 2009 | Dec 1 2006 | Apr 30 2001 | Jan 1 2008 |
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- Insight: Categories like F1, F3, and F4 show significant backlogs—especially for Mexico and the Philippines, with waits exceeding 20 years in some cases. F2A is current across the board, allowing eligible applicants to file immediately.
2. Employment‑Based Preferences (Final Action Dates)
- EB‑1: Current for most countries. For China, India, it remains at specific dates (e.g. China: Nov 15 2022; India: Feb 15 2022).
- EB‑2:
- Rest of the World, Mexico, Philippines: retrogressed to Sep 1 2023.
- India & China: stable (India: Jan 1 2013; China: Dec 15 2020).
- EB‑3:
- India advanced slightly (May 22 2013).
- Others: Rest of World & Mexico at Apr 1 2023; Philippines at Feb 8 2023.
- EB‑4 (Special Immigrants) and Certain Religious Workers: Unavailable (no visas issued in August).
- EB‑5 (Investor):
- Unreserved pool: Current for all except India (Nov 15 2019) and mainland China (Dec 8 2015).
- Set‑aside categories (rural, high‑unemployment, infrastructure): Current globally.
3. Diversity Visa (DV‑2025)
- Africa: cut‑off rank 50,000 (e.g. Algeria: 49,950; Egypt: 43,250).
- Asia: 11,000 (Iran & Nepal: 10,650).
- Europe: 22,000 (Russia: 21,950; Uzbekistan: 13,000).
- North America (Bahamas): Current.
- Oceania: 1,700.
- South America & Caribbean: 2,600.
4. Filing vs Final Action Dates
- August requires use of Final Action Dates for employment-based filings; USCIS isn’t using the “Dates for Filing” chart this month.
✅ Key Takeaways
- Family categories continue long waits, particularly F1, F3, F4 for Mexico and the Philippines.
- F2A offers immediate filing advantage for green card spousal/child applicants.
- EB‑2 faces retrogression globally; expect limited movement through fiscal year’s end.
- EB‑3 India saw modest forward movement; others stable.
- EB‑5 largely open—except for China and India in unreserved pools.
- EB‑4 & Religious Worker slots are closed this month.
- DV‑2025 cutoff ranks finalize eligibility for lottery selectees by region.