For immigrants and employers across the United States, the monthly release of the U.S. Department of State’s Visa Bulletin is a moment of high anticipation—sometimes hope, sometimes frustration. The November 2025 edition, published just days ago, offers a rare sense of stability: not a single change from the previous month’s bulletin in any employment-based visa category. For many, this means a reprieve from the unpredictability that so often characterizes the U.S. immigration process, but it also means no forward movement for those waiting in the long lines for green cards.
According to the U.S. Department of State’s official bulletin and reporting by Ogletree Deakins, both the Dates for Filing chart and the Final Action Dates chart for all employment-based immigrant visa categories remain exactly as they were in October 2025. This applies to every preference category and country of chargeability, from the first preference (EB-1) to the fifth (EB-5), and for all the major sending nations—China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines.
For those not steeped in visa-speak, here’s what that means: the “Final Action Dates” chart determines when a green card can actually be issued, while the “Dates for Filing” chart governs when applicants can submit their paperwork to adjust status. Both are crucial milestones in the journey to permanent residency. The November 2025 bulletin’s consistency means that anyone who became eligible to file their adjustment of status application in October can still do so throughout November, giving applicants at least one more month to get their paperwork in order.
“The November 2025 Visa Bulletin shows no changes compared to the October 2025 Visa Bulletin in the Dates for Filing chart and the Final Action Dates chart for all listed employment-based immigrant visa categories,” reported Ogletree Deakins, echoing the State Department’s own language. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) also confirmed that it will continue to accept employment-based adjustment of status filings based on the Dates for Filing chart in November 2025. That means the cutoff dates—those all-important lines in the sand—remain exactly where they were a month ago.
Let’s dig into the specifics. The Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Visa Applications, as published by the State Department, are as follows:
For the first preference (EB-1), China (mainland born) and India face backlogs, with China’s cutoff at December 22, 2022, and India’s at February 15, 2022. All other countries, including Mexico and the Philippines, are listed as “current,” meaning there’s no wait for a green card in this category for applicants from those nations.
The second preference (EB-2) shows a cutoff of December 1, 2023, for most countries, but a much earlier date for India (April 1, 2013) and China (April 1, 2021). The third preference (EB-3) has a cutoff of April 1, 2023, for most, but again, India faces a lengthy backlog with a cutoff of August 22, 2013, and China’s at March 1, 2021. These numbers are not just bureaucratic trivia—they represent years, sometimes decades, of waiting for applicants and their families.
Other categories, such as “Other Workers,” “Certain Religious Workers,” and the various EB-5 investment-based categories, each have their own specific cutoffs. Notably, the category for “Certain Religious Workers” remains unavailable (“U”) across the board. Meanwhile, the EB-5 categories show China’s unreserved cutoff at December 8, 2015, and India’s at February 1, 2021, while all set-aside categories (rural, high unemployment, infrastructure) are current for every country.
On the Dates for Filing chart, which determines when applicants can submit their Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status), the numbers are similarly unchanged. For instance, in the EB-1 category, China’s date is May 15, 2023, and India’s is April 15, 2023. The EB-2 category’s filing date for India is December 1, 2013, and for China, December 1, 2021. These dates, while not allowing for immediate approval, do let applicants file paperwork and receive benefits like work authorization and travel permission while they wait for their place in line.
“USCIS will accept Form I-485 from foreign nationals with a priority date earlier than the dates for filing listed in the November 2025 Visa Bulletin,” confirmed the agency. This is a crucial detail for those tracking their eligibility month by month. For many who became eligible in October, the November bulletin’s stability means they have at least until the end of the month to get their applications in—no small relief for those racing against the clock.
But why does this matter so much? For thousands of skilled workers, professionals, and investors—many already living and working in the U.S.—these charts are the difference between moving forward and standing still. The green card backlog, especially for Indian and Chinese nationals, has been a persistent thorn in the side of the U.S. immigration system for years. The lack of movement this month is a double-edged sword: it avoids setbacks, but also offers no progress for those stuck in the queue.
Ogletree Deakins’ Immigration Practice Group, which closely monitors the monthly bulletins, noted, “Applicants who became eligible to file their adjustment of status requests in October 2025 under the Dates for Filing chart will have at least another month to submit their applications.” The group also pledged to continue providing updates as new information becomes available, underscoring just how closely watched these developments are by the legal and immigrant communities alike.
The broader context here is one of chronic demand outstripping supply. U.S. immigration law sets strict annual limits on the number of green cards available in each preference category and for each country. When demand exceeds supply, backlogs build up, and the cutoff dates in the Visa Bulletin reflect how far behind the system has fallen. For Indian professionals in particular, the wait can stretch for years—sometimes decades—due to the per-country limits and the high volume of applicants.
While this month’s status quo may feel like a pause, it also highlights the need for broader reform. Many advocates and policy experts have called for changes to the per-country caps and the overall allocation system, arguing that the current structure is ill-suited to the realities of the global workforce and U.S. economic needs. Until such reforms are enacted, the Visa Bulletin will remain a monthly barometer of both hope and frustration for those navigating America’s complex immigration maze.
For now, though, the November 2025 Visa Bulletin offers a rare moment of predictability. Applicants and their attorneys know where they stand, at least for another month. In a system defined by uncertainty, sometimes no news really is good news—at least for those racing to file before the next round of changes.
