The United States State Department’s latest visa bulletin for December 2025 is out, and for thousands of green card hopefuls—especially those from India—the news is a blend of cautious optimism and ongoing frustration. While some employment-based categories are inching forward, family-sponsored applicants from India find themselves stuck in a seemingly endless waiting game, with only the faintest glimmers of progress on the horizon.
According to Economic Times and Hindustan Times, the December bulletin, released on November 16, 2025, outlines changes (and the lack thereof) across both family and employment-based green card categories. The State Department’s monthly bulletin, a closely-watched document among immigrants and advocates, is essentially the roadmap for when applicants can file paperwork and—more importantly—when they might actually see a green card in hand. It breaks down two key timelines: Dates for Filing (DOF), which determine when one can submit an application, and Final Action Dates (FAD), which indicate when a green card can be approved based on priority dates and annual visa limits.
For Indian families hoping to reunite or move forward in the process, the December update offers little to celebrate. All family-sponsored preference categories for India remain static, with no movement in processing timelines. The F1 category (unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) is stuck at November 8, 2016; F2B (unmarried sons and daughters of permanent residents over 21) is at December 1, 2016; F3 (married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) sits at September 8, 2011; and F4 (siblings of adult U.S. citizens) hasn’t budged from November 1, 2006. The only exception is the F2A category (spouses and minor children of permanent residents), where the Dates for Filing advanced by a month—from October 22, 2025, to November 22, 2025—offering a small but notable improvement for those specifically in this group.
“There is persistent stagnation for family applicants despite slight improvements in filing timelines,” Economic Times reported, encapsulating the mood among many Indian families. The bulletin’s charts make it clear: for most family-sponsored applicants from India, the wait is far from over, and the finish line remains out of sight.
Meanwhile, other countries saw at least some forward movement in family categories. For example, Mexico’s F1 category advanced by over three months, and the Philippines saw progress in several categories, including F3 and F4. But for India, the lack of movement is especially acute—reflecting the outsized demand and strict per-country caps that have long defined the U.S. immigration system.
On the employment-based side, the news is a bit brighter—though it’s hardly a sprint. The December 2025 bulletin shows modest but visible progress across several categories for Indian applicants. The EB-1 (priority workers) category advanced by one month, now at March 15, 2022. EB-2 (members of the professions holding advanced degrees or persons of exceptional ability) moved forward by 44 days to May 15, 2013. EB-3 (skilled workers, professionals, and other workers) and the “Other Workers” category both advanced by a month, now sitting at September 22, 2013. EB-4 (certain special immigrants) took a bigger leap, moving forward by 62 days to September 1, 2020. The EB-5 unreserved category, which covers immigrant investors, saw the most significant jump for India—moving ahead by five months to July 1, 2021.
“The bulletin showed consistent forward movement for December 2025. There are also no retrogressions across categories,” Hindustan Times observed, signaling that at least for now, the trend is toward incremental progress rather than setbacks. The EB-5 set-aside segments—including rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure categories—remain current, with no backlog for any country, India included.
However, Dates for Filing for employment-based categories remain unchanged. For those eager to file in August 2025, priority dates must still fall before the specified cut-offs for each category. The bulletin makes it clear: “A visa must be available before you can take one of the final steps in the process of becoming a lawful permanent resident. Because more prospective immigrants want lawful permanent residency than the limited numbers of immigrant visas allow, not everyone can immediately get an immigrant visa. How long you must wait depends on your priority date, preference category, and the country to which the visa will be charged.” This statement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, quoted by Hindustan Times, sums up the challenge facing Indian applicants, who often find themselves in oversubscribed categories subject to strict cut-off dates.
Visa issuance is governed by annual caps—226,000 slots for family-sponsored categories—and per-country limits applied across both family and employment preferences. When demand exceeds supply, as it routinely does for India, the State Department must impose cut-off dates to keep allocations within statutory limits. “If the demand for immigrant visas is more than the supply for a particular category and country of chargeability, DOS considers the category and country 'oversubscribed' and must impose a cut-off date to keep the allocation of visas within the statutory limits,” the bulletin explains.
For many Indian families and professionals, the reality is sobering. The green card backlog—particularly for those in the employment-based second and third preference categories—can stretch for years, sometimes even decades, due to the combination of high demand and per-country caps. The incremental advances in the December 2025 bulletin are welcome, but they do little to address the underlying structural bottleneck that leaves so many waiting in limbo.
Elsewhere, applicants from other countries have reason to be more optimistic. The bulletin details forward movement in family-sponsored categories for Mexico and the Philippines, and employment-based categories for China also saw some progress. The lack of retrogression—a situation where cut-off dates move backward, delaying applicants even further—is a relief, but it’s cold comfort for those stuck in the queue.
For Indian applicants, the message is clear: keep an eye on the bulletin, but don’t expect miracles. The process remains slow, and the competition for limited visas is as intense as ever. The slight advances in some categories offer hope, but the broader system—defined by statutory caps and country-based quotas—continues to leave many waiting for their chance at a new life in the United States.
As the year draws to a close, the December 2025 visa bulletin serves as both a progress report and a stark reminder of the challenges that still face Indian green card applicants. For those caught in the backlog, patience isn’t just a virtue—it’s a necessity.