The U.S. Department of State’s Visa Bulletin is a critical resource for individuals seeking immigrant visas under family-sponsored, employment-based, or diversity visa categories. It determines the availability of immigrant visa numbers and guides applicants on when they can proceed with their cases. The comparison between the December 2024 and January 2025 bulletins reveals important changes and trends, providing insights into visa availability, priority dates, and application filing timelines.
This detailed article will outline the key differences between the two bulletins, categorize changes by preference category, and analyze how these developments might impact applicants.
Key Changes at a Glance
1. Family-Sponsored Preferences
Final Action Dates for Family-Sponsored Preferences
Category
All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed
China (Mainland Born)
India
Mexico
Philippines
F1
22OCT15 → 22NOV15
22OCT15 → 22NOV15
22OCT15 → 22NOV15
22NOV04 → 22NOV04
01MAR12 → 08MAR12
F2A
01JAN22 → 01JAN22
01JAN22 → 01JAN22
01JAN22 → 01JAN22
15APR21 → 15MAY21
01JAN22 → 01JAN22
F2B
01MAY16 → 22MAY16
01MAY16 → 22MAY16
01MAY16 → 22MAY16
01JUL05 → 01JUL05
22OCT11 → 22OCT11
F3
15APR10 → 01JUL10
15APR10 → 01JUL10
15APR10 → 01JUL10
22OCT00 → 22NOV00
08SEP02 → 08NOV02
F4
01AUG07 → 01AUG07
01AUG07 → 01AUG07
08MAR06 → 08APR06
01MAR01 → 01MAR01
01FEB04 → 01MAY04
Key Observations:
F1 advanced by one month for all regions except Mexico (unchanged at 22NOV04) and the Philippines, which saw a seven-day advancement (01MAR12 → 08MAR12).
F2A remained static except for Mexico, which advanced by one month (15APR21 → 15MAY21).
F2B showed minor advancements globally (01MAY16 → 22MAY16) but no movement for Mexico or the Philippines.
F3 made significant progress, especially for India, China, and All Chargeability Areas, advancing by more than two months.
F4 advanced for India (08MAR06 → 08APR06) and the Philippines (01FEB04 → 01MAY04) but remained static for other regions.
Key Differences Between December vs January 2025 Visa Bulletins: Changes Explained
Dates for Filing Family-Sponsored Preferences
Category
All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed
China (Mainland Born)
India
Mexico
Philippines
F1
01SEP17 → 01SEP17
01SEP17 → 01SEP17
01SEP17 → 01SEP17
01OCT05 → 01OCT05
22APR15 → 22APR15
F2A
15JUL24 → 15JUL24
15JUL24 → 15JUL24
15JUL24 → 15JUL24
15JUL24 → 15JUL24
15JUL24 → 15JUL24
F2B
01JAN17 → 01JAN17
01JAN17 → 01JAN17
01JAN17 → 01JAN17
01JUL06 → 01OCT06
01OCT13 → 01OCT13
F3
22APR12 → 22JUL12
22APR12 → 22JUL12
22APR12 → 22JUL12
15JUN01 → 15JUN01
08MAY04 → 08MAY04
F4
01MAR08 → 01MAR08
01MAR08 → 01MAR08
01AUG06 → 15AUG06
30APR01 → 30APR01
22JUL07 → 01JAN08
Key Observations:
Filing dates for F2B (Mexico) advanced by three months (01JUL06 → 01OCT06).
F3 saw a three-month advancement for All Chargeability Areas, China, and India (22APR12 → 22JUL12).
Slight progress for F4 (India and the Philippines) filing dates.
2. Employment-Based Preferences
Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Preferences
Category
All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed
China (Mainland Born)
India
Mexico
Philippines
EB-1
C → C
08NOV22 → 08NOV22
01FEB22 → 01FEB22
C → C
C → C
EB-2
15MAR23 → 01APR23
22MAR20 → 22APR20
01AUG12 → 01OCT12
15MAR23 → 01APR23
15MAR23 → 01APR23
EB-3
15NOV22 → 01DEC22
01APR20 → 01JUN20
08NOV12 → 01DEC12
15NOV22 → 01DEC22
15NOV22 → 01DEC22
Other Workers
01DEC20 → 08DEC20
01JAN17 → 01JAN17
08NOV12 → 01DEC12
01DEC20 → 08DEC20
01DEC20 → 08DEC20
Key Observations:
EB-1 remained static across all categories.
EB-2 saw a significant advancement of two months for India (01AUG12 → 01OCT12) and modest progress for all other regions.
EB-3 made consistent progress globally, with a notable advancement of one month for India.
Dates for Filing Employment-Based Preferences
Category
All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed
China (Mainland Born)
India
Mexico
Philippines
EB-1
C → C
01JAN23 → 01JAN23
15APR22 → 15APR22
C → C
C → C
EB-2
01AUG23 → 01AUG23
01OCT20 → 01OCT20
01JAN13 → 01JAN13
01AUG23 → 01AUG23
01AUG23 → 01AUG23
EB-3
01MAR23 → 01MAR23
15NOV20 → 15NOV20
08JUN13 → 08JUN13
01MAR23 → 01MAR23
01MAR23 → 01MAR23
Other Workers
22MAY21 → 22MAY21
01JAN18 → 01JAN18
08JUN13 → 08JUN13
22MAY21 → 22MAY21
22MAY21 → 22MAY21
Key Observations:
Filing dates for employment-based preferences remained unchanged across all categories.
3. Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery
Region
December 2024
January 2025
Africa
15,000
22,500
Asia
3,000
5,500
Europe
6,000
12,000
North America
5
20
Oceania
550
1,100
South America
825
1,750
Key Observations:
Cut-off numbers for the DV lottery increased significantly for all regions, indicating a surge in visa availability.
Conclusion
The January 2025 Visa Bulletin demonstrates slight but notable improvements compared to December 2024 in certain family-sponsored and employment-based categories. Key highlights include advancements in F3 and F4 categories and EB-2 and EB-3 employment categories, particularly for heavily backlogged countries like India and China. The Diversity Visa program also saw significant progress in cut-off numbers, indicating increased availability.
Applicants are advised to monitor these trends closely and consult the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website for further updates. These changes may affect their ability to file applications or take further action on pending cases.
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