US releases November Visa bulletin for Green Card applicants—check key changes for India, Mexico and others

WITH the start of the US fiscal year, the Department of State has published the November 2025 Visa Bulletin, providing the newest information on immigrant visa availability and the timelines for filing adjustment of status (AOS) applications.

The bulletin includes two key charts, namely the "Final Action Date" (FAD) and the "Dates for Filing" (DOF). If an applicant’s priority date comes before the DOF, they are eligible to submit Form I-485 to adjust their status. If their priority date is earlier than the FAD, it means a visa number is available, and their case may be approved.

The updates to the US State Department’s Visa Bulletin, which serves as the key guide for immigrants and their families navigating the green card journey, dictate when applicants can move forward with important stages in obtaining lawful permanent residency. For millions tracking the US immigration process, the pace at which visa cut-off dates advance or stall can significantly impact whether they wait months or several years.

Check key changes across countries

While many categories saw little to no movement, several changes occurred between October and November. The Final Action Date (FAD) for F2B (unmarried sons and daughters of permanent residents) for India advanced by nine days, moving from November 22, 2016, to December 1, 2016.

For Mexico, the FAD for F3 (married sons and daughters of US citizens) shifted from April 15, 2001, to May 1, 2001. In terms of Dates for Filing (DOF), the F1 category (unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens) for Mexico progressed from October 8, 2006, to March 1, 2007.

The DOF for F2A (spouses and children of permanent residents) for China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines moved forward by a month, from September 22, 2025, to October 22, 2025. Moreover, the DOF for F2B advanced for China and India from January 1, 2017, to March 8, 2017, while for Mexico, it jumped from December 15, 2008, to May 15, 2009.

Meanwhile, the FADs and DOFs or all employment-based categories remained unchanged between the October and November updates. The December 2025 Visa Bulletin is expected to be published around mid-November.

“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,” according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

It added, "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."