Key Highlights
The Indian immigration aspirants have reached a watershed point with the visa bulletin released by the US in October 2025 that offers the most significant priority date increment in recent years. This fiscal year 2026, the first bulletin of the October budgetary year, introduced unprecedented relief under several employment and family-based categories, with the EB-5 investor visa category at the forefront with incredible 15 months forward motion.
Major Breakthrough in Employment-Based Categories
India's employment-based green card applicants will receive transformative news in the October 2025 bulletin. The category of EB-5 visa for India has had the most radical change, as Final Action Dates have shifted from November 15, 2019, to February 1, 2021. The 15-month increase is the most considerable one-month improvement for Indian EB-5 applicants in recent years and gave thousands of investor visa holders new hope.
Categories by employment across the board are moving flatly. EB-2 petitions of Indian nationals will be processed three months ahead, shifting the dates from January 1, 2013, to April 1, 2013. On the same note, EB-3 skilled workers and professionals are guaranteed three months, starting May 22, 2013, to August 22, 2013.
EB-1 priority workers do not change positions and remain at February 15, 2022, whereas EB-4 special immigrants are reopened after months of non-availability, which means that religious workers and other special categories will be provided with much better visa allocation.
Also Read: Difference Between B1 and B2 Visa USA: Experts' New Guide
Family-Sponsored Visa Categories See Remarkable Progress
Family-sponsored visa types also provide equally promising improvements, especially on F2A applications. The spouses and children of permanent residents under the F2A category leap astonishingly by 17 months, between September 1, 2022, and February 1, 2024. This giant development indicates less demand or better visa opportunities in this vital family reunification category.
The other categories of family preferences exhibit positive but slight movement. The F1 (unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens) is progressive between July 15, 2016, and November 8, 2016. F2B (unmarried sons and daughters 21 + of permanent residents) is advancing slightly between October 15, 2016, and November 22, 2016. There is an advancement of F3 (married sons and daughters of US citizens) between August 1, 2011 and September 8, 2011, and no changes in F4 (brothers and sisters of adult US citizens) as of November 1, 2006.
Understanding Final Action Dates vs Filing Dates
The last action is the most essential cutoff date on which green cards may be issued or applications based on adjustment of status approved. The visa processing will commence immediately for applicants with priority dates earlier than these Final Action Dates.
Priority dates are like a queue system based on the time of initial petition filing. The immigration law in the US is first-come, first-served, based on preferences and country of origin. These dates are critical in understanding the timing to apply status adjustment and immigration planning.
Dates of filing, in turn, give the earliest date on which applicants may file an adjustment of status or immigrant visa application, although the final approval may require more time. The October bulletin presents drastic improvements in filing dates under various categories, especially employment-based preferences.
Fiscal Year 2026 Visa Allocation Framework
The October bulletin defines immigration limits for the fiscal year 2026, including the family-sponsored preference immigrant limit of 226,000 visas. The minimum number of visas annually allocated to employment-based preference categories is 140,000.
The per-country caps have been maintained at 7 per cent of overall family-sponsored and employment-based preference caps, which is 25,620 visas per country. This country-based restriction substantially impacts high-demand countries such as India, China, Mexico, and the Philippines, implying that applicants must wait longer.
Dependent area limit is 2% or 7320 or 7320 visas, meaning that smaller territories are allocated correspondingly. These numeric limitations keep the priority date system going, so some countries have longer processing times.
Also Read: Cost of Transit Visa for USA: New Fees & Process Guide
EB-5 Investor Visa Program Details
The EB-5 visa program is the quickest route to permanent residency in the US by making qualified investments. This is an investor immigration program that requires substantial capital investments but offers direct access to green cards to qualified applicants and their immediate families.
|
EB-5 Set-Aside Categories |
Allocation Percentage |
Current Status |
|
Rural Areas |
20% |
Current |
|
High Unemployment Areas |
10% |
Current |
|
Infrastructure Projects |
2% |
Current |
|
Unreserved (General) |
68% |
Subject to country limits |
All categories of EB-5 set-asides remain up to date in the October bulletin, indicating that there is no waiting time in rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure investments. Nevertheless, the unreserved category has country-specific restrictions, especially for Chinese and Indian investors.
Employment-Based Category Breakdown
The categories of green card based on employment are aimed at various professional and investment backgrounds. Each category is allocated a percentage of the 140,000 visa quota allowed annually.
|
Category |
Allocation |
Description |
|
EB-1 |
28.6% |
Priority workers, extraordinary ability |
|
EB-2 |
28.6% |
Advanced degrees, exceptional ability |
|
EB-3 |
28.6% |
Skilled workers, professionals |
|
EB-4 |
7.1% |
Special immigrants, religious workers |
|
EB-5 |
7.1% |
Investor immigrants |
The priority workers are people with extraordinary abilities, distinguished professors and researchers, and multinational executives. EB-2 relates to those individuals who have acquired advanced degrees and those who prove outstanding in their respective areas. EB-3 comprises skilled workers, professionals, and other workers involved in labour that does not take more than two years to train.
Impact on the Indian Immigration Community
The turning point of Indian immigration prospects is the October 2025 bulletin. The issue of wait time on green cards has burdened Indian professionals over the years because of the limits they have per country and the demand. The massive improvement in several categories indicates that their processing will be more efficient and their application queue may be shorter.
The technology professionals are particularly beneficiaries of these improvements, as they can apply for EB-2 and EB-3. The three-month gains in the two programs, though small compared to EB-5 returns, are significant in terms of thousands of talented employees.
The F2A development gives a significant impetus to family reunification. The 17-month leap would allow thousands of permanent residents to unite with spouses and minor children much earlier than they could have been expected before.
Also Read: How Many Types of Visas are in the USA? New Full Expert Guide
Conclusion
The US visa bulletin for October 2025 brings unprecedented relief to the Indian applicants regarding employment and family-based immigration categories. These developments indicate systemic improvements in visa processing and an encouraging change to the large population of Indian immigrants expecting permanent residency. Despite the still present limitations based on a per-country basis, the October bulletin is the most significant change in the recent immigration history among Indian nationals. Contact TerraTern for more information!
