Visa Bulletin May 2025
FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES (Use Table B)
- First: (F1) Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens: 23,400 plus any numbers not required for fourth preference.
- Second: Spouses and Children, and Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Permanent Residents: 114,200, plus the number (if any) by which the worldwide family preference level exceeds 226,000, plus any unused first preference numbers:
- A. (F2A) Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents: 77% of the overall second preference limitation, of which 75% are exempt from the per-country limit;
- B. (F2B) Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older) of Permanent Residents: 23% of the overall second preference limitation.
- Third: (F3) Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens: 23,400, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences.
- Fourth: (F4) Brothers and Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens: 65,000, plus any numbers not required by first three preferences.
- Positive numbers: number of days progressed compared to the previous month;
- Blank space: no change
EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES (Use Table A)
- First: Priority Workers: 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required for fourth and fifth preferences.
- Second: Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability: 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required by first preference.
- Third: Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Other Workers: 28.6% of the worldwide level, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences, not more than 10,000 of which to “*Other Workers”.
- Fourth: Certain Special Immigrants: 7.1% of the worldwide level.
- Fifth: Employment Creation: 7.1% of the worldwide level, of which 32% are reserved as follows: 20% reserved for qualified immigrants who invest in a rural area; 10% reserved for qualified immigrants who invest in a high unemployment area; and 2% reserved for qualified immigrants who invest in infrastructure projects. The remaining 68% are unreserved and are allotted for all other qualified immigrants.
- Blank space: no change
- C: Current
- U: Unauthorized
Our Insights
USCIS indicated that it’s still Table B for Family-based cases this month. Only a few of the dates moving forward for 2-3 months, such as green card holders’ spouses and adult children and U.S. citizens’ siblings. In the rest of this fiscal year, we don’t expect too see any unexpected progress but moving forward slowly.
On the other hand, it’s still Table A used for the Employment-based dates, and these is no progress at all. Which can only means the green cards are going to be issued all soon, and a retrogression may be coming soon next month.
Although the “Other Workers” dates moved forward a lot, however, for Fiscal Year 2025 it will be limited to approximately 150 quota.
There are only 4 months left for Fiscal Year 2025 and usually the green cards are all issued starting around May and June annually. Therefore, we are expecting that Employment-based dates will not move forward much but around 1 month the best until this October for the new Fiscal Year 2026. Yet, it is still very likely to see large retrogressions around June while Employment-based green cards are being reviewed strictly.
The good news is that there is still no sign to see that Trump will change the processes back to interview-required for all cases. We still highly recommend that all the immigrants should discuss with your immigration attorney or consultant ASAP if you are still not sure what to apply for or have not submitted your case. If you have not had one, contact us now!!
Employment-based Family-based Fiscal Year 2025 green card immigration visa bulletin