US March 2025 Visa Bulletin: Indians seeking Green Cards advance in these EB categories, religious worker expiry looms

The U.S. Department of State’s March 2025 Visa Bulletin has been released, bringing important updates for prospective green card applicants, particularly in employment-based categories. While India remains oversubscribed in most categories, the latest bulletin offers some positive news for EB-2 and EB-3 applicants, with both categories advancing by six weeks. However, not all updates are favourable, as the EB-4 category sees a significant retrogression.

March brings notable movement for employment-based applicants from India. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), adjustment of status applications will be accepted for individuals with priority dates earlier than the listed Final Action Dates. Key updates are as follows:

EB-1 (Priority Workers): No change. Final Action Date remains at February 1, 2022, with filing permitted for priority dates before April 15, 2022.

Religious Workers and Program Expiry

The Certain Religious Workers (SR) Program is set to expire on March 14, 2025. If not extended, the category will become unavailable, and no visas will be issued beyond March 13, 2025. If the program is extended, the Final Action Date will remain August 1, 2019, through the end of March.

Family-Based Visa Categories

For Indian applicants in family-sponsored categories, there are no changes from February’s bulletin. Cutoff dates remain the same, reflecting ongoing backlogs:

• F1 (Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens): Final Action Date remains at November 22, 2015, with a filing date of September 1, 2017.
• F2A (Spouses/Unmarried Children of Permanent Residents): Final Action Date is January 1, 2022, with a filing date of July 15, 2024.
• F2B (Unmarried Sons and Daughters, 21 Years and Older, of Permanent Residents): Final Action Date is May 22, 2016, with a filing date of January 1, 2017.
• F3 (Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens): Final Action Date is July 1, 2010, with a filing date of July 22, 2012.
• F4 (Brothers and Sisters of U.S. Citizens): Final Action Date is August 8, 2006, with a filing date of August 15, 2006.

“The Visa Bulletin is essential for individuals seeking green cards, as it provides vital information about the timelines for adjusting immigration status and eligibility based on the submission of applications. The bulletin consists of two main sections:

Final Action Dates: This section estimates the wait time for application approval for those seeking permanent residency. It creates a queue based on visa category and nationality, indicating when applicants can expect their applications to be processed.

Dates for Filing: This section specifies the earliest date that applicants can submit their adjustment of status or immigrant visa applications. It helps applicants determine when they can proceed with their filing based on their visa category and country of origin.”

India remains heavily oversubscribed in nearly every category, reflecting lengthy queues for those seeking permanent residency. While some categories show modest progression, the overall backlog persists. Nonetheless, this bulletin’s details on final action dates and filing dates are essential for anyone charting next steps in the immigration process.