August 2025 Visa Bulletin EB2 EB3 India Updates & Dates

For those navigating the U.S. employment-based green card pipeline, the August 2025 Visa Bulletin brings mixed news — a retrogression in EB‑2, but a modest forward move for Indian EB‑3 applicants.

EB‑2 (Advanced Degree / Exceptional Ability)

Rest of World (ROW) countries, along with Mexico and the Philippines, the final action date has retrogressed by about six weeks, shifting from October 15, 2023 down to September 1, 2023.
The EB‑2 cut‑offs for China and India remain unchanged — continuing at December 15, 2020 for China, and January 1, 2013 for India.
This rollback reflects intense visa demand and near exhaustion of FY 2025 allocations. The State Department warns the annual limit could be reached in August, possibly rendering the category “unavailable” if not already.

EB‑3 (Skilled Workers, Professionals, Other Workers)

Indian applicants saw a one‑month advancement, with the final action date moving from April 22 to May 22, 2013, both for Skilled/Professional and Other Worker subcategories.
For ROW, Mexico, and the Philippines, there is no movement — cut‑offs remain at April 1, 2023 (pros and skilled), July 8, 2021(other workers) for ROW/Mex/Philippines, and February 8, 2023 for Philippines EB‑3.
The demand in EB‑3 is also climbing rapidly. Without intervention next month, the category may face retrogression or an “unavailable” status come September.

How This Affects You

In August 2025, USCIS will rely on the Final Action Dates chart for accepting EB-based adjustment of status filings, so if your priority date is earlier than the listed cutoff for your category and country, and you meet other eligibility criteria, you may file Form I‑485 now.
For those in EB‑2 ROW/MX/PH, retrogression means longer wait times — even if applications were nearly current.
For Indian EB‑3 hopefuls, the one-month advancement offers a sliver of hope.

Looking Ahead

As FY 2025 wraps up on September 30, 2025, visa numbers in EB‑2 and EB‑3 categories may be quickly consumed. September’s bulletin could bring further retrogression — or even unavailability — but a reset in October 2025 (FY 2026) might bring fresh movement, depending on demand patterns.