Breaking: USCIS Switches to Filing Dates for October Visa Bulletin for Employment-Based Categories
Updated September 15, 2025
The U.S. government just announced that for the month of October 2025, USCIS will use the Filing Dates chart, not the Final Action Dates chart, to determine who can file for Adjustment of Status.
This is important because the Filing Dates chart typically runs much further ahead, meaning thousands of people who were previously stuck waiting in line can now file their green card applications sooner.
For EB-1 especially, this shift is dramatic: the Filing Date for EB-1 for India and China jumped more than a year compared to the Final Action Date. That opens the door for waves of applicants to submit their I-485s, gain work and travel authorization, and secure status protections while their green cards are pending.
More Details to Come
Manifest Law will provide a deeper analysis of the October Visa Bulletin and what it means for you soon. In the meantime, please reach out to us if you’re ready to begin your adjustment of status process (or explore upgrading to an EB-1A from an EB-2 or EB-3).
You can also register for our October Visa Bulletin Q&A here, happening LIVE with Principal Immigration Attorney Nicole Gunara on Thursday, September 18 at 6pm EST.
Manifest’s expertise in immigration drives 90%+ approval rates and services that will make your immigration journey seamless and stress-free: risk-free filing with 100% money-back guarantee plan; personalized case support with profile building and former USCIS experts review; and live case tracking.
October Visa Bulletin: Filing Dates for Employment-Based Categories
You can read the full October Visa Bulletin here, but for a quick overview, we’ve provided the Filing Date charts for the employment-based preference categories below:
EB-1
| Country | Filing Date (Sept. 2025) | Filing Date (Oct. 2025) | Movement |
| All Other Areas | Current | Current | No Change |
| China | 1-Jan -23 | 15-May-23 | + 135 days |
| India | 15-Apr-22 | 15-Apr-23 | + 1 year |
| Mexico | Current | Current | No Change |
| Phillipines | Current | Current | No Change |
EB-2
| Country | Filing Date (Sept. 2025) | Filing Date (Oct. 2025) | Movement |
| All Other Areas | 15-Nov-23 | 15-Jul-24 | + 8 months |
| China | 1-Jan-21 | 1-Dec-21 | + 11 months |
| India | 1-Feb-13 | 1-Dec-13 | + 10 months |
| Mexico | 15-Nov-23 | 15-Jul-24 | + 8 months |
| Phillipines | 15-Nov-23 | 15-Jul-24 | + 8 months |
EB-3
| Country | Filing Date (Sept. 2025) | Filing Date (Oct. 2025) | Movement |
| All Other Areas | 1-May-23 | 1-Jul-23 | + 2 months |
| China | 22-Dec-20 | 1-Jan-22 | + 376 days |
| India | 8-Jun-13 | 15-Aug-14 | + 434 days |
| Mexico | 1-May-23 | 1-Jul-23 | + 2 months |
| Phillipines | 1-May-23 | 1-Jul-23 | + 2 months |
Other Workers
| Country | Filing Date (Sept. 2025) | Filing Date (Oct. 2025) | Movement |
| All Other Areas | 22-Jul-21 | 1-Dec-21 | + 133 days |
| China | 1-Jan-18 | 1-Oct-18 | + 9 months |
| India | 8-Jun-13 | 15-Aug-14 | + 434 days |
| Mexico | 22-Jul-21 | 1-Dec-21 | + 133 days |
| Phillipines | 22-Jul-21 | 1-Dec-21 | + 133 days |
EB-4 “special immigrants” category
| Country | Filing Date (Sept. 2025) | Filing Date (Oct. 2025) | Movement |
| All Other Areas | 1-Feb-21 | February 15, 2021 | + 2 weeks |
| China | 1-Feb-21 | 15-Feb-21 | + 2 weeks |
| India | 1-Feb-21 | 15-Feb-21 | + 2 weeks |
| Mexico | 1-Feb-21 | 15-Feb-21 | + 2 weeks |
| Phillipines | 1-Feb-21 | 15-Feb-21 | + 2 weeks |
EB-5 “investors” category
| Country | Filing Date (Sept. 2025) | Filing Date (Oct. 2025) | Movement |
| All Other Areas | Current | Current | No change |
| China | 1-Oct-16 | 1-Jul-16 | – 3 months |
| India | 1-Apr-22 | 1-Apr-22 | No change |
| Mexico | Current | Current | No change |
| Phillipines | Current | Current | No change |
