The U.S. Department of State has published the December 2025 Visa Bulletin, bringing welcome progress for many employment-based categories. Final Action Dates advanced across several categories, allowing more applicants to become eligible for visa issuance or adjustment of status approval. Most Dates for Filing stayed the same, with only a small advance for EB-5 China unreserved. No categories experienced retrogression this month.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that employment-based adjustment of status applications in December must use the Dates for Filing chart. This approach provides extra flexibility for applicants in the United States, letting those who qualify submit their Forms I-485 earlier while visa numbers continue to be allocated.
Understanding Key Visa Bulletin Terms
Highlights From the December 2025 Charts
Why Now Is an Excellent Time to Start Your EB-5 Application
Work With EB5AN to Get Permanent Residency in the United States
Understanding Key Visa Bulletin Terms
The Visa Bulletin serves as the main tool for tracking immigrant visa availability. It features two primary charts. The Final Action Dates chart indicates when visas can actually be issued or when USCIS can approve an adjustment of status application. Your priority date—the date USCIS receives your immigrant petition (Form I-526E for regional center investors)—must be earlier than the listed cutoff date for your country and category to proceed to final approval.
The Dates for Filing chart allows certain applicants to submit adjustment of status paperwork sooner, particularly when USCIS determines extra visa numbers are available. A category marked “current” means no backlog exists, so all qualified applicants can move forward regardless of their priority date.
Highlights From the December 2025 Charts
This month’s bulletin shows meaningful forward movement in the Final Action Dates for employment-based preferences, including notable advances in EB-5 unreserved categories for China and India. China advances by more than seven months from its previous cutoff to July 15, 2016, while India moves ahead five months to July 1, 2021. All other countries remain current in unreserved categories.
The set-aside categories—rural (20% of visas), high-unemployment (10%), and infrastructure (2%)—continue to stay current for every country under both charts.
The Dates for Filing chart holds mostly steady. The only change appears in EB-5 China unreserved, which moves forward by three weeks to July 22, 2016.
Implications for EB-5 Immigrant Investors
The December updates deliver encouraging news for EB-5 investors. Significant advances in Final Action Dates for China (over seven months) and India (five months) in the unreserved category mean many investors with pending petitions can now see their cases reach approval stage sooner.
Most importantly, the reserved set-aside categories show no signs of backlog. Rural projects, in particular, benefit from priority processing at USCIS as required by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022. This combination of visa availability and faster adjudication makes rural investments the clearest and quickest path to a U.S. Green Card for new filers today.
Investors already in the United States on other visas gain extra advantages from the decision to honor Dates for Filing. Since set-asides are current, many can file Form I-485 concurrently with their I-526E, obtaining work authorization and travel permission while their petitions process.
Why Now Is an Excellent Time to Start Your EB-5 Application
The current EB-5 landscape creates ideal conditions for new EB-5 investors. All set-aside categories remain fully open worldwide, and rural petitions continue to receive priority processing. Filing soon locks in your priority date early, protecting you if demand eventually leads to cutoffs in these popular reserved visas.
Concurrent filing options provide immediate benefits for families in the U.S., offering stability through employment authorization documents (EAD) and advance parole (AP). This lets spouses work and the whole family travel freely during processing.
Additionally, a recent court ruling has reinstated the pre-2024 I-526E filing fee of $3,675 (plus the $1,000 Integrity Fund fee), significantly lowering the cost to enter the program. Acting promptly allows you to benefit from this reduced fee structure before any future adjustments expected in early 2026.
Strong demand persists in EB-5, especially in reserved categories that offer speed and certainty. Starting your investment now positions you to capitalize on today’s favorable visa availability and processing priorities.
Work With EB5AN to Get Permanent Residency in the United States
The December 2025 Visa Bulletin reflects steady progress and ongoing opportunity in employment-based immigration, with EB-5 set-asides providing particular reliability. Advances for backlogged countries in unreserved categories, combined with fully current reserved visas, make this a strong moment to pursue permanent residency through investment.
EB5AN has guided more than 2,700 families from over 70 countries to U.S. lawful permanent residency. Many of our investors have successfully transitioned from other visa types. With over ten years of experience and a perfect record of USCIS project approvals, we specialize in low-risk regional center projects.
Schedule a free consultation with our experienced team today to explore available EB-5 opportunities and begin your journey while conditions remain highly advantageous.
