November Visa Bulletin: Key Updates for Green Card Seekers

The U.S. State Department has officially released the November 2025 Visa Bulletin, offering important updates for individuals and families navigating the green card process. While the changes this month are relatively modest, they carry significant meaning for thousands of applicants who closely track every shift in the immigration timeline.

The Visa Bulletin is a critical resource for green card hopefuls. It provides monthly updates on visa availability, guiding applicants on when they can file paperwork, adjust status, or move closer to permanent residency. Since demand for immigrant visas far exceeds supply, many applicants wait years—sometimes decades—depending on their preference category and country of origin.

November Visa Bulletin: Two Charts, Two Timelines: DOF and FAD

As with every monthly bulletin, the State Department issued two main charts:

• Dates for Filing (DOF): Determines when applicants can submit Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) if their priority date falls earlier than the listed date.

• Final Action Dates (FAD): Marks when applications may actually be approved and a visa number becomes available.

These charts act as roadmaps for families and employers sponsoring immigrants, showing when their cases can move forward in the process.

November 2025 Changes in Family-Based Categories

Although many categories remained unchanged from October, a few family-based categories saw adjustments worth noting:

• FAD F2B (Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Permanent Residents – India): Advanced by nine days, shifting from November 22, 2016 to December 1, 2016.

• FAD F3 (Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens – Mexico): Moved forward from April 15, 2001 to May 1, 2001.

• DOF F1 (Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens – Mexico): Progressed from October 8, 2006 to March 1, 2007.

• DOF F2A (Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents – China, India, Mexico, Philippines): Delayed by one month, now set at October 22, 2025 (previously September 22, 2025).

• DOF F2B (Unmarried Sons/Daughters of Permanent Residents): For China and India, the dates advanced from January 1, 2017 to March 8, 2017; for Mexico, the date shifted forward significantly from December 15, 2008 to May 15, 2009.

By contrast, all employment-based categories remained unchanged, a sign of stability for professionals waiting in these backlogs.

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