The U.S. Department of State has released the September 2025 Visa Bulletin, the final update of the fiscal year. The bulletin confirms severe backlogs in family-sponsored categories and continuing retrogressions in employment-based visas. It also highlights the closing window for DV-2025 lottery applicants before the September 30 deadline.
Summary of Visa Availability for September 2025
The September 2025 Visa Bulletin provides both the Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing across family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant categories. These dates govern when applicants may assemble and submit documents either to the National Visa Center or to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) depending on their case type.
As with prior months, USCIS requires most adjustment-of-status applicants inside the United States to use the Final Action Dates unless otherwise announced on its website. The September allocation reflects demand reported through August 4, 2025, with the Department of State cautioning that heavy filing patterns and oversubscription have pushed several categories close to their annual limits.
Family-Sponsored Preferences: Long Backlogs Persist
Family-sponsored green cards remain capped at 226,000 annually, with a 7% per-country limit of about 25,620 visas. September’s bulletin reports little to no forward movement across most family categories, a trend that has frustrated applicants from Mexico, the Philippines, and India, where demand remains far above supply.
Key details include:
- F1 (Unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens): Dates remain July 15, 2016, for most countries, with Mexico stalled at April 22, 2005, and the Philippines at July 15, 2012.
- F2A (Spouses and children of permanent residents): Final Action Date remains September 1, 2022, across all regions, with per-country exemptions holding Mexico at February 1, 2022.
Overall, while “Dates for Filing” charts provide a wider filing window, the actual issuance of visas remains constrained. Applicants can anticipate continuing multi-year delays, particularly from oversubscribed countries where family reunification backlogs stretch more than ten years.
Employment-Based Categories: Retrogression and Warnings
Global annual limit of green cards under employment-based categories is 150,037, but once more, high demand has necessitated retrogressions in EB-2 and EB-3 categories. The Department of State cautioned that FY-2025 limits would be reached in several categories before the fiscal year’s end.
- EB-1 (Priority Workers): Available for all countries except India (February 15, 2022) and China (November 15, 2022), who remain under earlier cut-off dates.
- EB-2 (Advanced Degree Professionals): Retrogressed to September 1, 2023, for most countries. India is backlogged seriously as of January 1, 2013, and China is as of December 15, 2020.
- EB-3 (Skilled Workers & Professionals): India advances a little to May 22, 2013. All other chargeability nations are as of April 1, 2023.
Diversity Visa (DV-2025): Final Processing Deadline
The 2025 Diversity Visa Lottery has been reduced to about 52,056 visas, down from 55,000, due to NACARA and NDAA reductions. The final month of allocation will be September, and all the visas have to be processed by September 30, 2025.
Cut-off numbers for September are high but restrictive, with Africa capped at 58,500 (with lower limits for Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco), Asia at 14,500, and Europe at 23,000. The Bahamas remains “current,” while South America and the Caribbean are capped at 2,825. Applicants who have not received visa numbers by September 30 will lose eligibility.
Forward Look to October 2025
The Department of State has already published October DV-2026 rank cut-offs, showing far lower ceilings for Africa, Asia, and Europe, signaling a more competitive year ahead. Employment-based demand will also outstrip supply, especially in EB-2 and EB-3 categories.
Applicants are urged to monitor USCIS guidance on the use of the “Dates for Filing” chart and to have supporting documentation ready. Delays in responding could result in lost opportunities if visa numbers run out before the end of the fiscal year. With family backlogs still locked, employment-based caps nearly exhausted, and DV-2025 closing, the coming fiscal year begins under considerable visa pressure.
For timely updates and analysis on immigration enforcement and related immigration issues, visit ImmigrationQuestion.com. Get answers to your immigration questions from licensed immigration attorneys. For attorneys, use our innovative 2-in-1 case management software to grow your practice. Download our free app on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
**ImmigrationQuestion.com is a third-party platform that serves as a meeting ground for licensed immigration attorneys and people with immigration questions. It is not a law firm. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by USCIS or AILA. Attorneys on this platform are independent and have the discretion to offer a free consultation and/or set their fees under the law.
