October Visa Updates: India Wins Big in EB2, EB3

In the middle of ongoing uncertainty in the US immigration system, Indian green card applicants have finally received some long-awaited good news. The October 2025 Visa Bulletin, which marks the start of the new fiscal year in the US, has offered a rare positive update for EB-2 and EB-3 categories.

Final Action Dates Move Ahead After Years

For thousands of Indian professionals including tech workers, nurses, and others who filed their green card applications more than a decade ago, this is the first meaningful movement in years.

The final action dates for Indian EB-2 and EB-3 categories have moved ahead by three months. The new cut-off dates are:

EB-2 India: April 1, 2013

EB-3 India: August 22, 2013

These dates determine when green card applications can be approved.

No Change for EB-1 Final Action Dates

Unfortunately, the EB-1 category did not see any progress in its final action date. This means high-skilled applicants under EB-1 will still need to wait for approvals to restart.

Filing Dates Leap Forward for All Categories

What’s giving hope to most Indian applicants is the forward movement in the Date of Filing chart. This change allows applicants to submit their paperwork earlier and prepares them for the final approval process.

Here are the new dates of filing for Indian applicants:

EB-1: April 15, 2023 (moved ahead by 1 year)

EB-2: December 1, 2013 (jumped nearly a year)

EB-3: August 15, 2014 (also moved forward by almost a year)

Relief for Families Waiting Over a Decade

This shift offers hope to many families who have lived in uncertainty for over 10 to 15 years. For them, this is the first real sign that their green card is within reach.

While the journey is still not over, the October 2025 Visa Bulletin gives Indian applicants a reason to feel optimistic after years of waiting in the backlog.