U.S. gives major update on EB-5 greencard policy

The U.S. Department of State has announced the October 2025 Visa Bulletin, starting with the new government fiscal year 2025-26.

The green card update provides knowledge of the availability for immigrant visas for both consular processing and adjustment of status applications for the month of October 2025.

The bulletin sets eligibility dates for both employment and family-based green cards.

The major development occurred in the EB-5 investor visa category, where the cutoff date for foreign nationals advanced by nearly 15 months to February 1, 2021, accelerating the path to permanent residency for hundreds of applicants.

In addition to that, the filing date for Chinese EB-5 investors was rolled back by three months, creating further delays for some and Hungary’s Visa Waiver Program (VMP) was restored after verifying security stability.

For family-sponsored categories, the annual cap has been set at 226,000 visas.

Meanwhile all family categories showed forward movement, final action dates for many, particularly for applicants from Mexico and the Philippines, remained stalled in the early 2000s, reflecting waits that can exceed two decades.

The update echoes the persistent and structural backlogs that have long characterized the U.S. immigration system, where high demand from a handful of countries consistently surpasses the very few capacity of visas.

Similar incremental advancements and retrogressions are reported monthly, dictating the pace for millions awaiting permanent status.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that employment-based applicants should use the more advanced Dates for Filing chart for October, allowing many to submit their adjustment of status applications sooner.

The agency official site guiding article has also advised applicants to consult the bulletins monthly for the most current information.