US Visa Bulletin December 2025: Small Changes for Indians, Big Jump for EB-5 Investors

The US State Department has released the December 2025 Visa Bulletin, and Indian applicants will notice very little improvement in most green card categories.
Family and employment-based queues remain slow, but the EB-5 investor visa continues to show the strongest movement, making it the most promising route for faster US residency.

Family Green Cards: Almost No Movement for India

For Indian families waiting for green cards, the December update brings no major progress.
All Final Action Dates — the dates when green cards can actually be issued — remain the same as last month.

Final Action Dates – Family (India)

F1: Nov 8, 2016
F2A: Feb 1, 2024
F2B: Dec 1, 2016
F3: Sep 8, 2011
F4: Nov 1, 2006

In the Dates for Filing chart, only one minor update appears:
F2A for spouses and minor children of permanent residents has moved forward by one month.
All other categories remain frozen.

Why Are Family Categories So Slow?

The US issues only 226,000 family green cards per year, with a 7% per-country cap.
India reaches this limit every year, leading to long backlogs.
When a category becomes oversubscribed, cutoff dates are created to control the queue.

Employment-Based Visas: Small Steps Forward

Indians in employment-based categories saw slight movement in Final Action Dates.
Dates for Filing remain unchanged.

Final Action Dates – Employment (India)

EB-1: March 15, 2022
EB-2: May 15, 2013
EB-3: Sept 22, 2013
EB-4: Sept 1, 2020
EB-5 Unreserved: July 1, 2021 (big 5-month jump)

The biggest advancement appears in EB-5 Unreserved, moving five months forward.

EB-5 Set-Aside Categories: Still the Fastest for Indians

The EB-5 Reserved (Set-Aside) Categories once again remain Current:

Rural: Current
High-Unemployment: Current
Infrastructure: Current

“Current” means no waiting line, allowing Indian investors to proceed without delays.

Why EB-5 Is Moving Faster

EB-5 visas are divided into unreserved and three reserved categories.
The reserved categories have separate visa pools, and Indian demand is still low — keeping them current month after month.

Understanding Dates for Filing vs Final Action Dates

The Visa Bulletin has two charts:

Dates for Filing: When applicants can submit paperwork
Final Action Dates: When green cards can actually be approved

Applicants must check both charts to know where they stand in the process.

Conclusion

The December 2025 Visa Bulletin brings minimal changes for most Indian family and employment categories.
Delays continue across the board, with only small forward movement.
However, EB-5 — especially the set-aside routes — remains the fastest and most reliable pathway for Indian applicants seeking quicker US residency.