The latest announcement from U.S. Department of State has sent ripples through immigration communities: the opening of registration for the Diversity Visa Lottery (DV‑2027) has been delayed, and changes to the entry process are on the horizon.
What’s happening?
We are pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the October 2025 Visa Bulletin.
In this blog post, we breakdown the movement of the employment-based and family-sponsored categories in the coming month.
USCIS Adjustment of Status
For adjustment of status filings to permanent residence in the month of October, USCIS will be using the Dates for Filing Chart for the employment-based and family-sponsored categories.
Highlights of the October 2025 Visa Bulletin
At a Glance
What can we expect to see in the month of October?
Employment-Based Categories
Final Action Advancements
Flickr Creative Commons Attribution Jeroen Akkermans
In the last months, the U.S. Department of State released two significant policy updates that impact both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applicants. These updates focus on a core change: applicants will now be required to have their visa interviews in their place of residence or country of nationality.
This change has significant consequences for third-country nationals who have traditionally applied for U.S. visas outside their country of nationality, particularly those renewing H-1B, E, O, and L visas, as well as immigrant visa applicants outside the United States.
Immigrant Visa Applicants Must Apply in their Country of Residence
On August 28, 2025, the State Department announced that, starting November 1, 2025, immigrant visa applicants must attend their interviews at a U.S. consulate or embassy located in their country of residence, or in their country of nationality, with limited exceptions. The update applies across all immigrant visa categories, including Diversity Visas.
There are exceptions to this rule, though they are limited. Exceptions may be granted in rare cases involving humanitarian or medical emergencies, or in circumstances involving specific foreign policy considerations. Applicants residing in countries where routine U.S. visa services have been suspended or paused will need to process their case at a designated consular post, which is typically assigned by the State Department to handle cases from those particular regions.
Existing appointments for immigrant visa interviews scheduled prior to November 1st will not be cancelled or rescheduled.
Same Policy Applies to Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants
A similar change was later announced on September 6, 2025, for nonimmigrant visa applicants. Effective immediately, nonimmigrant visa applicants must also apply for their visa in their country of residence or nationality. This means that individuals cannot simply choose a different country’s embassy based on convenience or shorter wait times unless they reside there or are citizens of that country. This applies to all third country nationals who previously traveled to embassies or consulates in Mexico or Canada to renew their nonimmigrant visas.
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We are pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the September 2025 Visa Bulletin.
In this blog post, we breakdown the movement of the employment-based and family-sponsored categories in the coming month.
USCIS Adjustment of Status
For employment-based preference categories, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed it will continue to use the Final Action Dates chart to determine filing eligibility for adjustment of status to permanent residence in the month of September.
For family-sponsored preference categories, USCIS will also continue to use the Dates for Filing chart to determine filing eligibility for adjustment of status to permanent residence in the month of September.
Please click here for more information.
Highlights of the September 2025 Visa Bulletin
At a Glance
What can we expect to see in the month of September?
Employment-Based Categories
There will be no changes to the employment-based Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing for the month of September.
The Visa Bulletin contains an important note that says the Visa Office expects to reach the FY 2025 annual limit for most employment-based categories during August and September. When this occurs, affected categories will become “unavailable” and no visas will be issued.
On August 1st the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced new policies that could make immigrants applying for green cards through family-based petitions more vulnerable to deportation.
The changes appear in various updates to USCIS’ Policy Manual which states that immigration officials can begin removal proceedings for immigrants who lack legal status and apply to become permanent residents through family-based petitions.
According to the Policy Manual, “if USCIS determines the alien beneficiary is removeable and amenable to removal from the United States, USCIS may issue a Notice to Appear (NTA) [in immigration court] placing the beneficiary in removal proceedings. Petitioners and alien beneficiaries should be aware that a family-based petition accords no immigration status nor does it bar removal.”
The new policy went into effect immediately and applies to pending requests for a green card, and those filed on or after August 1st.
While the practical impact of this policy is yet to be seen, it provides immigration officials with more discretion to initiate removal proceedings even where a green card application is pending with USCIS, for those who entered the U.S. illegally, overstayed a U.S. visa, or otherwise failed to maintain their legal status.
These policy changes underscore the importance of maintaining underlying legal status throughout the green card process. Those who lack legal status or who lost their status during the green card process may be most at risk.
We are pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the August 2025 Visa Bulletin.
In this blog post, we breakdown the movement of the employment-based and family-sponsored categories in the coming month.
USCIS Adjustment of Status
For employment-based preference categories, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed it will continue to use the Final Action Dates chart to determine filing eligibility for adjustment of status to permanent residence in the month of August.
For family-sponsored preference categories, USCIS will also continue to use the Dates for Filing chart to determine filing eligibility for adjustment of status to permanent residence in the month of August.
Please click here for more information.
Highlights of the August 2025 Visa Bulletin
At a Glance
What can we expect to see in the month of August?
Employment-Based Categories
Final Action Advancements
EB-2 Members of the Professions and Aliens of Exceptional Ability
EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers and Other Workers
EB-5 Unreserved Categories (C5, T5, I5, and R5)
Attribution: Gage Skidmore
On Friday July 11, 2025, a federal judge ruled that the government’s ongoing immigration raids in Southern California and its denial of legal counsel to detained immigrants likely violates the Constitution.
In so ruling, the court issued two temporary restraining orders (TROs) barring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal agencies from continuing these actions in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. (Pedro Vasquez Perdomo v. Kristi Noem (2:25-cv-05605)
The first TRO prohibits immigration agents from stopping individuals without reasonable suspicion and bars law enforcement from relying solely on the following factors—alone or in combination—to form reasonable suspicion for a stop including (1) apparent race or ethnicity (2) speaking Spanish or English with an accent (3) presence in a particular location like a bus stop, car wash, day laborer pick up site, or agricultural site, or (4) the type of work the person does.
The second TRO orders DHS to provide access to counsel on weekdays, weekends, and holidays for those who are detained in B-18, the basement of a federal building in downtown Los Angeles located at 300 North Los Angeles Street.
It further requires immigration officials to develop guidance on how agents and officers should determine whether “reasonable suspicion” exists when conducting stops and to implement training for officers involved in immigration operations.
In addition to immigration officers, the TROs apply to the FBI and Justice Department, who are named in the lawsuit and are involved in immigration enforcement actions.
On June 4, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the agency will expand its efforts to crackdown on visa overstays, due to a recent terrorist attack in Boulder Colorado. The attack was perpetrated by an Egyptian national who had been in the United States unlawfully since overstaying his visa in 2022.
What this Means
We are pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the July 2025 Visa Bulletin.
In this blog post, we breakdown the movement of the employment-based and family-sponsored categories in the coming month.
USCIS Adjustment of Status
For employment-based preference categories, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed it will continue to use the Final Action Dates chart to determine filing eligibility for adjustment of status to permanent residence in the month of July.
For family-sponsored preference categories, USCIS will also continue to use the Dates for Filing chart to determine filing eligibility for adjustment of status to permanent residence in the month of July.
Please click here for more information.
Highlights of the July 2025 Visa Bulletin
At a Glance
What can we expect to see in the month of July?
Employment-Based Categories
Final Action Advancements
EB-1 Aliens of extraordinary ability, Outstanding Professors and Researchers, and Certain Multinational Managers or Executives
EB-2 Members of the Professions and Aliens of Exceptional Ability
Visa Lawyer Blog