Washington, DC: While most US employment-based (EB) Green Card categories for Indian applicants remain frozen and are at risk of closing by the end of September, there is welcome news on the family immigration front. The F2A category, which allows lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders) to sponsor their spouses and unmarried children under 21, is still open for Indian Green Card holders in the last month of the fiscal year, according to the September 2025 US Visa Bulletin, issued by the US Department of State.
The bulletin indicates that EB categories, especially EB-2 and EB-3 for Indian applicants, are approaching their annual visa caps, which may lead to a freeze or retrogression of final action dates before the end of September.
The F2A category has advanced by two months, with the filing date shifting from April 1, 2025, to June 1, 2025.
Indian Green Card holders can continue to submit Green Card applications for their spouses and minor children, as the dates for filing under the F2A category remain open through June 1, 2025, for all countries in the September 2025 Visa Bulletin.
This permits applicants to file their adjustment of status applications right away, even though actual approval will only occur once the Final Action Date – currently set at September 1, 2022 – becomes current and visa numbers are available.
For fiscal year 2025, the total number of family-based Green Cards available is capped at 2,26,000, while employment-based categories are limited to 1,50,037.
Each country can receive up to 7% of the total – around 26,323 visas – and dependent territories are restricted to 2%.
India remains classified as a high-demand country subject to per-country visa limits, along with China, Mexico, and the Philippines.
