If you’ve been following the EB1 India priority dates, you already know the frustration — there hasn’t been any real movement for almost a year now. The last big shift we saw was in the October 2024 Visa Bulletin, when the Dates for Filing moved to Apr 15, 2022, and the Final Action Date advanced to Feb 1, 2022. A few months later, the Final Action Date nudged forward to February 15, 2022, and that was it — no further movement since.

Before that, the last time EB1 India was current was way back in the December 2022 Visa Bulletin due to COVID spillover. Yes, it’s been a long wait — but the upcoming new fiscal year starting Oct 1, 2025, could finally bring some positive changes.

Why? It’s simple: a new fiscal year means a fresh allocation of visas for each country, and India should get its share. If you look closely, the last big movement happened in October 2024, right at the start of the last fiscal year.

Below is a quick look at the current EB1 India priority dates, so we can better understand what might happen in the October and November Visa Bulletins.

Why EB1 India FAD and DOF Differ So Much?

If you’ve been tracking the EB1 India priority dates, you’ve probably noticed a big gap between the Dates for Filing (DOF) and the Final Action Dates (FAD). But what exactly do these terms mean, and why does USCIS keep them so far apart? I’ll explain why understanding this is important, so keep reading.

Here’s the simple breakdown:

• DOF (Dates for Filing) – This tells you when you can submit your paperwork (like I-485 for adjustment of status or DS-260 for consular processing) even if a green card isn’t immediately available.

• FAD (Final Action Date) – This is when a visa number (green card) is actually available and USCIS or NVC can approve your green card.

Every month, USCIS decides whether to follow DOF or FAD for adjustment of status applications. This guidance is published in the Visa Bulletin, and it helps manage the flow of applications so the system doesn’t get overwhelmed. You can also find which dates to use on our Green Card Calculator.

For high-demand countries like India, where there are often thousands of EB1 applications each month, USCIS uses FAD as a control mechanism. Think of it like a traffic light — instead of letting everyone apply at once, they let people in gradually. This way:

• Workloads are more manageable for USCIS and NVC.

• Applicants aren’t left in a bigger backlog after filing.

• Visa usage is paced evenly throughout the fiscal year.

For example, if there are 2,000 applications between the DOF and FAD range, USCIS won’t let all 2,000 applicants file their I-485s at once. By keeping the FAD date behind, they can control the pipeline and prevent chaos in processing.

This is why you’ll often see the DOF ahead of the FAD — it’s not random. It’s a deliberate way to balance demand with processing capacity.

Why This Matters Before Looking at Predictions

You might be thinking — “Why are we even talking about this? Can’t we just jump to the EB1 India priority date predictions?”

Well, here’s why. Right now, there’s roughly a two-month gap between the DOF and the FAD for EB1 India. That gap isn’t just a number — it represents a huge pool of pending applications. For India alone, there are an estimated 1,523 EB1 applications stuck between these two dates.

Now, consider this: the annual EB1 quota for India is around 3,010 visas per fiscal year. That means nearly half of the yearly (new year) allocation is already in line before we even talk about new filings or any movement in the upcoming Visa Bulletins.

This gap plays a critical role in how much movement we can realistically expect in the October and November 2025 Visa Bulletins — and it’s one of the key factors we’ll consider as we dive into the EB1 India predictions next.

EB1 India Pending Applications

To really understand where we stand today, it’s important to look back at the pending EB1 India applications filed in 2022. These numbers matter because they directly influence priority date movements in the Visa Bulletin — the more pending cases there are ahead of you, the slower the movement will be.

Here’s the month-by-month breakdown of EB1 India filings in 2022 as of May 5, 2025 publication:

Month (Year 2022)	EB1 Applications
February	330
March	989
April	738
May	872
June	761
July	829
August	987
September	1,049
October	1,074
November	933
December	2,305

Source: USCIS Immigration and Citizenship Data

Looking at the data from 2022, it’s clear that EB1 India applications have been steadily high throughout the year, with most months seeing 700–1,000 filings and a massive spike in December of over 2,300 applications.

This consistent demand, combined with the backlog created in the last few months of the year, is a major reason why EB1 India priority dates have barely moved.

Understanding these monthly application trends gives us a clearer picture of how and why the upcoming Visa Bulletins might behave, and what applicants can realistically expect in the new fiscal year starting October 2025.

How Much EB1 India Can Expect?

With the new fiscal year starting October 1, 2025, many applicants are asking: “How many EB1 visas will India actually get?” Here’s a breakdown based on last year’s numbers.

• Total employment-based quota for last fiscal year: 150,037 visas

• EB1 allocation (28.6% of total EB quota): ~43,000 visas for all countries combined

• Per-country limit (7% of EB1): ~3,010 visas for India

So, India can expect around 3,010 EB1 visas in the fiscal year starting October 2025.

EB1 India Movement Prediction ~ June 15, 2022

Based on the current data, I’m expecting India’s EB1 priority date (Final Action Date) to move to around June 15, 2022. The Dates for Filing are likely to follow a bit later, around July 30, 2025. This movement is expected to show up in the October or November Visa Bulletins this year.

How Did We Come Up With This Prediction?

Let’s break it down. The current backlog of EB1 India applications (2022 filings) is:

• Feb, 2022: 330 applications

• Mar, 2022: 989 applications

• Apr, 2022: 738 applications

Assuming half of February and April applications are already considered based on the current Final Action Date and Dates for Filing, that leaves:

• Feb, 2022: 165 pending

• Mar, 2022: 989 pending

• Apr, 2022: 369 pending

• Total: 1,523

This totals 1,523 pending applications that need to catch up with the Date of Filing of April 15, 2022.

With a country quota of ~3,010 EB1 visas for India, there are still roughly 1,487 visas remaining (3,010 minus 1,523) for new applicants in the upcoming fiscal year starting Oct, 2025.

Estimating the Priority Date Movement

Now, let’s see how far this remaining quota can go:

• Remaining April applications: ~369 (half the month)

• May applications: 872

• Half of June applications: ~381

Adding these up gives 1,622 applications, which covers the backlog up to June 15, 2022 for the Final Action Date. At this point, the new fiscal year quota is nearly consumed, which means further priority date movement will likely be very limited in the following months.

This analysis excludes any spillovers from other categories or EB2 to EB1 porting, which could significantly change the movement. For longer-term planning or bigger timeframes, consider using the Green Card Calculator for more comprehensive projections.

EB1 India Best Case Prediction ~ Aug 6, 2022

After publishing the blog, I realized there’s a minor possibility that could slightly change the calculation. In my previous analysis, I subtracted the pending applications between Feb 15 and Apr 15 — based on the current Final Action Date and Date of Filing as of the Sept 2025 Visa Bulletin.

However, what if those numbers (up until Apr 15, 2022) were already counted in the previous year’s allocation, and it’s simply that USCIS is still processing them? I'm not sure on this. But if that’s the case, then we wouldn’t need to subtract the 1,523 cases from that DOF-FAD gap.

For the best-case scenario, we could then count 3,010 visas starting from April 15 onward. Here’s how the pending cases line up:

• Apr 2022 (half month): 369 pending

• May 2022: 872 pending

• Jun 2022: 761 pending

• Jul 2022: 829 pending

• Aug 2022: 987 pending

• Total: 3,818

Totaling 3,818 cases from mid-April to end of August. With 3,010 visas available, this would take the dates forward to somewhere in first week-August 2022 — about Aug 6, 2022.

This could mean a slightly better movement than originally projected, assuming USCIS counts up to mid-April in the previous cycle. Again, this is just an updated thought experiment, but it’s worth considering in your own projections.

Final Thoughts

Based on the detailed calculations in this blog, India’s EB1 Final Action Date is projected to move to around June 15, 2022 in the new fiscal year or the upcoming October/November Visa Bulletin. In a best-case scenario—where visas up to April 15, 2022 were already counted in the previous year’s allocation—the movement could even reach August 6, 2022.

I hope you found this blog helpful! Please note that this is just my point of view and should not be considered legal advice. For any official guidance, it’s best to consult an authorized immigration attorney. That said, feel free to leave a comment—your insights or questions might help others navigate these EB1 India priority date predictions.

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