In a turn of events that may not surprise most who have been following the Visa Bulletin closely, the December 2024 Visa Bulletin update from the USCIS brought virtually no change in priority dates across most categories. This steady stillness aligns well with our predictions from the November 2024 Visa Bulletin: as we near the end of the calendar year, the USCIS often enters a period of strategic review. With capacity management and upcoming changes likely in focus, they tend to pause major adjustments to set a course for the new year. While this announcement didn’t deliver the positive shifts many were hoping for, it also avoided any negative adjustments—a favorable sign that the USCIS might be positioning itself for more impactful updates in the months ahead.
Let’s take a closer look at the December 2024 Visa Bulletin and explore what this could mean moving forward.
Family-based
Final Action Date
- No Change
Date of Filing Application
- No Change
Employment-based
Final Action Date
- EB2 India – July 15, 2012 to August 1, 2012 + 17 days
- EB3 India – November 1, 2012 to November 8, 2012 + 7 days
- Other Workers India – November 1, 2012 to November 8, 2012 + 7 days
Date of Filing Application
- No Changes
Analysis of December 2024 Visa Bulletin Results
For those tracking this year’s Visa Bulletin, the relatively unchanged landscape in December 2024 reinforces what many already suspected: USCIS is likely biding time, weighing resources, and planning for a new allocation approach for 2025.
Historically, it’s not uncommon for the final months of the year to see minimal adjustments as the agency refines its plan for the upcoming visa year. However, despite the overall lack of movement, there is an optimistic takeaway in the absence of negative shifts. Given the ongoing concerns this year about prolonged stagnancy, the fact that we’re ending 2024 without a backslide may be a positive sign that further setbacks are unlikely.
For several months now, employment-based (EB) categories, particularly EB-2 and EB-3, have shown positive shifts. However, those improvements dwindled toward the year’s close, and the December bulletin has effectively marked an end to most remaining movements, especially for non-India categories. This month’s slight adjustments in EB-2, EB-3, and Other Workers for India continue to underscore that demand remains high. Nevertheless, for those affected, this stability can still serve as a moment to prepare for what might be more significant shifts in 2025.
January 2025 Visa Bulletin Predictions
Looking ahead to January, we encourage applicants to keep their expectations balanced. The lack of movement in December’s bulletin isn’t cause for alarm; in fact, it might be a positive sign that USCIS is taking a thoughtful approach before rolling out any major changes. We anticipated that December could bring some setbacks in preparation for the new year, but the steadiness here hints that they may be working to avoid that scenario. January could bring the first shifts of 2025, with a chance for some moderate advances, especially in high-demand categories, if USCIS feels confident in their capacity.
That said, it’s wise to prepare for the possibility of continued caution on the USCIS’s part. A slower start in January wouldn’t be unexpected, as the agency evaluates demand and balances priorities across categories. Still, this end-of-year steadiness is an encouraging sign that we’re moving into 2025 without backtracking—an outcome that may allow for future positive movements. For now, we’re hoping this careful close to 2024 sets the stage for continued (and perhaps faster) advancements in the coming months.
See the U.S. Department of State website to view the December 2024 Visa Bulletin.
