August 2026 Visa Bulletin: F2A Final Action Dates Move 19 Months

Index

• USCIS Filing Chart Guidance for August 2026
• Key Highlights from the August 2026 Bulletin
• Employment-Based, Table A (Final Action Dates)
• Table A: Family-Based Final Action Dates
• Table B: Family-Based Dates for Filing
• Table A: Employment-Based Final Action Dates
• Table B: Employment-Based Dates for Filing
• Sources

The U.S. Department of State has released the August 2026 Visa Bulletin, and the biggest changes are concentrated in the Family-Sponsored categories. F2A Final Action Dates jumped by about 18 months and three weeks for every listed chargeability area, while F1, F2B, F3, and F4 also advanced in several columns. Employment-Based movement is more measured: EB-3, EB-4, and China EB-1 moved forward, but EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India remain Unavailable. Depending on your category, country of chargeability, and priority date, August may open a new filing or approval window, or leave your case waiting for a later bulletin.

The August 2026 Visa Bulletin sets priority-date cutoffs for family and employment-based green card cases.

USCIS Filing Chart Guidance for August 2026

Each month, USCIS decides which of the two Visa Bulletin charts adjustment of status (Form I-485) applicants inside the United States may use. At the time this article was prepared, USCIS had not yet posted its August 2026 chart selection. For July, USCIS directed Family-Sponsored applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart and Employment-Based applicants to use the Final Action Dates chart. Until USCIS publishes its August determination, applicants should treat the same split as an expectation only and verify the official page before filing:

• The Dates for Filing chart for Family-Sponsored preference categories (expected, not yet confirmed)
• The Final Action Dates chart for Employment-Based preference categories (expected, not yet confirmed)

For Family-Sponsored cases, using the Dates for Filing chart can create an earlier opportunity to submit Form I-485 than the Final Action Dates chart would allow. If your priority date is earlier than the applicable cutoff and you are otherwise eligible, filing may also allow you to request Employment Authorization (EAD) and Advance Parole (AP) while the green card application is pending. Confirm the chart on the USCIS adjustment of status filing charts page. Our overview of the USCIS adjustment of status policy for 2026 also explains how pending I-485 cases may be reviewed.

Key Highlights from the August 2026 Bulletin

Below are the most consequential movements in the August 2026 Visa Bulletin, separated by chart so you can distinguish filing eligibility from final approval eligibility.

Family-Sponsored, Table A (Final Action Dates)

• F1 (All Areas, China, India): December 15, 2018 (advanced about 10 months 2 weeks); Mexico: December 1, 2007 (advanced about 3 weeks)
• F2A (All Areas, China, India, Philippines): July 22, 2026 (advanced about 18 months 3 weeks); Mexico: July 22, 2025 (also advanced about 18 months 3 weeks)
• F2B (All Areas, China, India): January 1, 2018 (advanced about 1 month 1 week); Philippines: June 1, 2013 (advanced about 2 weeks)
• F3 (All Areas, China, India, Mexico): advanced 1 month
• F4 (All Areas, China): September 1, 2009 (advanced 8 months)

The F2A chart has a special allocation rule. For August, F2A numbers exempt from the per-country limit are available to applicants from all countries with priority dates before July 22, 2025. Numbers subject to the per-country limit are available to applicants chargeable to countries other than Mexico with priority dates from July 22, 2025 through dates earlier than July 22, 2026. Mexico's F2A numbers are all drawn from the exempt allocation.

Family-Sponsored, Table B (Dates for Filing)

• F1 (All Areas, China, India): June 15, 2019 (advanced about 5 months 2 weeks); Mexico: December 1, 2008 (advanced 2 months)
• F2A: Current for all countries (no change)
• F2B (All Areas, China, India): January 1, 2019 (advanced about 6 months 3 weeks)
• F3 (All Areas, China, India): March 1, 2013 (advanced about 2 months 3 weeks)
• F4 (All Areas, China): June 22, 2010 (advanced about 3 months 3 weeks)

Spouses and children waiting in the F2A or F2B categories can review the process in our guide to a green card through marriage.

Employment-Based, Table A (Final Action Dates)

• EB-1 (China): July 1, 2023 (advanced 1 month); EB-1 India remains October 15, 2022

• EB-2 (India): remains Unavailable; EB-2 China remains September 1, 2021

• EB-3 (All Areas, Mexico): September 1, 2024 (advanced 1 month); China: January 1, 2022 (advanced about 1 week)
• EB-3 Other Workers (All Areas, Mexico): April 1, 2022 (advanced 1 month); China: May 1, 2019 (advanced 1 month)
• EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers: October 15, 2022 for all listed countries (advanced 3 months)
• EB-5 Unreserved: no movement; India remains Unavailable, China remains December 1, 2016, and all set-aside categories remain Current

If you are comparing employment-based green card categories, the correct strategy depends on both the category's cutoff and the chart USCIS authorizes for August.

Employment-Based, Table B (Dates for Filing)

• EB-3 China advanced by 1 week, from January 1, 2022 to January 8, 2022.
• All other Employment-Based Dates for Filing remain unchanged from July 2026.

Retrogression Alerts & Future Outlook

The Department of State included two targeted employment-based warnings in the August 2026 bulletin:

• EB-1 India: High demand and number use may require the category to become Unavailable in the coming weeks if India's pro-rated EB-1 limit is reached before the end of FY 2026.
• EB-2: Sufficient demand and increased number use may require the Department of State to retrogress a final action date or make a category unavailable in the coming months to remain within the FY 2026 annual limit.

The bulletin also repeats a broader warning. Immigrant visa issuance for nationals of certain countries has decreased in light of administration actions, including Presidential Proclamations 10949 and 10998. The Department of State has advanced dates in several categories to use available FY 2026 visa numbers, but it cautions that retrogression or additional Unavailable designations may become necessary as demand develops. Any category may become Unavailable before September 30 if an annual, category, or per-country limit is reached.

Table A: Family-Based Final Action Dates

F1

F2A

F2B

F3

F4

Table B: Family-Based Dates for Filing

F1

F2A

F2B

F3

F4

Table A: Employment-Based Final Action Dates

EB-1

EB-2

EB-3

EB-3 Other Workers

EB-4

EB-4 Certain Religious Workers

EB-5 Unreserved

EB-5 Set Aside Rural

EB-5 Set Aside High Unemployment

EB-5 Set Aside Infrastructure

Table B: Employment-Based Dates for Filing

EB-1

EB-2

EB-3

EB-3 Other Workers

EB-4

EB-4 Certain Religious Workers

EB-5 Unreserved

EB-5 Set Aside Rural

EB-5 Set Aside High Unemployment

EB-5 Set Aside Infrastructure

August brings unusually strong movement for many family-preference applicants, especially in F2A, F1, and F4. Employment-Based progress is narrower, and the late-fiscal-year warnings for EB-1 India and EB-2 make careful timing especially important. Before filing or making travel and employment decisions, confirm the USCIS chart selection and compare your exact priority date with the correct category and country column.

Sources

1. Visa Bulletin for August 2026, U.S. Department of State, July 15, 2026.
2. Visa Bulletin for July 2026, U.S. Department of State, June 2026.
3. Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
4. The Visa Bulletin, U.S. Department of State.
5. Presidential Proclamation 10998, The White House, December 2025.
6. Presidential Proclamation 10949, The White House, June 2025.