The US Department of State’s August 2026 Visa Bulletin has brought relief for many family-sponsored green card applicants, while employment-based categories, particularly for Indian nationals, continue to face long backlogs and limited movement.
The monthly Visa Bulletin determines when applicants can move forward in the employment- and family-based green card process. It does this through Final Action Dates, which indicate when a green card can be issued, and Dates for Filing, which determine when applicants may submit paperwork even if a visa is not yet available.
Which applicants saw the biggest gains?
The biggest movement in the August Visa Bulletin came in family-sponsored visa categories.
The F2A category, which covers spouses and unmarried children of lawful permanent residents (green card holders), recorded the largest advance.
According to the State Department, the Final Action Date for most countries jumped from January 1, 2025, to July 22, 2026. For Mexico, the date advanced from January 1, 2024, to July 22, 2025.
Other family-based categories also moved forward:
- F1 (unmarried adult sons and daughters of US citizens): Advanced from February 1, 2018, to December 15, 2018 for most countries.
- F2B (unmarried adult sons and daughters of green card holders): Moved from November 22, 2017, to January 1, 2018 for most countries.
- F3 (married sons and daughters of US citizens): Advanced from April 15, 2012, to May 15, 2012 for most countries.
- F4 (siblings of adult US citizens): Moved from January 1, 2009, to September 1, 2009 for most countries, although India, Mexico and the Philippines saw no change.
The bulletin also brought progress in several Dates for Filing categories. Notably, the F2A filing chart remained current worldwide, allowing eligible applicants to continue filing regardless of their priority date.
Which applicants continue to face delays?
While family-sponsored visas saw broad gains, employment-based categories showed only modest progress.
For Indian applicants, the EB-2 category remained unavailable, while the EB-5 unreserved investor category also stayed unavailable.
The EB-1 Final Action Date for India remained unchanged at October 15, 2022. The State Department warned that continued demand could make the category unavailable before the end of the fiscal year if India’s annual visa allocation is exhausted.
The EB-3 category moved forward for most countries from August 1, 2024, to September 1, 2024, but India remained unchanged at January 1, 2014.
Meanwhile, EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers categories advanced slightly, with Final Action Dates moving from September 15, 2022, to October 15, 2022 worldwide.
What happens next?
The State Department cautioned that additional changes are possible before the current fiscal year ends on September 30, 2026.
Officials said rising demand could lead to some visa categories becoming unavailable or experiencing retrogression, meaning cutoff dates could move backward if annual visa limits are reached.
For now, the August Visa Bulletin offers the biggest gains to family-sponsored green card applicants, particularly those in the F2A category.
