The State Department's August 2026 Visa Bulletin pushed family-sponsored green card dates ahead sharply, led by a sweeping jump in F2A. For many applicants, it was the biggest movement of the year.
The change matters now because the Visa Bulletin is the monthly chart that tells people when they can move forward in the green card process. Final action dates show when a green card can actually be approved and issued, while dates for filing show when documents can be submitted and processing can begin.
In F2A, the final action date jumped from January 1, 2025 to July 22, 2026 for every country except Mexico, where it moved from January 1, 2024 to July 22, 2025. That makes F2A the clearest winner in the bulletin and the category that advanced the farthest, because it covers spouses and unmarried children of lawful permanent residents and the dates were moved forward by more than a year in most countries.
Other family categories also moved, but not with the same force. In F1, the final action date advanced from February 1, 2018 in July to December 15, 2018 in August for most countries, while Mexico moved from November 8, 2007 to December 1, 2007 and the Philippines stayed at May 1, 2013. In F2B, most countries moved from November 22, 2017 to January 1, 2018, the Philippines advanced from May 15, 2013 to June 1, 2013, and Mexico held at February 15, 2009. In F3, most countries moved from April 15, 2012 to May 15, 2012, Mexico advanced from June 1, 2001 to July 1, 2001, and the Philippines stayed at February 22, 2006. In F4, most countries moved from January 1, 2009 to September 1, 2009, while India, Mexico and the Philippines did not change.
That broad family movement stood in contrast to the rest of the chart. Employment-based visas saw far more limited progress, and some employment-based categories for India remained unavailable because annual visa limits had already been reached. The bulletin did not bring the same kind of relief to those applicants, even as family-sponsored dates surged.
The filing chart also moved for some applicants. In F1, most countries advanced from January 1, 2019 to June 15, 2019, with Mexico moving from October 1, 2008 to December 1, 2008 and the Philippines unchanged. In F2B, most countries advanced from June 8, 2018 to January 1, 2019, while Mexico and the Philippines did not change.
For applicants, the practical answer is simple: the August dates are the ones that decide who can take the next step this month. Families in F2A gained the most room to move, and the wider family-sponsored chart opened further, but the tighter employment-based side shows that the green card queue is still moving unevenly.
