August 2026 Visa Bulletin Released: Family Categories Leap Forward

On July 20, 2026, the State Department published its latest August 2026 Visa Bulletin. USCIS has also clarified that family-based applicants can continue using the filing dates to determine when they can file for an adjustment of status.

Employment-based categories

Here’s a recap of the biggest changes for the employment-based categories:

• EB-1 China's final action dates advanced by a month, while India’s final action date remains unchanged.
• The EB-2 category saw no date changes at all.

Family-based categories

For family-based categories:

• F1: Final action dates for China, India, and all other countries surged forward by approximately 10.5 months. Mexico advanced by approximately three weeks, and the Philippines was unchanged.
• F2A final action dates saw the biggest leap in the whole Bulletin, advancing by 18.5 months for all countries.
• F2B final action dates moved more modestly, as all chargeability areas/China/India advanced about 6 weeks, the Philippines about 1 month, and Mexico stayed the same.
• F4: India, Mexico, and Philippines final action dates remained unchanged, while China and all other countries advanced by 8 months.

For a more complete look at these changes, check out our main Visa Bulletin page.