U.S. Visa Bulletin for August 2026

What the latest priority date movements mean for family-sponsored and employment-based applicants

Each month, the U.S. Department of State releases its Visa Bulletin, a document that, for hundreds of thousands of people around the world, determines whether they can take the next step toward a U.S. green card. The August 2026 edition (Bulletin No. 17, Volume XI) brings a mixed picture as the fiscal year enters its final stretch: modest forward movement in several family-sponsored categories, continued unavailability for India in the EB-2 category, and renewed warnings about what may still change before the fiscal year closes on September 30, 2026.

To read the bulletin correctly, it helps to understand its two key charts. The Final Action Dates chart tells you when a green card can actually be approved, when your priority date is earlier than the date listed, you may receive your visa. The Dates for Filing chart, when authorized by USCIS, allows applicants to submit their adjustment of status paperwork ahead of final approval, getting into the queue before the final action date is technically reached. USCIS announces monthly at uscis.gov/visabulletininfo which chart applies for adjustment of status filings that month.

For August, USCIS has directed applicants to use the Dates for Filing chart for family-sponsored categories and the Final Action Dates chart for employment-based categories when filing adjustment of status applications.

Family-Sponsored Categories

The family preference categories cover several distinct relationships: unmarried adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens (F1), spouses and children of permanent residents (F2A), unmarried adult sons and daughters of permanent residents (F2B), married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens (F3), and brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens (F4). These categories carry annual numerical limits, which is why priority dates exist in the first place.

The August 2026 bulletin delivers a standout month for F2A in particular, with the Final Action Date for most countries jumping forward by roughly seven months compared to earlier in the summer. F1, F2B, and F4 held their positions or advanced modestly across most chargeability areas, and no family-based category retrogressed this month.

Final Action Dates: Family-Sponsored

The F2A category, covering spouses and children of lawful permanent residents, deserves special attention this month. Under the Final Action Dates chart, F2A stands at July 22, 2026 for most countries. Under the Dates for Filing chart, F2A is Current for every country, meaning spouses and children of green card holders with any priority date may file adjustment of status paperwork immediately, since USCIS has authorized use of that chart for family-sponsored categories in August.

The bulletin further notes that F2A numbers exempt from the per-country limit are authorized for applicants worldwide with earlier priority dates, while F2A numbers subject to the per-country limit remain reserved, for all countries except Mexico, within a narrower band just behind that cutoff. All Mexico F2A numbers remain exempt from the per-country limit this month.

Dates for Filing: Family-Sponsored

Employment-Based Categories

The employment-based side of this bulletin is where the most consequential news sits. The Department of State has again acknowledged that elevated demand from certain countries could make further retrogression necessary before the fiscal year ends.

The broader context matters here. Presidential Proclamation 10949 and Presidential Proclamation 10998, along with updated immigrant visa processing guidance for certain nationalities, have reduced consular visa issuances for applicants from certain countries. To ensure that annually available numbers are not left unused, the Department of State had been advancing priority dates across categories in earlier months. But as demand from other countries has caught up, the bulletin now warns that retrogression may be necessary in the coming months to keep issuances within annual limits, and that some categories may become Unavailable before the fiscal year ends if annual limits, category limits, or pro-rated per-country limits are reached.

Final Action Dates: Employment-Based

EB-1 India: Holding Steady, But at Risk

India’s EB-1 Final Action Date holds at October 15, 2022 this month, unchanged from July. The State Department has cautioned that the category could still become Unavailable in the final weeks of the fiscal year if India’s pro-rated annual limit is reached before September 30. Applicants who are current should treat that stability as a window rather than a guarantee and move forward with filing where possible.

EB-2 India: Unavailable for the Rest of FY 2026

India’s EB-2 category, which includes the National Interest Waiver, remains Unavailable this month. The Department of State has confirmed that India’s pro-rated EB-2 limit for the fiscal year has already been reached, so no further numbers will be issued to India-born EB-2 applicants until the new fiscal year begins on October 1, 2026. Applicants who already filed Form I-485 before this Unavailable status took hold are not required to refile; final adjudication simply waits for the category to reopen.

China EB-2: A Category to Watch

The bulletin flags China’s EB-2 category as one to monitor closely. The Department notes that sufficient demand and increased number use by China-born applicants in EB-2 may require retrogression of the Final Action Date, currently September 1, 2021, or outright unavailability before the fiscal year’s end. No retrogression has occurred yet, but the warning is explicit.

Philippines EB-3: Another Watch Category

The bulletin similarly flags the Philippines EB-3 category. The Final Action Date is currently August 1, 2023 for the Philippines, and the Department of State warns that retrogression or unavailability is possible in the coming months. Philippines-born applicants in EB-3 would be well advised to monitor next month’s bulletin closely.

EB-5 Unreserved, India: Already Unavailable

India’s EB-5 Unreserved category is Unavailable this month, following the exhaustion of India’s pro-rated limit earlier in the fiscal year. The Department of State expects the Final Action Date to advance again once FY 2027 numbers become available in October, though the exact pace will depend on demand from India-born investors and next year’s annual limit.

Dates for Filing: Employment-Based

EB-5 Set-Aside Categories: A Bright Spot

Amid the volatility elsewhere, the EB-5 set-aside categories stand out as a consistently available option. The Rural (20% reserve), High Unemployment Area (10% reserve), and Infrastructure (2% reserve) sub-categories within EB-5 are all listed as Current for every country, including India and China, under both the Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing charts. For investors who qualify under these targeted employment area designations, August 2026 represents a continued window of opportunity.

Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery: August 2026

The Diversity Immigrant Visa program, commonly known as the green card lottery, makes approximately 52,000 visas available each fiscal year to nationals of countries with historically low immigration to the United States. The FY 2026 DV annual limit has been reduced from the statutory 55,000 to approximately 52,000 due to NACARA allocations and adjustments under the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2024.

For August, the DV category cutoff numbers are as follows:

The bulletin also provides the cutoff numbers that will apply in September, the final month of DV-2026 eligibility: Africa rises sharply to 101,250 (Algeria 85,000; Egypt 50,000); Asia holds at 40,000; Europe rises to 47,500; Oceania rises to 3,000; and South America and the Caribbean rise to 4,750. North America (Bahamas) is Current.

DV-2026 selectees should be mindful that their entitlement to immigrant status expires on September 30, 2026, the end of the fiscal year. Visas cannot be issued after that date, and there is no guarantee that numbers will remain available through September. DV applicants whose case numbers fall within August’s cutoffs, or September’s, should move quickly to complete their processing.

Annual Limits and the FY 2026 Backdrop

For context, the fiscal year 2026 family-sponsored preference limit is set at 226,000 under Section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The worldwide employment-based preference level is at least 140,000. The per-country limit is fixed at 7% of the combined family and employment totals, amounting to 25,620, and the dependent area limit is 2%, or 7,320. These are the constraints that make oversubscription, priority dates, and retrogression a persistent feature of U.S. immigration for nationals of high-demand countries like India, China, Mexico, and the Philippines.

Allocations in both charts were made, to the extent possible, in chronological order of reported priority dates based on demand received through mid-July 2026. When demand in a particular country and category exceeded what could be satisfied within the numerical limits, that category was deemed oversubscribed, and the Final Action Date was set to the priority date of the first applicant who could not be accommodated.

What to Watch Going Forward

The State Department has again been explicit in this bulletin about potential disruptions ahead. The language used, warnings about retrogression in the coming months and categories becoming Unavailable, reflects the systemic pressure that builds as a fiscal year winds down and available visa numbers get used up. The most affected applicants to watch are India-born EB-1, EB-2, and EB-5 Unreserved applicants; China-born EB-2 applicants; and Philippines-born EB-3 applicants.

For family-based applicants, the picture is more stable, but the wait times reflected in the Final Action Dates are a reminder of how long these journeys can be, particularly for Mexico and Philippines F3 and F4 applicants, whose priority dates still sit in the early 2000s.

The next bulletin, for September 2026, the final bulletin of FY 2026, will be released in mid-August. Anyone monitoring a category flagged in this month’s warnings should check it immediately upon release.

Take the Next Step with Confidence

Knowing what the visa bulletin says is just the first step; knowing what to do with that information is where it really counts.

AgoraVisa works with professionals and families to make sense of priority dates, weigh their options, and build well-prepared applications from start to finish.

Begin your journey at agoravisa.com

Disclaimer

AgoraVisa is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. This article is for general informational purposes based on the U.S. Department of State’s published Visa Bulletin and does not guarantee any visa outcome, processing time, or category status, all of which can change monthly. For advice specific to your case, consult a licensed immigration attorney.

Ademide Kolawole

Hi! I’m Ademide, a content strategist and digital marketer who loves helping brands grow through better storytelling, smarter SEO, and impactful content.

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