August 2026 Visa Bulletin: Family, EB, and DV

August charts apply beginning August 1, 2026

Updated and source-checked: July 26, 2026. The Department of State based the August allocation charts on reported demand received by July 15, 2026.

What the August 2026 Visa Bulletin changes for I-485, consular cases and DV-2026

The August 2026 Visa Bulletin uses separate cut-off dates for numerically limited family-sponsored preferences, employment-based preferences and Diversity Visa cases. The result depends on the applicant’s category, country of chargeability, processing route and the chart USCIS authorizes for the month. USCIS permits family-sponsored applicants to use Dates for Filing for August Form I-485 filings, while employment-based applicants must use Final Action Dates.

The most significant family movement is in F2A. Its August dates reflect the statutory division between numbers exempt from the per-country limit and numbers subject to that limit; DOS did not create a new August-only allocation rule. In the employment charts, EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India remain Unavailable, and DOS warns that EB-1 India and EB-2 may require additional restrictions before fiscal year 2026 ends.

Scope: this analysis covers the numerical family-preference, employment-preference and DV charts, the August USCIS filing-chart selection and the principal DOS warnings affecting those charts. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are not included in F1–F4 because immediate-relative visas are not subject to annual numerical limits.

August filing rule: use family-sponsored Dates for Filing for a new family-preference I-485, employment-based Final Action Dates for a new employment I-485, and NVC instructions for consular document submission. A properly filed I-485 may remain pending after retrogression, but USCIS cannot approve it unless a visa number is available at final adjudication.

Start with the processing route before reading any date

A cut-off date serves different purposes at different stages. The tables below include the full family-sponsored Dates for Filing charts, family-sponsored Final Action Dates and employment-based Final Action Dates because those are the charts that control August family I-485 filing, August employment I-485 filing and final visa-number availability. The separate employment-based Dates for Filing chart can still guide DOS and NVC document processing, but USCIS did not authorize it for employment-based I-485 filing in August.

1

New family-preference Form I-485 inside the United States Use the August family-sponsored Dates for Filing chart. A priority date must be earlier than the listed date unless the row is Current, and the applicant must independently qualify for adjustment of status.

2

New employment-based Form I-485 inside the United States Use the August employment-based Final Action Dates chart. Employment Dates for Filing do not open an August employment I-485 filing window.

3

Concurrent filing where the category permits it Some applicants may file Form I-485 with an eligible Form I-130 or Form I-140, or while that petition remains pending, if a visa is available under the chart USCIS selected and all category-specific filing requirements are met. The Visa Bulletin does not by itself determine whether concurrent filing is permitted.

4

Consular processing through the National Visa Center DOS Dates for Filing may indicate when document collection can begin, but applicants should submit documents after receiving NVC instructions. Final visa issuance requires availability under Final Action Dates.

5

Already-pending Form I-485 Later retrogression does not normally erase the filing date or automatically terminate the application. USCIS may continue non-final processing, but approval requires a visa number when the case is ready for decision.

6

Priority date comparison The priority date must be strictly earlier than the published cut-off. A priority date equal to the cut-off does not qualify under that chart.

What Current and Unavailable mean: Current means the chart does not impose a cut-off date for otherwise qualified applicants in that category and chargeability area. Unavailable means no visa numbers are authorized for that category and column during the month. Neither label replaces petition eligibility, admissibility or the separate requirements for adjustment of status or an immigrant visa.

Official filing guidance is available on the USCIS concurrent filing page. Compare the month-over-month movement with the July 2026 Visa Bulletin analysis.

Country of birth, country of chargeability and cross-chargeability are not identical concepts

The Visa Bulletin columns are based on country of chargeability, not citizenship, passport, residence or nationality acquired later. In most cases, chargeability is assigned according to the applicant’s country of birth. A person born in India who later becomes a Canadian citizen is therefore generally still chargeable to India unless a separate legal rule changes the allocation.

Cross-chargeability may allow a principal applicant or derivative spouse to use the other spouse’s country of birth when the legal requirements are met. A narrower parent-based rule may apply when a person was born in a country where neither parent was born and neither parent had a residence at the time of the person’s birth; in that situation, chargeability may be assigned through a parent. A parent may not use a child’s country of birth for cross-chargeability.

All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed

This column applies when the case is not chargeable to one of the separately oversubscribed areas: China-mainland born, India, Mexico or the Philippines.

China-mainland born

This is the official DOS column label. It should not be shortened to “China” because the Visa Bulletin classification concerns chargeability tied to mainland birth, not citizenship alone.

Cross-chargeability is not elective

An applicant cannot select a more favorable column without a qualifying spouse-based or parent-based rule and supporting facts. Citizenship, residence or convenience alone does not change chargeability.

Why country columns differ: the FY 2026 family-sponsored preference limit is 226,000, the employment-based worldwide level is at least 140,000, and the general per-country limit is 7% of the combined family and employment preference limits, or 25,620. DOS applies prorating rules when reported demand for a chargeability area would exceed that limit.

Official background on cross-chargeability and visa availability is available in the USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 6.

August 2026 family-sponsored Final Action Dates

Final Action Dates control whether DOS may authorize an immigrant visa number and whether USCIS may finally approve a preference-based adjustment case. The largest August movement is F2A: All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, China-mainland born, India and the Philippines advance from January 1, 2025 to July 22, 2026, while Mexico advances from January 1, 2024 to July 22, 2025.

Which relatives are included in F1, F2A, F2B, F3 and F4

F1

Unmarried sons and daughters age 21 or older of U.S. citizens.

F2A

Spouses and unmarried children under age 21 of lawful permanent residents.

F2B

Unmarried sons and daughters age 21 or older of lawful permanent residents.

F3

Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.

F4

Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens age 21 or older.

Not included in these charts: spouses of U.S. citizens, unmarried children under 21 of U.S. citizens and parents of U.S. citizens age 21 or older generally fall within immediate-relative categories, which are not numerically limited by the family-preference tables.

Family-sponsored Final Action Dates: All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, China-mainland born and India
Category	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	China-mainland born	India
F1	December 15, 2018	December 15, 2018	December 15, 2018
F2A	July 22, 2026	July 22, 2026	July 22, 2026
F2B	January 1, 2018	January 1, 2018	January 1, 2018
F3	May 15, 2012	May 15, 2012	May 15, 2012
F4	September 1, 2009	September 1, 2009	November 1, 2006

Source: August 2026 Visa Bulletin

Family-sponsored Final Action Dates: Mexico, the Philippines and movement from July
Category	Mexico	Philippines	Change from July 2026
F1	December 1, 2007	May 1, 2013	Mexico moved from November 8, 2007; the Philippines did not move.
F2A	July 22, 2025	July 22, 2026	Both advanced substantially, but Mexico retains an earlier separate cut-off.
F2B	February 15, 2009	June 1, 2013	Mexico did not move; the Philippines advanced from May 15, 2013.
F3	July 1, 2001	February 22, 2006	Mexico advanced from June 1, 2001; the Philippines did not move.
F4	April 8, 2001	August 1, 2007	Neither column moved.

Sources: July 2026 Visa Bulletin and August 2026 Visa Bulletin

Reading the cut-offs: a listed date means the category is oversubscribed, and the applicant’s priority date must be earlier than that date. These Final Action Dates do not determine new family-sponsored I-485 filing in August because USCIS selected Dates for Filing for that purpose; they determine whether a visa number is available for final action.

Why F2A has a different Mexico date

F2A receives 77% of the overall family second-preference limit, and 75% of F2A numbers are exempt from the per-country limit. For August, exempt F2A numbers are authorized for applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than July 22, 2025. F2A numbers subject to the per-country limit are authorized for applicants chargeable to all countries except Mexico with priority dates beginning July 22, 2025 and earlier than July 22, 2026. All F2A numbers provided for Mexico in August come from the exempt portion.

This is the August application of the statutory F2A structure, not a newly created special allocation. It explains why Mexico has a Final Action Date of July 22, 2025 while the other four columns show July 22, 2026.

August family-sponsored Dates for Filing used by USCIS

USCIS authorizes the family-sponsored Dates for Filing chart for August 2026. This chart can open the filing window for an otherwise eligible Form I-485, but it does not authorize final approval by itself. Final approval still depends on the applicable Final Action Date and all substantive requirements.

Family-sponsored Dates for Filing: All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, China-mainland born and India
Category	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	China-mainland born	India
F1	June 15, 2019	June 15, 2019	June 15, 2019
F2A	Current	Current	Current
F2B	January 1, 2019	January 1, 2019	January 1, 2019
F3	March 1, 2013	March 1, 2013	March 1, 2013
F4	June 22, 2010	June 22, 2010	December 15, 2006

Source: August 2026 Visa Bulletin

Family-sponsored Dates for Filing: Mexico and the Philippines
Category	Mexico	Philippines	August filing effect
F1	December 1, 2008	April 22, 2015	Priority date must be earlier.
F2A	Current	Current	No filing cut-off in this chart.
F2B	May 15, 2010	October 1, 2013	Priority date must be earlier.
F3	July 15, 2001	August 8, 2006	Priority date must be earlier.
F4	April 30, 2001	March 22, 2008	Priority date must be earlier.

USCIS chart selection: USCIS Adjustment of Status Filing Charts

Filing and approval are separate: F2A being Current in Dates for Filing does not mean every F2A case can be approved in August. It means the filing chart itself imposes no priority-date cut-off. The applicant must still qualify for adjustment, submit a properly filed package and wait for final visa availability under the Final Action Dates chart.

August 2026 employment-based Final Action Dates used for I-485 filing

USCIS requires employment-based applicants to use Final Action Dates for August Form I-485 filing. The chart below also controls final visa-number availability. EB-3 advances for All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, China-mainland born and Mexico; EB-4 and Certain Religious Workers each advance by one month; EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India remain Unavailable.

Employment-based Final Action Dates: All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, China-mainland born and India
Category	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	China-mainland born	India
EB-1	Current	July 1, 2023	October 15, 2022
EB-2	Current	September 1, 2021	Unavailable
EB-3	September 1, 2024	January 1, 2022	January 1, 2014
Other Workers	April 1, 2022	May 1, 2019	January 1, 2014
EB-4	October 15, 2022	October 15, 2022	October 15, 2022
Certain Religious Workers	October 15, 2022	October 15, 2022	October 15, 2022
EB-5 Unreserved	Current	December 1, 2016	Unavailable
EB-5 Rural set-aside	Current	Current	Current
EB-5 High Unemployment set-aside	Current	Current	Current
EB-5 Infrastructure set-aside	Current	Current	Current

Source: August 2026 Visa Bulletin

Employment-based Final Action Dates: Mexico, the Philippines and movement from July
Category	Mexico	Philippines	Change from July 2026
EB-1	Current	Current	No change.
EB-2	Current	Current	No movement; DOS issued a broader EB-2 warning.
EB-3	September 1, 2024	August 1, 2023	Mexico advanced from August 1, 2024; the Philippines did not move.
Other Workers	April 1, 2022	December 1, 2021	Mexico advanced from March 1, 2022; the Philippines did not move.
EB-4	October 15, 2022	October 15, 2022	Both advanced from September 15, 2022.
Certain Religious Workers	October 15, 2022	October 15, 2022	Both advanced from September 15, 2022.
EB-5 Unreserved	Current	Current	No change.
EB-5 Rural set-aside	Current	Current	No change.
EB-5 High Unemployment set-aside	Current	Current	No change.
EB-5 Infrastructure set-aside	Current	Current	No change.

Sources: July 2026 Visa Bulletin and August 2026 Visa Bulletin

August employment filing consequence: because USCIS selected Final Action Dates for employment-based filings, an applicant seeking to file a new employment-based I-485 in August must have a priority date earlier than the applicable date in this chart, or be in a Current row. An approved I-140, I-526 or I-526E does not independently create an August filing window.

EB-1 India: DOS states that high demand and number use may require the category to become Unavailable in the coming weeks if India’s prorated EB-1 limit is reached before the fiscal year ends.

EB-2: DOS states that sufficient demand and increased number use may require retrogression of the Final Action Date or make the category Unavailable in the coming months to remain within the FY 2026 annual limit. This is a visa-number warning, not a prediction that every EB-2 petition will be delayed or denied.

DV-2026 August and September regional rank cut-offs

Diversity Visa cases use regional lottery rank numbers rather than petition priority dates. When DOS publishes a number, the case number must be below that cut-off. Algeria, Egypt and Nepal have separate country exceptions, so an applicant from one of those countries cannot rely on the higher general regional number.

DV-2026 rank cut-offs for August and September 2026
Region	August	September	Country exceptions
Africa	60,000	101,250	Algeria: 51,250 in August and 85,000 in September; Egypt: 36,000 and 50,000.
Asia	40,000	40,000	Nepal: 13,500 in both August and September.
Europe	29,000	47,500	No separate country exception listed.
North America — Bahamas	Current	Current	The North America allocation applies to the Bahamas.
Oceania	2,050	3,000	No separate country exception listed.
South America and the Caribbean	4,000	4,750	No separate country exception listed.

Source: August 2026 Visa Bulletin

DV comparison rule: a Nepal case numbered 20,000 does not qualify under the Asia 40,000 figure because Nepal has its own 13,500 exception. A rank number below the cut-off establishes potential number availability; it does not guarantee DS-260 completion, interview capacity, successful security checks or final approval.

DOS explains that statutory reductions bring the approximate DV-2026 annual limit to about 52,000, and no single country may receive more than 7% of available diversity visas. The practical limit may be reached before the end of the fiscal year.

September 30 deadline: all DV-2026 immigrant visas must be issued, and every DV-based adjustment of status must be approved, no later than September 30, 2026. A pending interview, administrative processing case or pending Form I-485 does not preserve DV-2026 eligibility beyond that date. DOS also warns that available numbers may be exhausted earlier.

USCIS information for applicants adjusting through the Diversity Visa program is available in USCIS Diversity Visa adjustment guidance.

Practical August scenarios and the limits of the published dates

F2A, Mexico, priority date August 1, 2025

The family Dates for Filing chart is Current, so the priority date does not block an otherwise eligible August I-485 filing. The Mexico Final Action Date is July 22, 2025, and August 1, 2025 is later.

Filing result: filing may be available, but final approval is not yet available under the August Final Action Date.

EB-2, India, new Form I-485

EB-2 India is Unavailable in the chart USCIS requires for employment-based August filings.

New and pending cases: the August chart does not permit a new EB-2 India I-485 filing or final approval. A previously filed I-485 may remain pending until a number becomes available again.

EB-1, China-mainland born, priority date June 15, 2023

The August EB-1 Final Action Date is July 1, 2023. June 15, 2023 is earlier than the listed cut-off.

August result: the priority date qualifies under the chart. Petition validity, adjustment eligibility, admissibility and filing requirements remain separate.

EB-3, the Philippines, priority date August 15, 2023

The August EB-3 Philippines Final Action Date is August 1, 2023. August 15 is later than the cut-off.

August result: the chart does not permit a new employment-based I-485 filing or final action for this priority date.

DV-2026 Asia, Nepal, rank number 20,000

The general Asia cut-off is 40,000, but Nepal has a separate 13,500 cut-off in August and September.

Nepal result: rank number 20,000 is not current despite being below the general Asia figure.

What cut-off movement can and cannot tell you

It shows current number-allocation boundaries. It does not disclose the exact number of principal and derivative applicants ahead of a case.
It does not translate directly into waiting time. A six-month movement in a cut-off does not mean an individual case will be decided six months sooner.
Current does not guarantee approval. Petition validity, adjustment eligibility, admissibility, document completion, security checks and number availability at decision remain relevant.
Retrogression can affect a pending case. USCIS may keep processing the application, but final approval must wait until the priority date is again available.
Country columns can move differently. DOS may change a separately oversubscribed chargeability area when demand approaches annual, category or prorated per-country limits.

DOS reports that immigrant visa issuance rates for applicants from certain countries decreased following several administration actions. This allowed filing and final-action dates in other categories to advance so that available FY 2026 numbers could continue to be used. If additional demand appears or those administrative measures change, retrogression may be necessary. A category may become Unavailable before September 30 if an annual, category or prorated per-country limit is reached.

August 2026 Visa Bulletin FAQ

Which August chart should a family-sponsored applicant use to file Form I-485?

USCIS authorizes the family-sponsored Dates for Filing chart for August 2026. This answer applies to numerically limited family-preference categories, not immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. The applicant must still satisfy adjustment requirements, and final approval depends on Final Action Date availability.

Which August chart should an employment-based applicant use to file Form I-485?

USCIS requires the employment-based Final Action Dates chart. The employment Dates for Filing chart does not authorize an August employment I-485 filing. Where concurrent filing is otherwise permitted, the selected Final Action Date still must make the visa number available and all category-specific requirements must be met.

Can citizenship change the country column used in the Visa Bulletin?

Usually not. Chargeability is generally based on country of birth, not later citizenship or residence. A different column may apply only when a legal rule such as qualifying cross-chargeability is supported by the facts.

What happens if a Final Action Date retrogresses after Form I-485 was filed?

A properly filed application may remain pending, and USCIS may continue non-final processing. The agency cannot grant final approval unless a visa number is available under the applicable Final Action Date when adjudication is completed.

Does a DV-2026 case remain eligible after September 30, 2026 if it is still pending?

No. A DV-2026 immigrant visa must be issued, or a DV-based adjustment of status must be approved, by September 30, 2026. Pending processing does not extend the statutory fiscal-year deadline, and visa numbers may be exhausted earlier.