August 2026 Visa Bulletin: Complete Analysis and Forecast

The August 2026 Visa Bulletin is out, and it holds the line where July drew it. The State Department kept EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India Unavailable for the rest of FY-2026, and it left EB-1 India frozen at October 15, 2022 with a new Section E warning that the category could go Unavailable “in the coming weeks.” Against that India freeze, nearly everything else pushed forward, and one number stole the month: family-sponsored F2A leaped roughly eighteen months to July 22, 2026, putting it within three weeks of current. Below is the full category-by-category breakdown of the official August 2026 numbers, with movement from June and July 2026 for context.

This article reflects the official August 2026 Visa Bulletin (Number 17, Volume XI), published by the U.S. Department of State with a CA/VO date of July 15, 2026. Every Final Action Date and Filing Date here is confirmed against the bulletin itself. These are not forecasts.

What Changed from July to August 2026

July was the hard pull-back: two India employment categories went Unavailable “for the rest of the fiscal year,” and EB-1 India retrogressed a second straight month. August does not undo any of that, but it also does not add a fresh retrogression. Instead the State Department did two things at once: it locked in the India freeze and it advanced almost every category that still has room, including a startling F2A jump that brings the family second-preference line to the doorstep of current. The one new warning that matters is Section E, which now says EB-1 India could become Unavailable “in the coming weeks.”

Employment-Based August 2026: Final Action Dates

The Final Action chart governs visa issuance and, in months when USCIS designates it, adjustment of status filings. Here are the official August 2026 Final Action Dates with June and July for context, plus the movement in days versus July.

What These EB Final Action Movements Mean in Practice

The India employment freeze is the defining fact of August. EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India are both Unavailable, exactly as the July bulletin set them, and both are locked that way through September 30, 2026. No visa numbers are issued in either category for the rest of FY-2026. For applicants, the practical effect is unchanged from July: a pending I-485 stays pending, but no green card can be approved in these categories until the fiscal year turns over on October 1, 2026, when FY-2027 numbers become available and the dates typically spring forward. Our July 2026 bulletin analysis walks through how the two categories were frozen in the first place.

EB-1 India is the cell to watch. It held at October 15, 2022, but Section E carries the sharpest language in the bulletin: high demand “may necessitate making the category unavailable in the coming weeks.” That phrasing, “coming weeks” rather than “coming months,” is the same escalation pattern that preceded July’s EB-2 and EB-5 “U” listings. If you are an EB-1 India applicant, treat August as the last dependable window of the fiscal year. Meanwhile EB-2 worldwide picked up its own Section F warning: even ROW and China EB-2, which are Current and September 1, 2021 respectively, are now flagged as candidates for retrogression or unavailability if demand keeps climbing.

Away from India, the bulletin is quietly generous. EB-3 ROW and Mexico advanced 31 days to September 1, 2024, EB-3 China moved to January 1, 2022, Other Workers ROW/Mexico gained 31 days, and EB-4 plus Certain Religious Workers advanced a month to October 15, 2022 for every country. One clean piece of good news for the Philippines: the Section H warning that hung over EB-3 Philippines in July was dropped, and the cell simply holds at August 1, 2023. For a refresher on how EB-2 and EB-3 India interact when one category freezes, see our June 2026 bulletin breakdown.

Employment-Based August 2026: Dates for Filing

USCIS has accepted the Dates for Filing chart for employment-based adjustment several times in FY-2026, so this chart matters for anyone timing a Form I-485. Note that even though EB-2 India and EB-5 India are Unavailable on the Final Action chart, their Filing dates are still published (January 15, 2015 and May 1, 2024) so that documentarily qualified applicants can keep assembling packages for the National Visa Center.

India Employment Freeze Holds, and EB-1 India Joins the Warning List

The August bulletin carries three movement-related warning sections (D, E, and F). The blunt takeaway: the two India categories already frozen stay frozen, and the State Department is now signaling that EB-1 India and EB-2 worldwide are next in line. Here is the language, verbatim.

Family-Sponsored August 2026 Final Action Dates

If the employment side of August is about restraint, the family side is about acceleration. F2A made the biggest single-bulletin jump of the fiscal year, F1 worldwide gained more than ten months, and F4 ROW/China advanced eight months. The State Department is clearly steering family numbers hard to keep FY-2026 allocations moving.

F2A Vaults to July 22, 2026 – Nearly Current

F2A (spouses and minor children of permanent residents) advanced a staggering 567 days in a single bulletin, from January 1, 2025 to July 22, 2026, across ROW, China, India, and the Philippines. Mexico moved the same amount to July 22, 2025. After the category paused at January 1, 2025 in July, this jump brings the Final Action date to within about three weeks of the bulletin’s own cut-off. In practical terms, F2A is now effectively current for almost everyone: the Filing chart has been “C” for all countries for months, and the Final Action chart has nearly caught up.

The August F2A note keeps the standard per-country structure: “F2A numbers EXEMPT from per-country limit are authorized for issuance to applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than 22JUL25. F2A numbers SUBJECT to per-country limit are authorized for issuance to applicants chargeable to all countries EXCEPT MEXICO, with priority dates beginning 22JUL25 and earlier than 22JUL26. All F2A numbers provided for MEXICO are exempt from the per-country limit.” If your F2A priority date is anytime before July 22, 2026, you are now within the Final Action line.

The rest of the family side moved in the same forward direction. F1 ROW/China/India jumped 317 days to December 15, 2018, F4 ROW/China advanced 243 days to September 1, 2009, and F2B, F3, and F1 Mexico all ticked up. Only a handful of cells held: F1 and F2B Philippines, F3 Philippines, and F4 India, Mexico, and Philippines.

Family-Sponsored August 2026 Dates for Filing

DV-2026 August Cut-Offs and the September Advance Notice

The Diversity Visa numbers in the August bulletin match exactly what Section C of the July bulletin pre-announced: every region advanced. With only two months left in DV-2026, the State Department is opening the ranks wide, and Section C of the August bulletin publishes an even larger September advance that nearly doubles the Africa cut-off.

What You Should Do This Month

The action checklist for August 2026, organized by who you are. With two India categories frozen, a third under a sharp new warning, and F2A racing toward current, the right move depends heavily on your category and country.

What to Watch in the September 2026 Bulletin

September is the last bulletin of FY-2026. It typically holds employment cut-offs tight to avoid overshooting annual limits, then October resets everything for FY-2027. Here is what the August warning language points to.

August 2026 Quick Reference Summary

Single-glance summary of the highest-impact movements in the August 2026 Visa Bulletin, with the frozen and warned cells first, then the biggest advances.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the official August 2026 Visa Bulletin (Number 17, Volume XI) published by the U.S. Department of State with a CA/VO date of July 15, 2026. All Final Action Dates and Filing Dates above are taken directly from the bulletin. USCIS controls whether the Filing chart or the Final Action chart is accepted for adjustment of status, so check uscis.gov/visabulletininfo before filing. Nothing here constitutes legal advice. Always verify dates on the official State Department website and consult a licensed immigration attorney regarding your specific case.