F2A Visa Bulletin: Spouses & Minor Children of LPRs Near Current

Here is the rare piece of good news in the family categories. The F2A preference — spouses and unmarried minor children of lawful permanent residents — is by far the most current family line. In the August 2026 Visa Bulletin, most chargeability areas carry a Final Action Date of 22JUL26, only about a year before the bulletin month. Mexico trails by roughly a year at 22JUL25.

F2A Final Action Dates, August 2026 (verbatim)

Verbatim from the Visa Bulletin for August 2026, Final Action Dates. “C” = Current, “U” = Unavailable.

How close to current is F2A?

On a 0–30 year scale the F2A bars are almost flat — a visual reminder that this line sits at the front of the family queue. Values are approximate years behind each cutoff as of August 2026.

Approximate years since each cutoff date, measured from the August 2026 bulletin.

Why F2A is the most current family category

The family-based annual limit is approximately 226,000, and Congress allocates a large portion of that to the F2 category. Within F2, the “A” sub-category (spouses and minor children of LPRs) moves fastest because the beneficiary population is smaller and demand is comparatively contained. That is why F2A’s cutoff sits just a year behind the bulletin month, while F4 Mexico sits at 08APR01.

Even so, F2A is still a preference and still subject to the 7% per-country cap. That cap is the reason Mexico trails the general column by about a year (22JUL25 vs 22JUL26), since Mexican family demand is structurally high.

What 22JUL26 means for your case

The Final Action Date is when a visa number can actually be issued. If your F2A priority date is on or before July 22, 2026 (for All Areas, China, India, and the Philippines), you are Current in August 2026. If you were born in Mexico, you need a priority date on or before July 22, 2025. A later priority date means you wait for the cutoff to advance.

The F2A path in practice

The petition, Form I-130, carries a USCIS fee of $675, and USCIS reports a typical processing time of 10–16 months. Once the petition is approved and the priority date is Current, the beneficiary proceeds to a visa number — either through consular processing abroad or adjustment of status (Form I-485) if already in the U.S. The I-485 fee is $1,440; work and travel permits (I-765 $260, I-131 $630) are filed separately.

Planning around a near-current date

Because F2A is so close to the front of the line, applicants near the cutoff should watch the monthly bulletin carefully and prepare I-485 or consular paperwork early. Still, cutoffs can retrogress, so confirm the latest date before taking the final step.