F2A priority dates in the Visa Bulletin

F2A covers spouses and unmarried children under 21 of lawful permanent residents. It is the family preference category with the shortest queue and the most unusual mechanics, and it is the one where reading the wrong chart costs people the most, because the two charts have often said very different things.

The tables below show where the cut-off stands now, how it moved from the previous month, and the verified history from the State Department's own documents.

Written and checked by the QueueCheck editorial team. Last checked September 29, 2026. How we verify information

Where F2A stands in October 2026

Final Action Dates

22SEP26

All other chargeability areas. A visa number can be authorized only for priority dates earlier than a listed cut-off.

Dates for Filing

Current

USCIS has not yet named the chart that governs family-sponsored adjustment filings for October 2026, checked 2026-09-29. Both dates above are the bulletin's own.

Against September 2026, the final action cut-off advanced 31 days.

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Verified history, month by month

Every row is transcribed from the State Department's published bulletin document for that month, never from trackers or memory. The table grows as months are added.

F2A verified monthly cut-offs
Bulletin month	Final Action	Dates for Filing
October 2026	22SEP26	C
September 2026	22AUG26	C
August 2026	22JUL26	C
July 2026	01JAN25	C
June 2026	01JAN25	C
May 2026	01AUG24	C
April 2026	01FEB24	C
March 2026	01FEB24	22FEB26
February 2026	01FEB24	22JAN26
January 2026	01FEB24	22DEC25
December 2025	01FEB24	22NOV25
November 2025	01FEB24	22OCT25
October 2025	01FEB24	22SEP25

The exemption that makes F2A move differently

F2A receives 77 percent of the 114,200-visa second preference allocation, and the bulletin's own notes state that 75 percent of F2A numbers are exempt from the per-country limit. The exemption is why the Mexico column usually sits close to the worldwide date here while sitting years behind it in every other family category.

The category has also swung between a cut-off and Current more than any other family line, and its filing chart has stayed open while its final action chart carried a date. When both charts appear below, the difference between them is the difference between being allowed to file and being reachable for a decision.

F2A: spouses and children of permanent residents: every country in October 2026

The same category across all chargeability areas, both charts. Your column is your country of birth, not citizenship or residence.

F2A: spouses and children of permanent residents cut-offs by chargeability area
Chart	All other chargeability areas	China (mainland born)	India	Mexico	Philippines
Final Action	22SEP26	22SEP26	22SEP26	22MAR26	22SEP26
Dates for Filing	C	C	C	C	C

Common questions

The filing chart says Current and the final action chart shows a date. Which applies to me?

Both, for different actions. A Current filing chart means an application can be submitted, and USCIS's monthly designation decides whether that chart governs adjustment filings. The final action date decides when a visa number can actually be authorized. A case can be fileable and still waiting for final action in the same month.

My spouse just got a green card. Does my wait start now?

Your place in line is the priority date, set when the I-130 petition is filed. Filing sooner fixes an earlier place regardless of where the cut-off stands at that moment, which matters in a category whose cut-off has moved in jumps of a year or more.

Sources and scope

Transcribed from the Department of State's October 2026 Visa Bulletin (Number 19, Volume XI), checked against both the official HTML page and the seven-page published PDF. The published document contains the family-sponsored and employment-based charts and no Diversity Visa table. USCIS's separate October adjustment-of-status chart selection had not been posted when checked on September 29, 2026. The USCIS chart designation is verified on its filing-charts page when each month is entered. This page records position, never predictions, and none of it is legal advice; the official pages govern wherever anything differs.

Other tracked categories

Background reading: how to read the Visa Bulletin and the US Green Card wait page.

Plan the steps after your priority date is reached

The bulletin answers visa availability. If permanent residence later begins, these resources cover the separate setup, card-delivery and travel questions that follow.