August 2026 Visa Bulletin: EB-2 India Unavailable, Filing Charts, and DV-2026 Deadlines

The August 2026 Visa Bulletin is now the controlling monthly reference for numerically limited immigrant-visa categories. It matters to people pursuing employment-based or family-based green cards through consular processing and to many applicants considering adjustment of status in the United States.

This article is a month-specific explainer, not legal advice. Visa availability can change before the next bulletin, USCIS chooses which filing chart applies to adjustment-of-status filings, and an individual case may have issues beyond a priority date. Check the official sources before filing or making travel and employment decisions.

What changed or needs the closest attention in August

• EB-2 India is unavailable in the Final Action Dates chart. That means immigrant visa numbers are not authorized for issuance in that category during August.
• EB-1 India is 15 October 2022 in the Final Action Dates chart. The Department of State warns that strong demand could make the category unavailable in the coming weeks if India reaches its pro-rated limit.
• EB-5 India unreserved is unavailable in the Final Action Dates chart, while the rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure set-asides remain current.
• DV-2026 has a hard end date: eligibility ends on 30 September 2026, and numbers may be exhausted before then.

Final Action Dates vs. Dates for Filing: do not confuse the charts

The bulletin uses two different charts. A Final Action Date determines whether an immigrant visa number is authorized for issuance. A Date for Filing can allow an applicant to begin document collection and submission in the consular process when the National Visa Center instructs them to do so.

For adjustment of status, USCIS decides which chart applies each month. The State Department bulletin specifically directs applicants to USCIS's monthly filing-chart page. Do not file Form I-485 just because the Dates for Filing chart looks favorable unless USCIS has said that chart may be used for August.

August 2026 employment-based Final Action Dates

The table below summarizes the Final Action Dates most likely to affect employment-based applicants. A date means the priority date must be earlier than the listed date. “C” means current; “U” means unavailable.

The listed EB-5 rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure set-aside categories are current for all listed chargeability areas in August. “Current” does not establish eligibility for a particular petition or application; it describes the visa-number side of the process only.

Why EB-2 India being unavailable matters

“Unavailable” is not the same as a denial, and it does not erase an approved petition or priority date. It means no immigrant visa number is authorized for issuance in that category during the month. The Department of State says it will keep monitoring demand and use of numbers to stay within the fiscal-year limit.

Applicants with an employment-based case should avoid treating a single monthly bulletin as a promise of future movement. The August bulletin also notes that dates may retrogress or categories may become unavailable when annual, category, or per-country limits are reached.

Family-based highlights

For family-sponsored cases, the August Final Action Dates include F2A at 22 July 2026 for most chargeability areas, 22 July 2025 for Mexico, and 22 July 2026 for the Philippines. The Dates for Filing chart lists F2A as current for all chargeability areas, but again, an adjustment-of-status applicant must first confirm USCIS's monthly chart-selection notice.

Other family categories remain backlogged. For example, the Final Action Dates chart lists F1 at 15 December 2018 for most areas, F3 at 15 May 2012, and F4 at 1 September 2009. Mexico, India, China mainland-born, and the Philippines can have different cut-off dates, so country of chargeability matters.

DV-2026 selectees: act before the fiscal-year deadline

The August bulletin gives DV-2026 regional cut-offs and warns that eligibility ends on 30 September 2026. It also says availability through the end of the fiscal year cannot be taken for granted because numbers can run out earlier. A selection notice alone is not a visa and does not reserve a number.

For August, the regional cut-offs are 60,000 for Africa (with lower limits for Algeria and Egypt), 40,000 for Asia (13,500 for Nepal), 29,000 for Europe, 2,050 for Oceania, and 4,000 for South America and the Caribbean. Applicants should use the official bulletin and their own rank number rather than a generalized social-media claim about whether a region is “current.”

A practical August checklist

1. Find your category, country of chargeability, and priority date in the official August bulletin.
2. Determine whether you need the Final Action Dates or Dates for Filing chart for your next step.
3. If filing adjustment of status, check USCIS's August chart-selection notice before preparing Form I-485.
4. If your category is unavailable, preserve your records and monitor the next bulletin; do not infer an approval or denial from the monthly availability label alone.
5. If you are a DV-2026 selectee, move promptly and use the official instructions for your specific case.

How this differs from July

Our July 2026 Visa Bulletin article explained the earlier monthly situation. This page is the August update: it adds the current cut-offs, the EB-1 India caution, the EB-5 India unreserved status, and the approaching DV-2026 deadline. Treat each bulletin as a dated snapshot rather than relying on a prior month.

Official sources

Use the Department of State's August 2026 Visa Bulletin for the full tables, notes, and regional DV cut-offs. For adjustment of status, use USCIS's Visa Bulletin information page to confirm which chart USCIS permits for that month.