July 2026 Visa Bulletin: Family Green Card Applicants Get the Earlier Filing Chart

The U.S. Department of State has released the Visa Bulletin for July 2026, and there is encouraging news for families waiting on green cards. For July, USCIS is allowing family-sponsored applicants to use the "Dates for Filing" chart — the more generous of the two charts — to submit their adjustment of status applications.

Two charts, explained simply

Every month the Visa Bulletin publishes two charts for each green card category:

• Final Action Dates — the date your case can actually be approved and a green card issued.
• Dates for Filing — an earlier date that tells you when you are allowed to submit your application, even if it cannot be approved yet.

When USCIS lets applicants use the Dates for Filing chart (as it is doing for family categories in July 2026), more people can get their paperwork on file sooner — which means work permits and travel documents can be requested earlier while they wait.

What the July 2026 family numbers look like

On the Dates for Filing chart, the family categories for most countries are:

• F2A (spouses and unmarried children under 21 of green card holders): Current for all countries — no waiting line to file.
• F1 (unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens): January 1, 2019
• F2B (unmarried adult children of green card holders): June 8, 2018
• F3 (married children of U.S. citizens): December 8, 2012
• F4 (brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens): March 1, 2010

If your priority date is earlier than the date listed for your category, you may be eligible to file in July. (India and Mexico have some earlier cut-offs in a few categories.)

What this means for you

If you have a family petition (Form I-130) on file and your priority date is now current under the Dates for Filing chart, July may be the month to move forward with your green card application (Form I-485). F2A families especially — spouses and young children of green card holders — can file right now, since that category is current for every country.

Keep in mind: being able to file is not the same as being approved. Final approval still depends on the Final Action Dates. But filing early lets you request a work permit and travel permission while your case is pending.

This post is general information, not legal advice. Your eligibility depends on your specific priority date, category, and immigration history.

We can help

Asal Immigration Services helps Columbus-area families read the Visa Bulletin, check their priority dates, and prepare accurate I-130 and I-485 packages. If you are not sure whether your date is current or what to file next, contact us for a consultation, or review our forms and guides to get started.