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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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The State Department’s June 2026 Visa Bulletin brings a significant advance for spouses and children of green card holders, while Indian applicants in two major employment-based categories face longer waits.
Many family‑based timelines remain steady, and most employment‑based timelines are unchanged, with limited forward movement in a small number of categories and clear signals of potential pressure building in certain groups.
For applicants, this means timelines are still improving in parts of the system, though gains on the employment side are limited and concentrated in a few categories where more people may now be able to move closer to approval.
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Here are the most important takeaways from the latest update:
- The biggest change is for spouses and children of green card holders (F2A), where wait times moved forward by about five months across every country
- There’s a small step forward for some families, including adult children of green card holders (F2B) in most countries and siblings of U.S. citizens (F4) in a couple of regions
- Mexico also saw a modest improvement in one family category (F1), while most other countries in that group saw no change
- For employment-based green card categories, India went backward in EB-1 and EB-2, meaning longer waits for affected applicants.
- Elsewhere on the work side, only a few small gains appeared, limited to one category (EB‑3) for China and India, while most other timelines stayed exactly the same
Final Action Dates vs Dates for Filing
The visa bulletin uses two key dates to show where applications stand.
Final Action Dates are the most important. They show when a green card can actually be approved. If your priority date is earlier than this, a visa is available, and your case can move forward.
Dates for Filing come earlier in the process. They tell you when you are allowed to submit your paperwork. If your priority date falls before this date, you can start your application, even if a green card is not yet available.
In simple terms, the filing date gets you in line, while the final action date is when you reach the front of it.
What the Bulletin Says About Pressure Building
The State Department is more specific about where pressure is building than the headline figures suggest.
The June bulletin confirms that the backward movement for India in EB‑1 and EB‑2 is already the result of heavy demand, with officials saying they had to move those dates back to stay within annual limits.
It also singles out three other categories where problems could emerge next.
For China, officials warn that the EB‑2 category could face similar cutbacks in the coming months if demand continues to rise.
For the Philippines, the bulletin flags the EB‑3 category as another area at risk of delays or even becoming temporarily unavailable later this year.
And for India, there is a separate warning in the EB‑5 investor category, where strong demand could force a future rollback or closure if visa numbers run out.
In other words, while most categories are holding steady, the bulletin makes clear that pressure is concentrating in a handful of specific queues rather than across the system as a whole.
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Full List of Changes in the June Visa Bulletin
Family-Sponsored Visas
Movement in family-sponsored visas remains limited, with only incremental changes compared to May.
F1—Unmarried Adult Children of U.S. Citizens
- For most countries, the Final Action Date remains at September 1, 2017, showing no movement compared with May
- The key change is for Mexico, which advances from August 15, 2007, to November 8, 2007, showing a few months of progress.
- The Philippines also remains unchanged at May 1, 2013.
- Dates for Filing do not move for any region and remain at October 1, 2018, for all countries apart from the Philippines, which stays at April 22, 2015.
F2A—Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents
This category stands out as the most significant area of movement in the June bulletin.
- Final Action Dates advance significantly across all regions.
- For All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, as well as China and India, the date moves from August 1, 2024, in May to January 1, 2025, in June.
- Mexico follows the same pattern, shifting from August 1, 2023 to January 1, 2024, while the Philippines also moves forward from August 1, 2024 to January 1, 2025.
- Dates for Filing remain current for all countries, unchanged from May, meaning applicants can continue to submit paperwork regardless of their priority date.
Why the F2A Jump Matters
The sharp improvement for spouses and children of green card holders (F2A) is not just about the headline dates moving forward.
The bulletin also explains how visas in this category are split between two groups.
Some visas are "exempt" from country limits, meaning they are available more broadly, while others are "subject" to those limits and are allocated more tightly depending on demand from each country.
In June, the cut-off for the exempt group moves to January 1, 2024, while the cut-off for the more limited group runs up to January 1, 2025 for most countries, with Mexico treated separately outside those limits.
This helps explain why the F2A category can sometimes move more quickly than others—and why the improvement in June is especially significant for a large number of applicants.
F2B—Unmarried Adult Children of Permanent Residents
There is steady forward movement here.
- Final Action Dates for most countries move from May 22, 2017, to September 22, 2017
- Mexico remains unchanged at February 15, 2009
- The Philippines also stays fixed at April 8, 2013
Filing dates also advance from January 1, 2018, to March 22, 2018, for most applicants. Mexico and the Philippines remain unchanged at May 15, 2010, and October 1, 2013, respectively.
F3—Married Children of U.S. Citizens
This category shows no meaningful movement.
Final Action Dates and Filing Dates remain fixed across all regions.
F4—Siblings of Adult U.S. Citizens
Movement is modest.
- Final Action Dates for most countries advance from September 15, 2008 to November 8, 2008 for China and All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed
- India, Mexico and the Philippines remain fixed
For All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed and China, Filing Dates move forward from September 1, 2009 to December 22, 2009, allowing some additional applicants to begin the process. All other filing dates are unchanged.
Employment-Based Visas
The employment side shows limited forward movement, but two key categories for India move backward.
EB-1—Priority Workers
Most countries remain current, with no change.
However:
- India moves backward slightly, from April 1, 2023, in May to December 15, 2022, in June, indicating growing demand pressure
All Filing Dates remain unchanged.
EB-2—Advanced Degrees and Exceptional Ability
Most countries stay current, with no change.
However:
- India retrogresses sharply, moving from July 15, 2014 back to September 1, 2013
Filing Dates are unchanged for all countries.
EB-3—Skilled Workers and Professionals
This category shows limited forward movement.
- Final Action Dates for most countries hold at June 1, 2024
- China moves forward slightly, from June 15, 2021, to August 1, 2021
- India inches ahead from November 15, 2013, to December 15, 2013
- The Philippines remains stable at August 1, 2023
Filing Dates remain either current or unchanged from May.
EB-3—Other Workers
There is some forward progress:
- China advances from February 1, 2019 to April 1, 2019 for the Final Action Date
- India inches forward one month from November 15, 2013, to December, 15, 2013 for the Final Action Date
- Other countries remain unchanged for Final Action Dates
Filing Dates hold steady with no changes.
EB-4—Special Immigrants
This category sees no movement across Final Action or Filing Dates across any country.
Certain Religious Workers
This category sees no movement across Final Action or Filing Dates across any country.
EB-5—Investor Visas
The EB‑5 category remains unchanged.
What Happens Next
Looking ahead, the State Department is clear: further retrogression or even category closures are possible later this fiscal year if demand continues to increase.
For applicants, that makes this period of forward movement important—but potentially temporary.
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