The F-2A visa category covers spouses and unmarried children (under 21) of lawful permanent residents, meaning green card holders. It is one of the more closely watched family preference categories because F-2A priority dates move, stall, and sometimes retrogress with little warning.
If someone in your family filed an I-130 petition for you under F-2A, or if you filed one for a spouse or child, keeping up with the monthly visa bulletin is one of the most important things you can do. Missing a date movement can delay your case by months.
What Is the F-2A Category?
The F-2A category is part of the US family-based preference system. It sits below the immediate relative category (which has no annual cap) and is subject to annual numerical limits. That cap is why there is a waiting period at all.
The two groups covered are:
- Spouses of lawful permanent residents (green card holders)
- Unmarried children under 21 of lawful permanent residents
Once a petitioner becomes a US citizen, the relationship often upgrades to an immediate relative, which removes the wait. That upgrade is worth knowing about.
Why Priority Dates Matter
When USCIS approves an I-130 petition, the applicant gets a priority date. That date is basically their place in line. Every month, the State Department publishes the visa bulletin, which shows which priority dates are now "current," meaning those applicants can move forward with their green card application.
F-2A has historically been one of the faster-moving family preference categories, but it is not immune to retrogression. Retrogression is when a priority date moves backward, usually because too many visas were used in the prior month.
Watching the visa bulletin each month tells you:
- Whether your priority date is current yet
- Whether the date moved forward, stayed flat, or went back
- Whether USCIS is accepting adjustment of status (Form I-485) applications based on Chart A (Final Action Dates) or Chart B (Dates for Filing)
What to Watch in 2026
Here are the key things an F-2A applicant or petitioner should track this year:
- Monthly visa bulletin releases (published by the State Department, usually in the third week of each month)
- USCIS's acceptance of Chart B (Dates for Filing) vs. Chart A, since USCIS decides each month which chart to use for adjustment of status
- I-130 processing times at the National Visa Center (NVC) and at the relevant US consulate for those doing consular processing
- Policy memos from USCIS that affect adjustment of status eligibility or interview requirements
- Country-specific movement, since countries like Mexico and the Philippines can have different cutoff dates than the "worldwide" row
How to Stay on Top of It Without Checking Sites Daily
The visa bulletin comes out once a month, but the news around it, policy changes, USCIS fee updates, and processing time shifts, happens more often. Checking government websites manually every few days is tedious and easy to miss.
A tool like AIDular can do that checking for you on a schedule. You set up what you want tracked in plain English, pick how often you want updates, and AIDular sends you a clean email report with sources. No more refreshing the State Department site hoping the bulletin dropped.
Here is a copy-paste prompt you can use to set up your own F-2A tracker on AIDular:
"Send me a weekly update on the F-2A visa category. Include the latest visa bulletin priority dates for F-2A worldwide and for Mexico and Philippines if different, any USCIS announcements about I-130 or adjustment of status, and changes to NVC or consular processing times for family preference cases."
The Lite plan is free at aidular.com, so there is no cost to get started.
A Quick Note on Legal Advice
Everything here is general information only. Immigration rules change, and individual cases depend on many factors, including your country of birth, your petitioner's status, and your own history. Always confirm current dates and policies on official sources like uscis.gov and the State Department visa bulletin. For advice specific to your situation, talk to a licensed immigration attorney.
Staying informed is free and easy. Acting on accurate information is what moves your case forward.