What is F2A category? How to track Priority Date, Visa Bulletin and NVC records

The F2A category is one of the family sponsorship categories that many people are interested in because it is for spouses and unmarried children under 21 years old of legal permanent residents in the United States.

However, F2A is not a case where you just need to submit I-130 and wait for USCIS.

The sponsor and the sponsored person need to monitor many different stages, especially Priority Date, Visa Bulletin, USCIS and NVC.

WHAT IS F2A?

F2A belongs to Family-Sponsored Second Preference.

This group includes:

Spouses of US permanent residents.

Unmarried children under 21 years of age of US permanent residents.

USCIS identifies F2A as a family-sponsored preference category and this group is subject to a limit on the number of immigrant visas according to immigration law.

Therefore, the F2A application needs to be tracked along with the Visa Bulletin instead of just checking the I-130 status.

WHO CAN SPONSOR F2A?

The F2A sponsor must be a Lawful Permanent Resident, a legal permanent resident of the United States.

The guarantor is often called the Green Card holder.

If the sponsor later becomes a US citizen, the application may have preference category changes depending on the family relationship and conditions of the application.

This is why information about the sponsor's status also needs to be managed in the file.

WHAT IS F2A'S PRIORITY DATE?

Priority Date is one of the most important data of an F2A profile.

This is the date that needs to be accurately saved for comparison with the Visa Bulletin.

Don't just write:

F2A 2024.

Should be saved exactly:

Category: F2A.

Priority Date: day/month/year.

Country of Chargeability.

USCIS Receipt Number.

Approval Date.

Later when Visa Bulletin changes, the system can use Priority Date to determine where the application is compared to the cut-off date.

IS F2A ALWAYS CURRENT?

F2A should not always be Current by default.

Visa availability changes from time to time.

In Visa Bulletin August 2026, F2A has a Final Action Date of 22 JUL 2026 for All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, China-mainland born, India and Philippines; Mexico has a date of JUL 22, 2025.

Also, F2A's Dates for Filing are listed as Current for all chargeability areas this month. [oai_citation:0‡Travel.State.Gov](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2026/visa-bulletin-for-august-2026.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

This only reflects the situation as of August 2026.

The date of August should not be used to predict the following months with certainty.

FINAL ACTION DATE AND DATES FOR FILING ARE DIFFERENT

This is a very confusing part.

Final Action Date relates to which visa numbers can be issued to eligible applications.

Dates for Filing reflects when the applicant may be allowed to assemble and submit documentation to NVC according to applicable conditions and instructions.

The Department of State also notes that for adjustment of status, USCIS will determine which chart is used each month. [oai_citation:1‡Travel.State.Gov](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2026/visa-bulletin-for-august-2026.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Therefore, one should not see F2A Current in one table and conclude that all other steps of the application are complete.

F2A AND USCIS

The first phase of many F2A filings begins with Form I-130.

The sponsor submits the petition for a qualifying relative.

After USCIS receives, the application will have a Receipt Number.

Users should save:

Receipt Number.

Priority Date.

The date USCIS receives the application.

Service Center if available.

USCIS notices.

Approval Date when the application is approved.

USCIS Approval is a very important milestone but does not always mean the beneficiary immediately receives a visa.

F2A AND NVC

For consular processing documents, after the documents are transferred to NVC, the beneficiary will enter another stage.

NVC may require steps related to:

Fees.

DS-260.

Affidavit of Support.

Civil Documents.

Additional documents if needed.

Users should manage these steps separately from USCIS.

A profile can:

USCIS Approved.

NVC is processing.

But there is no interview yet.

The t