The U.S. Department of State published the Visa Bulletin for October 2026, featuring a significant advancement for the F2A category, which includes spouses and children under 21 years old and unmarried of permanent residents.
For the countries included in the column All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, which generally encompasses cases for individuals born in Cuba, the final action date for F2A moves forward from August 22, 2026, to September 22, 2026.
This represents a one-month advance compared to the Visa Bulletin for September and may benefit certain applicants who were awaiting visa availability within that category.
The progress, however, does not mean that a permanent residence or an immigrant visa is automatically approved. The applicant's priority date must be prior to the corresponding cutoff date, and the case must meet all other immigration requirements.
Dates for family petitions in October 2026
These are the Final Action Dates for October in the column that usually corresponds to Cuba:
F1: January 22, 2020.
F2A: September 22, 2026.
F2B: August 22, 2019.
F3: October 22, 2014.
F4: October 22, 2011.
When comparing this data with September, only F2A shows progress for this column. F1, F2B, F3, and F4 maintain the same final action dates.
What does the F2A category mean?
The F2A category corresponds to the spouses and unmarried children under 21 years of age of lawful permanent residents of the United States.
For example, a person who has permanent residency — Green Card — and filed a family petition I-130 for their husband, wife, or minor child may have a case classified under F2A.
The progress up to September 22, 2026 means that, in terms of numerical visa availability, cases eligible with a priority date earlier than that date can reach the final action stage, provided that all other requirements are met.
What is the filing date?
The priority date is generally the date on which USCIS correctly received the I-130 family petition. This date appears on the case notifications and determines the beneficiary's position within the categories subject to annual limits.
To find out if a visa is available, the applicant must compare their priority date with the date published each month in the Visa Bulletin.
If the priority date is earlier than the final action date published for your category and country of applicability, numerical availability exists for the Government to make a final decision on the visa or adjustment of status, provided the applicant meets the other requirements.
F2A also appears as "Current" for submitting documents
The October Bulletin contains a second table titled Dates for Filing, which outlines when certain applicants can begin to submit documentation for the immigrant visa process.
In that table, the category F2A appears as “C” —Current— for all countries.
This means that, for the purposes of that table, there is no priority cut-off date for F2A, and applicants in the consular process can proceed with submitting documents when the National Visa Center (NVC) instructs them to do so.
This possibility of presenting documentation should not be confused with the availability to finally issue the visa. The Final Action Dates table remains relevant for that decision.
October Filing Dates for Family Cases
For the applicable column in general to Cuba, the submission dates for October are:
F1: February 1, 2020.
F2A: Current (without cutoff date).
F2B: September 1, 2019.
F3: November 1, 2014.
F4: November 1, 2011.
These dates remain unchanged from the September bulletin for that column.
What do F1, F2B, F3, and F4 mean?
F1: unmarried sons and daughters, 21 years of age or older, of U.S. citizens.
F2A: spouses and children under 21 years old and unmarried of permanent residents.
F2B: unmarried sons and daughters aged 21 or older of permanent residents.
F3: children of U.S. citizens who are married.
F4: brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens aged 21 and older.
These categories are subject to annual numerical limits, which can result in waitlists of several years.
What happens with the immediate family members of U.S. citizens?
The Visa Bulletin does not operate in the same way for those called immediate relatives of U.S. citizens.
This category includes, among others, the spouses of U.S. citizens, their unmarried children under 21 years old, and the parents of U.S. citizens who are 21 years or older.
Visas for these immediate relatives are not subject to the same annual quotas as the F1, F2A, F2B, F3, and F4 categories, so they do not have to wait for a cut-off date to advance in these tables.
Who is adjusting their status within the United States?
People seeking to submit the I-485 Form to adjust status within the United States must exercise special caution.
USCIS determines each month whether applicants can use the Dates for Filing chart or if they must use the Final Action Dates to submit the I-485.
Therefore, before submitting a status adjustment application, it is necessary to consult the official USCIS page on Visa Bulletin tables for the month in which you plan to file the form.
The State Department itself warns that the dates in the Bulletin may advance, remain unchanged, or even move back in subsequent months, depending on demand and the number of visas available.
For Cubans with family petitions, the October Bulletin especially represents good news in F2A, but each case must be analyzed according to its category, priority date, place of birth, processing method, and individual immigration situation.
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