A US citizen files an I-130 for a married son in Guatemala City or a sister in Mixco, or a green-card holder files one for an unmarried daughter in Huehuetenango, and then the case waits. How long depends on one line in a monthly State Department document, the Visa Bulletin. Guatemala has no column of its own in it. This page reads the October 2026 bulletin for Guatemala-born applicants, category by category, and shows how to compare it with your own case.
Quick summary: Guatemalan family cases use the All Chargeability column. October 2026 final action dates: F1 22 Jan 2020, F2A 22 Sep 2026, F2B 22 Aug 2019, F3 22 Oct 2014, F4 22 Oct 2011. Your case can move to visa issuance only if your priority date (the I-130 filing date on your I-797) is earlier than the date for your category. Spouses, minor unmarried children and parents of US citizens are not in this queue at all. For adjustment of status in the US this month, USCIS says family cases use the Dates for Filing chart.
October 2026: the numbers for Guatemala-born applicants
The bulletin is dated September 4, 2026 (CA/VO). The family charts have five chargeability columns: All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed, then mainland China-born, India, Mexico and the Philippines. The October 2026 bulletin gives Guatemala no column of its own, so its applicants use the first column.
| Category | Who it covers | Final Action Date | Dates for Filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens | 22JAN20 | 01FEB20 |
| F2A | Spouses and children of permanent residents | 22SEP26 | C (current) |
| F2B | Unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) of permanent residents | 22AUG19 | 01SEP19 |
| F3 | Married sons and daughters of US citizens | 22OCT14 | 01NOV14 |
| F4 | Brothers and sisters of adult US citizens | 22OCT11 | 01NOV11 |
An unmarried child under 21 of a US citizen is an immediate relative under USCIS’s rule (see below), not an F1 case. In the bulletin’s notation, a date means the category is oversubscribed, and C means current: numbers are authorised for all qualified applicants.
How to read your place in the line
- Find your priority date. USCIS says that for a family petition it is the date Form I-130 was properly filed with USCIS, and that it appears on the Form I-797 Notice of Action.
- Find your category in the table above (the petitioner’s status and your relationship decide it).
- Compare. The bulletin’s rule is that numbers are authorised only for applicants whose priority date is earlier than the final action date. USCIS puts it as: “A visa is available to you when your priority date is earlier than the cut-off date shown for your preference category and country of chargeability”.
Example. A US citizen filed an I-130 for her Guatemalan brother on 3 March 2011. That is earlier than the F4 final action date of 22 October 2011, so in October 2026 a visa number can be authorised for him. A sister petition filed on 15 June 2012 is later than both F4 dates (22OCT11 and 01NOV11) and keeps waiting.
What the cut-off dates say about the wait
The bulletin publishes cut-offs, not waiting times. Subtracting each October 2026 final action date from the bulletin month gives the age of the petitions being reached now:
| Category | Final action date | Petitions reached in October 2026 were filed |
|---|---|---|
| F2A | 22 Sep 2026 | a few weeks earlier |
| F1 | 22 Jan 2020 | about 6 years 8 months earlier |
| F2B | 22 Aug 2019 | about 7 years 1 month earlier |
| F3 | 22 Oct 2014 | about 12 years earlier |
| F4 | 22 Oct 2011 | about 15 years earlier |
That describes one month, not a forecast for your case. The dates move each month, and the bulletin’s own notes for October 2026 say some employment-based categories retrogressed (moved backwards) to stay within the fiscal-year limits.
Why the line exists: the annual numbers
The bulletin sets out the family-preference numbers from the Immigration and Nationality Act:
| Category | Annual numbers in the bulletin |
|---|---|
| F1 | 23,400, plus any numbers not required for F4 |
| F2 (F2A and F2B) | 114,200, plus any unused F1 numbers and any amount by which the worldwide family level exceeds 226,000; F2A gets 77%, F2B 23% |
| F3 | 23,400, plus any numbers not required by F1 and F2 |
| F4 | 65,000, plus any numbers not required by the first three preferences |
The worldwide family-sponsored minimum is 226,000 a year, and the per-country limit is 7% of the family and employment totals combined, which the bulletin puts at 25,620. Guatemala is not one of the countries the bulletin lists separately, so Guatemala-born applicants share the All Chargeability dates.
Who is not in the queue
USCIS says immigrant visas for immediate relatives of US citizens are unlimited, so they are always available. Immediate relatives are:
- spouses of US citizens;
- unmarried children under 21 of US citizens;
- parents of US citizens who are at least 21;
- widows and widowers of US citizens, if the citizen filed before dying or the widow(er) files within two years of the death.
A US citizen petitioning for a Guatemalan parent or spouse does not wait for a bulletin date. The case still goes through the I-130, the National Visa Center and the interview; see the immigrant visa interview in Guatemala City and the affidavit of support (I-864).
Two charts: Final Action and Dates for Filing
The Final Action chart says when a visa number can actually be issued. The Dates for Filing chart is earlier in the process: the bulletin says applicants with a priority date earlier than that date may assemble and submit the required documents to the National Visa Center once NVC sends them instructions.
For applicants already in the US who are adjusting status, USCIS decides each month which chart applies. For October 2026, its filing-charts page says that for all family-sponsored preference categories, applicants must use the Dates for Filing chart. When we read it on 8 October 2026, USCIS had not yet posted next month’s choice; the page said it was coming soon.
Is anything else holding Guatemalan cases?
From January 21, 2026 the State Department paused immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries, including Guatemala. Its notice, read on 23 September 2026, says that as of August 21, 2026, under a court order, that pause “is no longer in effect”; the government has appealed. The bulletin date and the pause are separate questions. The current status is tracked on the US immigrant visa pause page.
Related
- Diaspora hub
- Family Reunification Parole for Guatemalans: the parole route that ran alongside this queue
- K-1 fiancé(e) visa for a Guatemalan partner
Sources: US State Department, Visa Bulletin for October 2026 (Number 19, Volume XI, dated September 4, 2026; read 8 October 2026); USCIS pages on visa availability and priority dates, and on adjustment of status filing charts (read 8 October 2026); State Department immigrant visa pause notice (read 23 September 2026). The November 2026 bulletin was not available to us when this page was written; check travel.state.gov for the current month. General information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Visa Bulletin column applies to Guatemalans?
The All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed column. The October 2026 bulletin gives separate columns only to mainland China-born applicants, India, Mexico and the Philippines, so a Guatemala-born applicant reads the first column.
What are the Visa Bulletin dates for Guatemala in October 2026?
Final action dates in the All Chargeability column: F1 22JAN20, F2A 22SEP26, F2B 22AUG19, F3 22OCT14, F4 22OCT11. Dates for filing: F1 01FEB20, F2A current, F2B 01SEP19, F3 01NOV14, F4 01NOV11. The bulletin authorises visa numbers only for applicants whose priority date is earlier than the final action date.
How long is the wait for a brother or sister petition (F4)?
The bulletin does not publish a wait time, only a cut-off. In October 2026 the F4 final action date is 22 October 2011, so a sibling petition reaches the front of the line this month only if it was filed before that date: about 15 years before this bulletin. Cut-off dates move from month to month, so that gap describes this month, not a forecast.
Does the Visa Bulletin apply to spouses and parents of US citizens?
No. USCIS says immigrant visas for immediate relatives of US citizens are unlimited and always available. Immediate relatives are spouses of US citizens, unmarried children under 21 of US citizens, parents of US citizens who are at least 21, and certain widows and widowers. The Visa Bulletin queue applies to the preference categories F1 to F4.
Where do I find my priority date?
For a family petition, USCIS says the priority date is the date Form I-130 was properly filed with USCIS, and that you can find it on the Form I-797 Notice of Action for the petition.
Which chart do I use in October 2026, Final Action or Dates for Filing?
It depends on where the case is. For immigrant visa cases processed abroad, the bulletin says applicants whose priority date is earlier than the Dates for Filing date may assemble and submit documents to the National Visa Center after NVC notifies them. For adjustment of status inside the US, USCIS says that in October 2026 all family-sponsored categories must use the Dates for Filing chart.
