
The F2A and F2B Visas have been designed for certain family members of existing lawful permanent residents or citizens in the US. The F2A Visa has been designed for the spouses and minor children of US citizens or LPRs. The F2B Visa has been created for an unmarried child aged over 21 years of age whose parents are LPRs or US citizens.
What is an F2A visa?
The F2A visa is a Second Preference Family Visa for the spouse and children of Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) There are many types of visas within the Family Preference visas and all denoted with the F prefix. One of these is the F2 visa, which is for spouses, minor children, as well as adult children of LPRs in foreign countries.
What is the difference between F2A and F2B?
Family Second Preference: F 2A: US permanent resident’s foreign national spouse and children who are unmarried and under the age of 21. F2B: US Permanent resident’s foreign national children who are unmarried and over the age of 21, including his/her illegitimate child. . 3. Family Third Preference:
What is a F2b visa for a minor?
The F2B visa is a U.S visa that issued to the spouse or unmarried minor children of U.S Lawful Permanent Residents. An adult child is defined as the birth or adopted child of an LPR who is over the age of 21 years old and is unmarried.
What are the benefits of F2B visa?
The F2B visa can give you the opportunity to reunite with your family. It also gives your adult child the opportunity to study and work in the U.S permanently and legally.

Who is eligible for F2B visa?
The F2 visa category is for spouses, minors, and adult children of U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents. The F2 visa provides two options: F2A visa – for spouses and minor children of LPRs. F2B visa – for unmarried children above 21 years of age of LPRs.
How long F2A visa takes?
Estimated timelineApplication stepsEstimated TimelineStep 1. USCIS processing of Form I-13011-15 months from the date of filingStep 2. USCIS Receipt Notice issued2 weeks from the date of filingStep 3. Visa number availability (F2A category)Varies (check the latest Visa Bulletin)Step 4. Form I-485 processing9-11 months4 more rows
What does F2A visa mean?
The F2A visa is a Family Based Green Card designed for spouses and unmarried children of U.S. permanent residents/Green card holders. The F2A along with the F2B Visa falls under the second category of the 'preference relative Green Cards'.
Who is eligible for F2A category?
Second preference (F2A) - spouses and children (unmarried and under 21 years of age) of lawful permanent residents; Second preference (F2B) - unmarried sons and daughters (21 years of age and older) of lawful permanent residents; Third preference (F3) - married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens; and.
How long F2B visa takes?
There is no specific F2B visa processing time. Since the number of such visas is limited, some people wait for two years. Delays are growing longer and longer, and there were also cases when individuals waited for as much as 7 years (although the latter is an extreme case).
How long will F2A stay current?
However in August, Mexico is no longer 'current', and the retrogression is brutal (more than 3 years, a 167 weeks to be precise)....How did the Final Action Date move in the past few months?F2ALast SixVisa BulletinFinal ActionMovementMay 2022May 1, 2022+4 weeksApr 2022Apr 1, 2022+4 weeks4 more rows
How long does F2A visa take 2022?
As of mid-2022, people in category F2A were facing no wait at all from most countries (with the exception of Mexico), but it's often about two years before the U.S. government can allot a visa number and allow someone to carry on with the application process for permanent residence, plus another ten months or so months ...
How much is F2A visa?
USD 325How much does it cost to apply for the F2A Visa? You need to pay the fee for the application process, which costs USD 325. Also, you will need to add a USD 120 fee for the Affidavit of Support, an essential document during the process.
How long does it take for NVC to schedule interview 2022?
How long does it take to get an appointment? Although NVC strives to schedule appointments within three months of NVC's acceptance of all requested documentation, this timeframe is subject to the operating status and capacity of the consular section.
Will F2B move forward in 2022?
See here for F2B Mexico and the Philippines....How did the Final Action Date move in the past few months?F2BLast SixVisa BulletinFinal ActionMovementJul 2022Sep 22, 2015NoneJun 2022Sep 22, 2015NoneMay 2022Sep 22, 2015None3 more rows
Is F2B immigrant visa?
The F2B Visa is part of the Family Immigration Visas that you can acquire for your family. F2B means second preference, and it's available for unmarried sons and daughters, who are 21 years of age and older of lawful permanent residents.
How long does it take for NVC to schedule interview 2022?
How long does it take to get an appointment? Although NVC strives to schedule appointments within three months of NVC's acceptance of all requested documentation, this timeframe is subject to the operating status and capacity of the consular section.
How can I expedite my F2A visa?
If a visa is available for your relative's category, and their case involves a life or death medical emergency, processing of your case may be expedited. To request a review for expedite, please submit a scanned letter (or statement) to [email protected] from a physician (or medical facility).
Is there cap for F2A visa?
The Family Preference visas have a limitation on their number. These visas have an allocated amount of 114,200 visas per year. This cap of visas is allocated in this way to the two categories: F2A visa gets at least 79,940 visas or 70% of the total number of visas.
How long does it take for NVC to send case to embassy?
After you have submitted all of your required documentation to the National Visa Center, paid the visa fees, and uploaded all of the necessary documents to your Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) portal, it can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months for the National Visa Center to review your documentation and ...
What Is the F2A Visa?
The F2A visa is a US immigrant visa for spouses or minor children of Green Card holders. This visa is designed to allow US Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) to bring these certain family members to the US permanently.
Who Can Obtain the F2A Visa?
To be able to apply for an F2A visa, you must fulfill the following conditions:
What Is the F2A Visa Processing Time?
The NVC processes visas in chronological order, so it depends on how many applications were before you. This means that it usually takes a year or more for your date to become current and thus the processing time is quite long.
What if the Petitioning LPR got a US Citizenship While the F2A Visa is Processing?
This means that the spouse and children qualify for a different type of visa, which is the Immediate Relative (IR) visa. This visa does not have a cap so the processing is much faster.
What is the F2A process?
The F2A application process is divided into two parts: The US Lawful Permanent Resident petitions for their spouse or minor children to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) When the petition is approved, the spouse or child must apply to a US Embassy or Consulate in their home country.
What is DS 260?
Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa Electronic Application is the form which all applicants for immigrant visas must submit. It is done online and it will inquire on your personal and background information, as well as reasons why you are immigrating to the US. It will also ask you to write your NVC case number and invoice ID number. You must fill in the appropriate sections and then submit it. After submission, you will receive a confirmation number page which you must submit to NVC as part of your documents file.
How many family preference visas are there?
The Family Preference visas have a limitation on their number. These visas have an allocated amount of 114,200 visas per year. This cap of visas is allocated in this way to the two categories:
What are the requirements for the F2B visa?
The F2B visa does not have extensive requirements for an applicant to be eligible. The following are the criteria for the applicant of the F2B visa:
How many visas does an F2B get?
F2B visa gets 34,260 visas or less than 30% of the total
What are the F2B visa fees?
The amounts vary and are set by USCIS, the Department of Homeland Security and the individual U.S Embassy or Consulate where you are applying. The main categories of fees that must be paid are as follows:
How long is the F2B visa processing time?
Because there is a limited amount of visas, many people end up waiting for 2 or more years, with extreme cases having waited for 7 years. That is why you must only wait until your date becomes current and then start the application process.
What if the petitioning LPR got a U.S citizenship while the F2B visa is processing?
With a U.S citizenship, the parent can then petition for the Immediate Relative (IR) visa for the adult child in a foreign country. The benefit of that is that IR visas do not have a cap and they have faster processing times. The parent can then have the opportunity to submit a new petition for the IR visa.
What is DS 260?
Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa Electronic Application is the form which all applicants for immigrant visas must submit. The application is online and will go through your personal or background information and why you want to immigrate to the U.S. You can access it by entering your NVC case number and invoice ID number. Fill in the sections that are necessary and after submitting it, you will get a confirmation page and number which you must submit to NVC as part of your documents file.
How many parts are needed for F2B visa?
The application for the F2B visa is completed in two parts:
What is an F2B visa?
The F2B visa is a USA visa that is exclusively issued to the adult children of U.S Lawful Permanent Residents. An unmarried adult child, who is over 21 years old must be a child of an LPR and has documents to support such as birth certificates or adoption papers. If one is married he/she must submit complete documents supporting that they are legally married.
How long does it take to get a F2B visa?
There is no exact time and date on how long it would take. There are only limited slots available per year, some people could wait between 1 to 10 years. You just have to wait for your date to become current.
What if the LPR Got a U.S Citizenship While the F2B Visa Is Still Processing?
If this happens, the parent can file a petition for an Immediate Relative (IR) visa for the adult child in a foreign country. The benefit of this is that IR visas do not have a cut-off and they offer a faster processing time. The newly certified U.S citizen parent is allowed to submit a new petition for the IR visa.
What is DS 260?
The applicant must comply and submit Form DS-260 which is the Immigrant Visa Electronic Application. You will fill in the data online, they will thoroughly check your background information as well as your reason why you want to immigrate to the U.S. After filling in the sections you will then submit it to NVC and you will get a confirmation page and ID number and it will be stored in your documents file.
What is the prefix for a family preference visa?
Family Preference Immigrant visa uses the prefix F to distinguish other visas. The F-2 visa is one type and it is classified into two types:
Can a married person get a F2B visa?
If one is married he/she must submit complete documents supporting that they are legally married. The F2B visa can give you the opportunity to reunite with your family. It also gives your adult child the opportunity to study and work in the U.S permanently and legally.
Do you have to wait for the next batch of F2B visas?
In the last step of filing a petition, the applicant must wait for their day to be current due to cut-offs given each year, therefore, the applicant must wait until you are in line for the next batch of F2B visas. The NVC is responsible for sending you a notification if your date is current and you can now begin applying for the visa.
What is the F1 preference?
First preference (F1) - unmarried sons and daughters (21 years of age and older) of U.S. citizens; Second preference (F2A) - spouses and children (unmarried and under 21 years of age) of lawful permanent residents; Second preference (F2B) - unmarried sons and daughters (21 years of age and older) of lawful permanent residents;
What is the F3 family preference?
Third preference (F3) - married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens; and. Fourth preference (F4) - brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens (if the U.S. citizen is 21 years of age and older). This page provides specific information for aliens in the United States who want to apply for lawful permanent resident status based on a family preference ...
What is the ground of inadmissibility for family preference immigrants?
As a family preference immigrant, the following ground of inadmissibility does not apply to you: Labor certification and qualifications for certain immigrants (INA 212 (a) (5)) If you are inadmissible, the law may allow you to apply for a waiver of inadmissibility or other form of relief.
What age can a child be F2B?
While your son started out in the F2a category, he no longer qualifies for that category when he turns 21. That is why there is the F2b category, LPR petitioning an unmarried child over age 21.
Does USCIS consider CSPA?
Actually I'd say that USCIS didn't need to even consider CSPA. They simply needed to determine if there exists a Petition-able Relationship between the Petitioner and Beneficiary but they do not determine what Visa category the beneficiary would fall under.
