F2A Family second preference A: spouse or minor child of a permanent resident
F2A is for the husband, wife or unmarried child under 21 of a green card holder. It is the fastest of the capped family categories and in September 2026 it is close to current for almost everyone, because three quarters of its numbers are exempt from the per-country limit. It exists because a permanent resident, unlike a citizen, cannot bring a spouse in as an immediate relative.
- Срок
- permanent
- Продление
- Not applicable. If the marriage is under two years old when residence is granted the card is conditional for two years and Form I-751 is required; otherwise the card runs ten years and is renewed on Form I-90.
- Работа
- Yes, without restriction once residence is granted. There is no work permit attached to a pending F2A petition. A spouse who is inside the country and eligible to adjust can request an EAD on Form I-765 under (c)(9) once the I-485 is filed.
- Члены семьи
- A spouse's unmarried children under 21 are derivative beneficiaries with the same priority date and may follow to join. A child beneficiary's own children are not derivatives.
- Путь к грин-карте
- The petition is the path. When the priority date is current the beneficiary consular processes on the DS-260 or, if lawfully present and eligible, files Form I-485. If the petitioner naturalises while the case is pending, the petition automatically upgrades - a spouse becomes an immediate relative with no queue at all, and a child under 21 becomes IR-2.
- Срок рассмотрения
- The queue is short. With a September 2026 final action date of 22AUG26 for all chargeability areas except Mexico, F2A is effectively current, so the real wait is USCIS adjudication of the I-130 and then either NVC processing or I-485 adjudication. Mexico, at 22AUG25, is about a year behind. USCIS adjudication figures are at egov.uscis.gov/processing-times and are unverified here.
- Годовая квота и очереди
- F2A takes 77% of the overall family second preference limit, and 75% of the F2A numbers are exempt from the per-country limit. The second preference limit is 114,200 plus any amount by which the worldwide family limit exceeds 226,000 plus unused first preference numbers, within the FY2026 worldwide family-sponsored limit of 226,000; the per-country limit is 28,862 (29,136 with carryover). September 2026 final action dates: all chargeability areas 22AUG26, China-mainland born 22AUG26, India 22AUG26, Mexico 22AUG25, Philippines 22AUG26. Dates for filing are C (current) for every chargeability area including Mexico. For September the per-country-exempt F2A numbers go to applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than 22AUG25; the numbers subject to the per-country limit go to all countries except Mexico with dates from 22AUG25 up to 22AUG26, and every F2A number for Mexico is exempt from the per-country limit.
Кто подходит
- The legally married spouse of a lawful permanent resident
- The unmarried child under 21 of a lawful permanent resident
- The unmarried children under 21 of that spouse, as derivative beneficiaries
- A spouse or child abused by the permanent resident, who may self-petition under VAWA instead and skip the sponsor entirely
Требования
- Proof the petitioner is a lawful permanent resident - a copy of the green card or the I-551 stamp
- Proof of the marriage or the parent-child relationship, and that any prior marriages ended
- Evidence a marriage is bona fide
- The beneficiary must remain unmarried if qualifying as a child, and married to the petitioner if qualifying as a spouse
- A current priority date under the Visa Bulletin
- Admissibility under INA 212(a) or an available waiver
- Form I-864 from the permanent resident at 125% of the poverty guidelines, or a joint sponsor
- A medical examination
Как подать
- 1
The permanent resident files Form I-130, with Form I-130A for a spouse, plus proof of residence and proof the relationship is real.
- 2
Note the priority date. Watch the Visa Bulletin - F2A dates for filing were current for every country in September 2026, so document assembly can usually begin at once.
- 3
For a beneficiary abroad: pay the DS-260 and Affidavit of Support fees, file the DS-260, submit Form I-864 and civil documents to the National Visa Center, then attend the consular interview after the medical exam.
- 4
Enter on the immigrant visa and pay the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee.
- 5
For a beneficiary lawfully in the United States: file Form I-485 once the final action date is current, or on the dates for filing chart in a month when USCIS authorises it.
- 6
If the petitioner naturalises at any point, send USCIS proof so the petition upgrades to immediate relative and leaves the queue.
Сборы и формы
| Form I-130 petition, paper filing | $675 |
| Form I-130 petition, online filing | $625 |
| DS-260 immigrant visa application processing | $325 per person |
| Affidavit of Support review by the National Visa Center | $120 |
| USCIS Immigrant Fee | $235 |
| Form I-485, applicant 14 or older, paper | $1,440 |
| Form I-485, applicant under 14 filing with a parent's I-485, paper | $950 |
| Form I-765 work permit filed with an I-485 submitted on or after 1 April 2024 | $260 |
| Form I-751 to remove conditions where the marriage was under two years old | $750 paper, $700 online |
Что изменилось в 2025 и 2026 годах
- September 2026 Visa Bulletin - F2A dates for filing are current for all countries and the final action date has advanced to 22AUG26 for all chargeability areas except Mexico. The Department of State attributes the advance across categories to reduced issuance for nationals affected by Presidential Proclamations 10949 and 10998 and warns that retrogression or unavailability may follow before 30 September 2026.
- 1 January 2026 - annual inflation adjustment to the H.R. 1 fees.
- 29 April 2026 - DHS final rule implementing the H.R. 1 fees and related procedures.
- May 2026 - USCIS guidance treating adjustment of status as an extraordinary exercise of discretion.
- 20 July 2026 - public charge final rule rescinding the 2022 regulations, effective 18 September 2026. F2A sponsors are permanent residents, often with modest income, so the restored breadth of officer discretion matters here more than in most categories.
- FY2026 - worldwide family-sponsored limit 226,000, per-country limit 28,862, dependent area limit 8,247.
Где чаще всего ошибаются
- A child beneficiary turning 21 and dropping from F2A into F2B, which in September 2026 sits at 22AUG19 - a seven-year setback. Run the CSPA calculation early.
- Assuming the petitioner's naturalisation always accelerates things. It does for a spouse and an under-21 child, but a child who has already turned 21 converts to F1, not F2B, and F1 is slower for Mexico and the Philippines.
- Adjusting status after entering without inspection. Unlike immediate relatives, F2A beneficiaries get no help from INA 245(c) and generally cannot adjust without a 245(i) grandfather.
- Filing while the marriage is under two years old and then forgetting the I-751 two years later.
- Reading the F2A line without reading the paragraph beneath it. The exempt and non-exempt split, and the special treatment of Mexico, change which applicants can actually be issued a number in a given month.
Также в категории Family preference
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