F3 Family third preference: married son or daughter of a U.S. citizen
F3 is for the married son or daughter of a U.S. citizen, at any age. It is the category people land in when an F1 beneficiary marries, and it is one of the slowest lines in the system. Its advantage over F1 is that the beneficiary's spouse and children come along as derivatives.
- Duration
- permanent
- Extensions
- Not applicable. Residence is unconditional and the card is renewed with Form I-90 every ten years.
- Work
- Yes, without restriction once residence is granted, for the principal and every derivative. A pending F3 petition confers nothing.
- Dependents
- The spouse and unmarried children under 21 of the principal are derivative beneficiaries with the same priority date under INA 203(d), and may accompany or follow to join. This is the practical reason a beneficiary who is going to marry anyway is not always worse off in F3 than in F1 - though the wait is longer.
- Path to a green card
- The petition is the path. When the priority date is current the whole family either consular processes on separate DS-260s or, if lawfully present, files separate I-485s. If the beneficiary divorces before residence is granted, the petition reverts to F1 and the derivative spouse is lost.
- Processing time
- Queue-driven. A September 2026 final action date of 22OCT14 for most chargeability areas implies a wait of about twelve years; Mexico, at 01JUL01, is over twenty-five years; the Philippines, at 22FEB06, over twenty. Derived from the September 2026 Visa Bulletin. USCIS adjudication times are separate and unverified here.
- Annual cap and waiting lines
- 23,400 a year plus any numbers not required by the first and second preferences, within the FY2026 worldwide family-sponsored limit of 226,000. Per-country limit 28,862 (29,136 with carryover); dependent area limit 8,247 (8,325 with carryover). September 2026 final action dates: all chargeability areas 22OCT14, China-mainland born 22OCT14, India 22OCT14, Mexico 01JUL01, Philippines 22FEB06. Dates for filing: all areas, China and India 01NOV14, Mexico 15JUL01, Philippines 08AUG06.
Who qualifies
- A married son or daughter of a U.S. citizen, of any age
- The spouse of that son or daughter, as a derivative beneficiary
- The unmarried children under 21 of that son or daughter, as derivative beneficiaries
- A person who was an F1 beneficiary and married - the petition converts automatically to F3 and keeps its priority date
Requirements
- Proof of the petitioner's U.S. citizenship
- Proof of the parent-child relationship
- Proof of the beneficiary's marriage, and that it is bona fide, if a spouse is claiming derivative status
- A current priority date under the Visa Bulletin
- Admissibility under INA 212(a) or an available waiver for each family member
- Form I-864 from the citizen parent, or a joint sponsor, covering the whole family group
- A medical examination for each applicant
How to apply
- 1
The citizen parent files a single Form I-130 for the married son or daughter. Derivatives are not separately petitioned.
- 2
Wait. The September 2026 final action date for most of the world is 22OCT14, so plan on more than a decade.
- 3
When the dates for filing chart reaches the priority date, the National Visa Center opens the case and collects the DS-261, fees, Form I-864 and civil documents for the principal and every derivative.
- 4
When the final action date passes the priority date, each applicant completes a medical exam and attends the consular interview together.
- 5
Enter on the immigrant visas and pay the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee for each person.
- 6
If any family member is lawfully in the United States, they may file Form I-485 instead once the date is current.
Fees and forms
| Form I-130 petition, paper filing | $675 |
| Form I-130 petition, online filing | $625 |
| DS-260 immigrant visa application processing | $325 per person, including each derivative |
| Affidavit of Support review by the National Visa Center | $120 |
| USCIS Immigrant Fee | $235 per person |
| 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 |
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- September 2026 Visa Bulletin - dates advanced across family categories because issuance to nationals affected by Presidential Proclamations 10949 and 10998 has fallen; the Department of State warns retrogression may be needed and that categories may go unavailable 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. With a whole family group on one Affidavit of Support, the household size calculation and the restored officer discretion matter more here.
- FY2026 - worldwide family-sponsored limit 226,000, per-country limit 28,862.
Where it goes wrong
- Divorcing during the wait in the belief that it helps. It converts the case back to F1, which is faster, but the spouse loses derivative status entirely and children remain derivatives only of the principal.
- Children ageing out over a twenty-year wait. CSPA subtracts the petition's pending time, but with F3 waits this long many children are past saving, and each must seek to acquire residence within one year of visa availability.
- Underestimating the Affidavit of Support. The sponsor must cover the principal plus every derivative, which for a family of five is a materially higher income threshold.
- Assuming a spouse acquired after the priority date still qualifies as a derivative. The spouse must be married to the principal before residence is granted, and the relationship is scrutinised.
- For Mexican nationals in particular, treating F3 as a real plan. At 01JUL01 in September 2026, a petition filed today is a bequest, not an immigration strategy.
Also in family preference
Not sure this is the one? Describe your situation and the finder will name the options worth exploring. None of this is legal advice; eligibility turns on facts a page cannot see.