Family Preference Categories

Visa overview

The family preference categories cover relationships beyond the immediate relative group: adult children of US citizens, spouses and unmarried children of lawful permanent residents, married children of US citizens, and siblings of adult US citizens. All are subject to annual numerical limits, which creates a queue. Your place in that queue is set by your priority date — the date the petition was properly filed — and by your country of chargeability. The published visa bulletin shows which priority dates are currently being processed. For some categories and countries the wait is measured in many years, which makes early filing and accurate record-keeping genuinely consequential.

Who may qualify

• F1 — unmarried sons and daughters aged 21 or over of US citizens
• F2A — spouses and unmarried children under 21 of lawful permanent residents
• F2B — unmarried sons and daughters aged 21 or over of lawful permanent residents
• F3 — married sons and daughters of US citizens
• F4 — brothers and sisters of US citizens who are at least 21 years old

This is general information about the category, not an assessment of your circumstances.

Key requirements

• A petitioner who is a US citizen or lawful permanent resident, as the category requires
• Documentary evidence of the qualifying relationship
• A priority date that has become current for your category and country of chargeability
• An affidavit of support meeting the income requirement, or a qualifying joint sponsor
• Admissibility, including the medical examination and police certificates

Typical application process

1. 1The petitioner files the family petition, establishing the priority date
2. 2On approval, the case waits until the priority date becomes current in the visa bulletin
3. 3Keep addresses and civil status updated with the authorities throughout the wait — this matters
4. 4When the date is current, the National Visa Center collects fees, forms and civil documents
5. 5The petitioner submits the affidavit of support with financial evidence
6. 6The applicant completes the medical examination and attends the consular interview
7. 7On approval, the applicant enters the United States as a permanent resident

Documents commonly required

• Evidence of the petitioner’s citizenship or permanent residence
• Birth certificates, marriage certificates and, for siblings, evidence of a shared parent
• Evidence of the legal termination of any prior marriages
• Affidavit of support with tax returns and income evidence
• Passport and civil documents for each applicant
• Police certificates from every country of residence over the required period
• Medical examination report from an authorised physician

Typical processing considerations

The dominant factor is visa availability, not processing speed. Waiting periods differ enormously between the five categories and between countries of chargeability, and the visa bulletin moves both forward and backward from month to month. Changes in the petitioner’s status or the applicant’s age or marital status during the wait can move a case between categories, sometimes helpfully and sometimes not. No date or outcome can be guaranteed.

Common questions about the F1–F4