
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services recognizes the importance of family. As such, the family preference immigrant visas are intended to reunite families in the U.S. Please continue reading to learn the eligibility requirements for the F3 visa and why connecting with a competent Middlesex County, New Jersey Family Immigration Lawyer is in your best interest.
What is an F3 Visa?
The F3 visa is a family-based Green Card that falls under the Preference Relative category of U.S. family visas. This visa category is reserved for the married children of U.S. citizens and the spouse and children of the married child. To qualify for an F3 visa, you must meet the following criteria:
- You must have a parent who is a U.S. citizen (demonstrated through a valid birth certificate or adoption papers)
- You must be 21 years old or older
- You must be married (shown through a valid marriage certificate)
Additionally, the U.S. sponsor is required to initiate the F3 application must meet the following criteria:
- You must be a U.S. citizen
- You must be living in the U.S. with a valid address
- You must have an adult child in a foreign country (demonstrated through a birth certificate or adoption documents)
How to Apply?
The application process for an F3 visa is undoubtedly long and requires various steps. To initiate the application process, the sponsoring U.S. citizen must file a petition for their adult child through Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. If the applicant’s family members (spouse and minor children) will accompany them, the sponsor must include this information in the petition. If the petition is approved, the child and their family may start the application process.
It’s important to note that you may not be able to begin the application process immediately. Since the family green card visas have a limited number of visas available each fiscal year, with a cap of 23,400, if the quota has already been reached for one year, you will have to wait until the following years for the visa application. Due to the caps, the processing times can be quite long, ranging from one year to ten years in extreme cases.
When the National Visa Center (NVC) notifies you that your priority date has become current, you must follow the instructions in the document package you received after your petition was approved. From here, you must fill out Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa Electronic Applications. You, your spouse, and your children must each submit this form. Furthermore, you will have to attend an interview after processing your supporting documents to determine if you fulfill all the requirements to receive an F3 visa.
If you are considering applying for an F3 visa, please don’t hesitate to contact a dedicated lawyer from the Law Offices of Aditya Surti, LLC, who can help you navigate this complex legal process.