F2a visa

Documents you’ll provide for your F2A visa depend on your case. Nevertheless, the basic documents include:

• Birth or adoption certificate for unmarried children under 21
• Marriage certificate for spouse
• International passport
• Two passport photographs
• Proof of no criminal history from local police or court
• Medical examination form
• Signed Affidavit of Support from US family member with a permanent resident – Form I-864
• Divorce certificate or death certificate of a previous marriage, if applicable.
• Form DS-260 confirmation
  • Visa application fee receipts
  • Military records if the beneficiary had previously served in the military

The first step is for your sponsor (the lawful permanent resident) relative to file Form I-130, Petition For Alien Relative, on your behalf. This will also include the affidavit of support. If the USCIS doesn’t approve the petition, you can’t proceed with the visa application.

After filing the petition, it may take USCIS some months to process it. They will inform the petitioner if the petition is approved or not. If they reject the petition, they will provide reasons and let you know if you can file a new petition. If approved, the petition will be sent to the National Visa Center (NVC) for further processing.

The NVC will contact the petitioner and the beneficiary to let you know that the petition has been approved. The information will include the petition’s case number, required fees and payment instructions, and guidelines on the next steps.

After the approval by the NVC, the beneficiary may apply for an F2A visa when their priority date becomes current. The visa application process will depend on whether the beneficiary is applying from the US or outside the US.

Applicants outside the US will have to undergo consular processing at a US embassy or consulate in their country of residence. They will file Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa Application. They will complete the form online, pay the application fees and provide all necessary documents. If they are in the US, they will undergo an adjustment of status process by filing Form I-485.

You have to show that you’re in good health to enter and live in the United States. For this, you must pass a medical examination test and receive all necessary vaccines. The test must be conducted by an embassy-approved doctor.

Your visa interview is perhaps the most important part of your visa application. After processing your online application, you can schedule an interview at the US embassy. Due to the long wait times and visa limits, you must schedule an interview as soon as possible.

At the interview, an embassy officer will ask you questions about your application and intention of moving to the US. Most of it will have to do with your relationship with the US LPR. So long as you provide genuine answers that correspond with the documents you submitted, you’ll be fine.

You’ll get a verdict immediately after your interview or a few weeks later. It’s important not to make any travel plans until you’re sure your visa is approved. If your application is approved, you’ll receive a sealed packet which you must not open.

You will submit the packet to immigration officials upon arrival in the United States. You can only enter the US after they approve the documents in your package.

Various fees apply when applying for an F2A green card. They include:

• Form I-130 filing fee: $535
• Form DS-260 processing fee: $325
• Affidavit of Support: $120
• Biometrics Fee (if applicable): $85
• USCIS Immigrant Fee: $220

If applicable, you’ll need to submit your biometrics at the embassy before or after your embassy. For that, you have to pay the fee. There may be costs of your medical examination and vaccinations. Furthermore, if you submit non-English documents, you may have to pay for certified translations.

After your visa is approved, you have to pay the USCIS immigrant fee before you can enter the United States. Ideally, you should pay this before you depart your resident country.

F2A visas have long waiting times due to the 80,000 visa cap. Applications are typically processed chronologically. In other words, the processing time will depend on the number of applicants before you.

If the annual slot is filled, you’ll have to wait till the next year to apply. Therefore, the earlier you apply, the better. On average, it could take about a year or more to completely process F2A visas.

In some cases, your LPR relative in the US may gain US citizenship before you get your F2A visa. This is possible as some F2A visas can take even 10 years to process, and a US citizenship application requires just 5 years of lawful residence.

If such happens, you can apply for immediate relative (IR) visas – IR1 or CR1 visas. The IR visas have no visa cap, which means fast processing times.

The F2A visa is a green card that grants you permanent resident status. Hence, you can stay in the United States for a lifetime. However, most US green cards expire after 10 years. If this applies to your F2A green card, you have to file for renewal.

You can file online on the USCIS website. This also applies if you misplace your green card. It’s ideal to apply for green card renewal 6 months before the expiry date. However, you shouldn’t file earlier than 6 months.