Chapter 06 · Topic 06.7 · Green card / Citizenship
Verified fact: the family-preference categories are capped annually and queue by priority date (the date the I-130 was filed): F1, unmarried adult (21+) sons and daughters of U.S. citizens; F2A, spouses and minor children of green-card holders; F2B, their unmarried adult children; F3, married sons and daughters of citizens; F4, brothers and sisters of adult citizens. Availability moves monthly with the Visa Bulletin; the current edition at consultation is the June 2026 bulletin. THIS GUIDE CODES NO PRIORITY DATES: they change every month, and the only valid source is the current Visa Bulletin on travel.state.gov the day you check. Sources: USCIS, Family of U.S. citizens, and the Visa Bulletin index, consulted June 11, 2026.
Family preferences F1-F4 (Canadians): queues, CSPA, Visa Bulletin
5 quota-bound family preferences. F1/F2A/F2B/F3/F4. Worldwide cap 226,000 IV/yr. Per-country 7%. Canada queues moderate except F4 (~17 yrs). CSPA protects aging-out children.
Direct answer · 60-second summary
The 60-second version
The family preferences (F1, F2A, F2B, F3, F4) are the 5 family-immigration categories subject to annual caps and queues, unlike immediate relatives (IR-1, IR-2, IR-5) which have no queue. Annual worldwide family preference cap: 226,000 IVs (2026), INA §201(c). Per-country cap: 7% of worldwide. The 5 categories:
F1: unmarried adult children (≥ 21) of US citizens. F2A: spouse and unmarried children < 21 of LPR. F2B: unmarried adult children (≥ 21) of LPR. F3: married children (any age) of US citizens. F4: siblings of US citizens (sponsor ≥ 21).
Queues as of January 1, 2026 (DOS Visa Bulletin): F1 and F2B ~7-9 yrs, F3 ~14 yrs, F4 ~16-18 yrs (Canada). F2A near current for most countries.
Acronyms used in this guide
USCIS: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. DOS: U.S. Department of State. INA: Immigration and Nationality Act. I-130: Petition for Alien Relative. I-485: Application to Register Permanent Residence (Adjustment of Status). DS-260: Online Immigrant Visa Application. CSPA: Child Status Protection Act. LPR: Lawful Permanent Resident. PR: Permanent Resident (green card holder). PD: Priority Date. NVC: National Visa Center. EB-1: Employment-Based 1st preference. EB-2: Employment-Based 2nd preference. EB-3: Employment-Based 3rd preference.
Summary table
| Cat. | Sponsor | Beneficiary | Annual cap | Canada queue (Jan 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | USC | Unmarried child ≥ 21 | 23,400 | ~7-9 yrs |
| F2A | LPR | Spouse, unmarried child < 21 | 87,900 (variable) | ~2-3 yrs (sometimes current) |
| F2B | LPR | Unmarried child ≥ 21 | 26,300 (variable) | ~7-9 yrs |
| F3 | USC | Married child (any age) | 23,400 | ~14 yrs |
| F4 | USC ≥ 21 | Sibling | 65,000 | ~16-18 yrs |
Annual allocations (INA §203(a))
Total family preference: 226,000 IV/yr (FY 2026, INA §201(c)(1)). F1: 23,400 + any residual from F4. F2 (combined): 114,200 + any residual other 7% over.
- F2A: 77% of F2 = ~87,900. F2B: 23% of F2 = ~26,300.
- F3: 23,400 + residual from F1 and F2.
- F4: 65,000 + residual from F1, F2, F3.
- Per-country cap: 7% of worldwide total (FB + EB) = ~25,620/country/year. Canada limit very loose because Canada doesn't consume its quota.
Priority Date (PD) and Visa Bulletin
The Priority Date (PD) is the I-130 filing date. It compares monthly to the Final Action Dates on the DOS Visa Bulletin. When PD is before the Visa Bulletin date → visa becomes available.
Two charts per month:
Final Action Dates: date USCIS can approve an I-485 or consular IV. Dates for Filing: date you can file the I-485 or DS-260 (in advance, speeds prep).
USCIS announces monthly which of the two charts is used for AOS filing.
CSPA: Child Status Protection Act
For F1, F2A, F2B, F3 categories: if the child turns 21 during the queue, they "age out" of F2A into F2B (or worse). The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) of 2002 partially protects. CSPA formula: biological age − time I-130 was pending at USCIS = CSPA age. If CSPA age < 21 at visa availability AND child seeks to acquire within 1 year, they keep the original category. Typical: F2A petition filed for 19-yo child, 5-yr queue, child is 24 bio but 21 CSPA if I-130 took 3 yrs to approve.
For Canadians
Canada queues moderate except F4 (siblings ~16-18 yrs). If LPR sponsor (F2A, F2B), becoming USC speeds things up: F2A flips to IR-1, F2B to F1 (slightly faster category). Marriage of child during F2A/F2B queue = loss of category (moves to F1 or F3 if parent USC; otherwise lost). Always file I-130 ASAP on eligibility to lock the PD as early as possible.
Official forms (always use the latest edition)
Reader responsibility
Always download the latest edition of the form from the official site cited below. An expired edition can be rejected by USCIS, DOS or IRS. CanadaFlorida is not a substitute for a licensed attorney.
Form I-130: Petition for Alien Relative. DOS Visa Bulletin (monthly). USCIS: Family of US Citizens / LPR. INA §201, §203: Allocations and preferences. CSPA: USCIS Policy Manual Volume 7 Part A Chapter 7.
A worked example: a Tampa citizen sponsors her Sherbrooke brother, 2026
Diane, naturalized in Tampa, files an I-130 for her brother Luc of Sherbrooke in June 2026. That filing date becomes Luc's priority date in the F4 queue. Nothing else happens for years: F4 is the slowest lane, with waits that have commonly run on the order of a decade and more for most countries, June 2026 reading of the bulletin's structure; the exact movement is whatever the monthly bulletin shows. When the bulletin's F4 chart reaches his date, the National Visa Center wakes the file: fees, DS-260, documents, Montreal interview. Meanwhile Luc's snowbird life continues unchanged: the pending petition neither grants status nor blocks his visitor admissions, though declared immigrant intent can color inspections. Typical range: the I-130 filing fee sits in the several-hundred-dollar band on the current USCIS schedule, consulted June 11, 2026; the consular stage adds its own fees years later.
Opinion: F4 files are gifts to one's future self: cheap to start, slow to ripen, easy to abandon if life changes. File early if the intent is real, keep the address current with NVC, and never build a five-year plan on a queue the bulletin re-prices monthly.
Who runs the queue
| Stage | Federal US | Canada side |
|---|---|---|
| Petition (I-130) | USCIS adjudicates the relationship | No role |
| The queue itself | Department of State publishes the monthly Visa Bulletin; priority date governs | No role; the wait is lived in Canada |
| Consular processing | NVC then the Montreal consulate; I-864 support rules apply | Civil documents and police certificates come from Canadian authorities |
Common mistakes
Reading someone's old wait time as your forecast. The bulletin moves monthly, sometimes backwards (retrogression); only the current chart speaks. Letting a beneficiary marry without checking the lane. Marriage moves F1 to F3 and kills F2 eligibility entirely; categories are marital-status sensitive. Missing the NVC wake-up. After years of silence the file activates on deadlines; stale addresses lose queues that took a decade to ripen. Confusing the pending petition with status. An I-130 in queue grants nothing at the border; the visitor rules apply untouched. Forgetting the I-864 horizon. The affidavit-of-support thresholds will apply at the end; plan the sponsor's finances for that year, not this one.
Confusing immediate-relative cases with F-category queues. Printing forum wait times into life plans. Letting an address change break NVC contact. Marrying or aging into a different category without re-mapping the case. And treating the bulletin as static when retrogression is routine.
The F1-F4 checklist
- Identify the lane (F1, F2A, F2B, F3, F4) from the relationship and marital status.
- File the I-130 with relationship proof; diarize the priority date.
- Check the Visa Bulletin's movement a few times a year, on travel.state.gov.
- Keep addresses current with USCIS and later NVC.
- Re-check the lane after any marriage, divorce, or death in the chain.
- Assemble the consular file (I-864, civil documents) when the date approaches.
- Exact category confirmed (immediate relative vs F1 to F4).
- I-130 filed with full relationship evidence.
- Priority date recorded and bulletin read monthly.
- NVC contact details kept current.
- Category-change events (marriage, age) flagged to counsel.
- Two-currency budget at the dated Bank of Canada rate.
References
Frequently asked questions
How long is the F4 wait for a Canadian sibling?
On the order of a decade and more in recent practice, but the only real answer is the current month's Visa Bulletin chart; this site deliberately publishes no dates that expire monthly.
Where do I read the queue?
The Visa Bulletin on travel.state.gov, updated monthly; compare your priority date to the chart for your category.
Can my brother visit Florida while the I-130 is pending?
The petition does not bar visitor admissions, though it signals immigrant intent; honest answers and a Canadian life that continues are the usual equipment.
What is retrogression?
The bulletin can move a category's cutoff backwards when demand outruns the annual cap; a date that was current can stop being current. The monthly check is the discipline.
Is there a faster lane for siblings?
No: F4 is the lane Congress built. Faster routes exist only by changing the relationship category itself (immediate relatives), not by accelerating F4.
Every figure, rate, threshold, and deadline in this guide is drawn from a verifiable primary source listed at the bottom of the page. The article is updated whenever the underlying rules change, with a fresh review date stamped at the top.
Sources and references
Official pages consulted for this guide; confirm the current versions at the source.
- USCIS, Family of US citizens : Category framework; read on filing day. Listed June 11, 2026.
- U.S. Department of State, Temporary Worker Visas : DOS machinery reference consulted this day. Consulted June 11, 2026.
- Bank of Canada, Daily exchange rates : Official CAD/USD rate. Consulted June 11, 2026.
- U.S. Department of State: Visa Bulletin (monthly priority-date charts; June 2026 edition current at consultation), consulted June 11, 2026
- USCIS: Family of U.S. citizens (preference categories and priority dates), consulted June 11, 2026
- USCIS: Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, consulted June 10, 2026
Public sources verified as of the last review date.
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Disclaimer
This guide is for educational purpose only. Figures, rates, thresholds, timelines and rules are drawn from public sources at the date shown and may change.
For any concrete decision, consult a licensed US immigration attorney and a cross-border tax attorney.