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Other family: siblings, adult children, relatives of green card holders

The family preference categories: unmarried adult children of US citizens (F1), spouses and children of green card holders (F2A and F2B), married children of US citizens (F3) and siblings of US citizens (F4).

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Your priority date, if you have one

  1. USCIS decides the I-130 petition

    USCIS’s median for the ones it decided was 43.3 months.

    Your relative files Form I-130 with USCIS. The day USCIS receives it is your priority date: your place in line. I-130 processing times.

    How we worked this out

    USCIS's median for the ones it decided was 43.3 months, but approval is only the first step: when your relative can immigrate depends on the priority date:

    The next step counts from your priority date, not from this decision.

  2. Your priority date becomes current

    Choose your category and country of birth above

    Green cards are limited by category and country of birth, so people wait in line by their priority date, often for years. Visa Bulletin dates.

  3. Abroad: NVC and the interview at your consulate

    NVC asks for your fees and documents once the Visa Bulletin lets you, then your consulate schedules the interview. NVC wait times.

  4. In the US: USCIS decides the I-485

    Most likely 6–12 months after you file

    For now, from our reading of the numbers: USCIS decided 46% fewer of these cases in Apr–Jun 2026 than its average over the four quarters before. Plan for the later end of the range.

    In the US, you file the I-485 once the Visa Bulletin lets you, usually with the I-765 and I-131. I-485 processing times.

    How we worked this out

    Based on USCIS’s median time of 7.0 months for I-485 (Family) cases (Apr–Jun 2026 data), and on how far real waits landed from the median in past quarters: about half landed in the most likely range and 8 in 10 in the wider one.

Newest numbers: USCIS: Apr–Jun 2026; Visa Bulletin: October 2026. Your case can take longer: a request for evidence or a background check can add months.