F3 – Married Sons/Daughters of U.S. Citizens
Home / F3 – Married Sons/Daughters of U.S. Citizens
Key Forms & Process
The process begins by filing Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) with proof of your U.S. citizenship and your child’s birth certificate showing the parent-child relationship. You must also provide your child’s marriage certificate to prove they are married. After USCIS approval, the case waits at the National Visa Center (NVC) until a visa number becomes available based on the Priority Date (the date USCIS received your I-130). Once the date is current in the monthly Visa Bulletin, we submit Form DS-260 (Immigrant Visa Application) for your child, their spouse, and each unmarried child under 21. We also file Form I-864 (Affidavit of Support). The family then attends interviews at the U.S. embassy. Upon approval, all receive immigrant visas and enter as lawful permanent residents.
What We Handle at ZubaidaLaw
Our legal advocates manage the complex, multi-year process: filing the I-130 to secure the earliest priority date, tracking the Visa Bulletin monthly, notarizing all family documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, affidavits, translations), and preparing each family member for embassy interviews. We also handle “derivative” issues: if your grandchild turns 21 during the wait, we calculate CSPA (Child Status Protection Act) eligibility to protect their age. If your child divorces during the wait, we advise on how it affects their F3 status. And if you naturalized from LPR to U.S. citizen after filing an F2B petition, we upgrade the case to F3 (if child married) or F1 (if child unmarried).
Call us at 865-382-2900 to check your child’s priority date, estimate their F3 wait time based on their country of birth, and start the petition today.
It's a family-based, third-preference immigrant visa for married sons and daughters (any age) of U.S. citizens. Approximately 23,400 visas are available annually for the F3 category worldwide.
It depends on your child's country of birth (as of 2025 estimates):
Rest of world: 10–14 years
Mexico: 20–25 years
Philippines: 15–20 years
India: 12–18 years
We track the monthly Visa Bulletin for exact cutoff dates.
Your child's spouse and their unmarried children under 21 (your grandchildren) qualify as derivatives and receive visas at the same time. The entire family immigrates together.
If they divorce before receiving the green card, they may still qualify under F1 (Unmarried Adult Child) if they remain unmarried. However, F1 often has a shorter wait. We advise on refiling or converting the case.
The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) may protect their age. We calculate CSPA age = (age at visa availability) – (pending I-130 time). If under 21, they still qualify as a derivative.
I-130 (petition), DS-260 (visa application for each family member), I-864 (affidavit of support), plus civil documents (child's birth certificate, child's marriage certificate, grandchildren's birth certificates, police certificates, medical exams).
F1: Unmarried adult child of U.S. citizen (cannot bring spouse, shorter wait)
F3: Married child of U.S. citizen (can bring spouse and minor children, longer wait)
125% of Federal Poverty Guideline. The household size includes you + your child + their spouse + their children. For example: you (1) + child (1) + spouse (1) + 2 grandchildren (2) = household of 5 (approx. $40,000+ in 2025). A joint sponsor can help.
Yes, using a tourist visa (B-2) or ESTA. However, they must prove strong non-immigrant intent (return ticket, job, home abroad) because having a pending I-130 shows immigrant intent. We provide guidance letters.
Yes. We provide full notarization services for marriage certificates, birth certificates, affidavits of relationship, translated foreign documents, and all supporting evidence for your F3 petition.
