How long does it take to get an immigrant visa if the petitioner is a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR)
How long does it take to get an immigrant visa if the petitioner is a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR)
The immigration benefits of USC and LPR are different. For the USC, they can file petitions for his/ her spouse, children, parents, sons and daughters (over 21 years old unmarried), sons and daughters (married), and brothers and sisters.
Generally, when the person becomes an LPR, they have certain immigration benefits for their immediate relatives who reside abroad. Immediate relatives include their spouse, children, and unmarried sons and daughters of LPR. For immigration purposes, the children must be under 21 years of age. The visa category (second preference) for the spouse and children is known as F2A, and F2B is for the unmarried sons and daughters of LPR.
For more information about “Immigration Benefits of Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) of U.S.”, please see the link below for more information.
https://www.ariyanimmigrationconsulting.org/blog-3-1/hr6uvuz0fb39hluqjl75o6uc3it0a3-ydzya
For immigration purposes, Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) can file petitions for their spouse, children, and unmarried sons and daughters. For immigration purposes, the children must be under 21 years of age. The visa category (second preference) for the spouse and children is known as F2A, and F2B is for the unmarried sons and daughters of LPR. According to State Department, for 2026 fiscal year, the visa slots of 226,000 are available for all family preference categories.
How long does it take to get an immigrant visa if the petitioner is a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR)?
According to State Department, there are five categories for the family petitions such as F1, F2A, F2B, F3 and F4. Please see the chart below.
Visa Bulletin for October 2025 from the Department of State.
Disclosure: The above table is for October 2025 visa bulletin and copied from the State Department Visa Bulletin for educational and demonstration purposes only.
As discussed, F2A is a visa category for the LPR’s spouse and children (unmarried and under 21 years old). For example, if the LPR petitioner filed the petitions for their spouse or / and children before 09/22/2025 and USCIS approved their Form I-130 before 09/22/2025 (let’s imagine as a priority date), the beneficiary can start their visa processing with National Visa Center immediately. It means that their visas are available immediately. This is good news for Green card holder (petitioner) for their eligible members.
For more information about “Understanding of Family Petitioning and Its Priority Dates”, please see the link below for more information.
Note: this information provided here is for general information and educational purposes only, and it does not constitute legal advice.
