Processing time for unmarried child

[sher-sunshine 13]

I need some insight please! I filed for my child 1 month before he turned 21 years old as a Green card holder march 2024.  4 months later I gained citizenship. I mailed my certification so my case would be upgraded to F1 category. And also I called to verify they received it. Would that change, add or remove wait time? For the past 6 months my wait time was saying 4 months to decision and today it’s saying my process is taking longer than expected. Does anyone have experience with my situation? 

[appleblossom 3,766]

51 minutes ago, sher-sunshine said:

I need some insight please! I filed for my child 1 month before he turned 21 years old as a Green card holder march 2024.  4 months later I gained citizenship. I mailed my certification so my case would be upgraded to F1 category. And also I called to verify they received it. Would that change, add or remove wait time? For the past 6 months my wait time was saying 4 months to decision and today it’s saying my process is taking longer than expected. Does anyone have experience with my situation? 

 

The processing time for the I-130 isn’t really relevant as there won't be a visa available for a long time anyway, so that’s why USCIS don’t rush to approve I-130’s for family members that aren’t immediate relatives. Most people want the I-130’s to take as long as possible as well, so that any dependent children stand the most chance of being included by the time the applicant becomes eligible for a visa. 

 

Processing time for F1 and F2B is pretty similar, slightly longer for F1 at the moment but it fluctuates. You’ve probably got another 10-15 years or so to go as a very rough guide but just keep an eye on the Visa Bulletin to see how it’s moving. And bear in mind that if your child marries between now and then, they’ll move to category F3 and increase their wait further.

 

Good luck.

[JeanneAdil 6,855]

i hope you did not mail the original document for naturalization 

[sher-sunshine 13]

Hi, no I didn’t. Thankfully the customer service representative made it clear that they have a copy on file and saw that I updated my petition online. All I can do is wait now 

[sher-sunshine 13]

10-15 years?! Wow that’s a long time! I was thinking maybe 7 years max. Thanks for your advice 

[Dashinka 25,315]

2 minutes ago, sher-sunshine said:

10-15 years?! Wow that’s a long time! I was thinking maybe 7 years max. Thanks for your advice 

Yep, currently processing 2016 right now for both F1 and F2B, so 10-15 is conservative, but definitely possible.

 

Good Luck!

[appleblossom 3,766]

5 minutes ago, sher-sunshine said:

10-15 years?! Wow that’s a long time! I was thinking maybe 7 years max. Thanks for your advice 

 

It was 7 years a while back, but processing times are only getting longer unfortunately. As @Dashinka said, currently the Visa Bulletin date for the F1 category is March 2016, so 8 years ahead of your Priority Date. 

 

But if you go back in time and look (for example) at March 2020, you’ll see that the date then was October 2013, so it’s only moved forward 2.5 years in the past 5 years. 

 

So I’d assume at least 10 years, possibly much more though, but just keep an eye on it and check to see how it’s moving every so often. And if your son/daughter wants to move sooner, then it might be worth them exploring other visa routes i.e. getting a good degree and a masters, some specialist work experience, then employment based visas maybe?

 

Best of luck.