F3 Visa Bulletin: married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, every cut-off since 2002

Every F3 retrogression since 2002

• All other countries: January 2011 (17.0 months), September 2018 (45 days)
• China (mainland-born): January 2011 (17.0 months), September 2018 (45 days)
• India: January 2011 (17.0 months), September 2018 (45 days)
• Mexico: August 2004 (34.2 months), July 2005 (39.7 months), May 2006 (24.0 months), August 2006 (153.4 months), March 2007 (5.0 months), April 2007 (77.7 months), July 2009 (15.7 months), July 2010 (7.7 months), March 2011 (21 days), July 2019 (7.8 months)
• Philippines: August 2004 (17.9 months), September 2004 (12.4 months), May 2006 (31.3 months), August 2006 (31.0 months), March 2007 (5.3 months), April 2007 (68.0 months), December 2010 (32.0 months), January 2011 (8.3 months)

Who can use F3

F3 is the family-sponsored preference for married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. Its annual limit is 23,400 a year plus numbers F1 and F2 do not use. The petitioner files Form I-130; the priority date is the day USCIS received it.

Your column is your country of chargeability, normally the country of birth. A green card in F3 becomes possible in the month the final action date for your column passes your priority date; until then the case waits at USCIS or the National Visa Center.

What the history says about the next months

A line's past speed is the best simple guide to its future, and the State Department itself plans with it. Over the last five years the F3 line for most countries cleared 14.2 mo/yr, while Mexico cleared 9.9 mo/yr. Speeds change when demand changes – a surge of new petitions, a change in the law, unused numbers falling from another category in October – so treat any projection as a range, not a date.