F2A visa: I-130 for the family of a green card holder
The F2A visa: petition for your spouse or child, checked before you file
The F2A visa category is for the spouse and unmarried children under 21 of a green card holder. It starts with Form I-130, plus Form I-130A for a spouse. We ask the questions in plain English, fill both forms from your answers, and show you the report before you pay.
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- Up to 23 pre-filing checks
- Document list from your answers
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- Up to 23Pre-filing checks
- AutomaticI-130A for spouses
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WHO YOU CAN PETITION FOR
A green card holder can petition only for a spouse and unmarried children. You cannot petition for a parent, a sibling or a married son or daughter. A U.S. citizen can. If you may be eligible to naturalize, citizenship opens those categories.
F2A and F2B
Who the F2A visa covers, and who it does not
The family of a green card holder is split into two numbered categories, and each one waits for its own visa number.
- 01
Your spouse
A spouse of a green card holder is in the F2A category. You file Form I-130 and Form I-130A, and your spouse waits for a visa number to become available.
F2ACheck eligibility - 02
Your unmarried child under 21
An unmarried child under 21 is also in F2A. Watch the child’s age: USCIS subtracts the time the petition was pending from your child’s age when a visa becomes available. If that age is still 21 or over, the petition converts to F2B and keeps its priority date.
F2ACheck eligibility - 03
Your unmarried son or daughter, 21 or older
An unmarried adult child is in the F2B category, which has its own visa number line. A child who marries leaves the family categories of a green card holder.
F2BCheck eligibility - 04
Your parent, sibling or married child
A green card holder cannot petition for them. After you become a U.S. citizen you can, and a citizen’s spouse can skip the wait entirely.
NOT AVAILABLESee the citizenship application
What you get
Everything you need to file the petition correctly
You answer questions. We handle the form, the supplement, the checks, and the document list.
- FLAGSHIP
Up to 23 checks before you file
Your status as petitioner, the relationship, prior marriages, names and dates across both forms, and every blank field. Each check shows pass, review, or fix.
Plain-English questions
Every I-130 question rewritten in everyday words, including the ones about your relationship history.
Form I-130A, generated
Petitioning for a spouse means a second form. We fill it from the same answers, so the two cannot contradict each other.
Your document list
The evidence USCIS wants for your relationship and your status, not a generic checklist.
How it works
Prepare your F2A petition in four steps
Most people finish in one sitting. Your answers save as you go.
Check that you qualify
Tell us your status and your relationship. We tell you if it is F2A, F2B or a category you cannot petition for. Free, and no account needed.
Answer the questions
Plain-English questions about you, your spouse or child, and any earlier marriages. A spouse petition fills the I-130A at the same time.
Read your report
Every check, what passed, and what needs attention. Still free at this point.
File, then track the visa bulletin
File the petition online or by mail. The date USCIS receives it becomes your priority date, and the Visa Bulletin shows when it is reached.
Pre-filing audit
See every check before you file
Every I-130 runs through up to 23 checks, including the two on Form I-130A when you are petitioning for a spouse. You see the full report before you pay.
Eligibility and petitioner
- Petitioner status, citizen or green card holder
- Petitioner age threshold
- Citizenship basis and proof
- Qualifying relationship category
- Spouse marital status consistency
- Beneficiary marital status consistency
- Green card holder petition limits
Relationship and marriage
- Prior marriages legally ended
- Evidence the marriage is real
- Marriage timing and conditional residence
- Stepchild marriage timing
- Beneficiary age and age-out risk
- Birth dates against the relationship
Beneficiary status
- Location against adjustment of status
- Removal or deportation proceedings
Names, history and the I-130A
- Petitioner name consistency
- Beneficiary name consistency
- Prior petition history
- Petitioner five-year address history
- Beneficiary five-year address history on I-130A
- Beneficiary five-year employment history on I-130A
Form integrity
- Required fields complete
- Field content validation
Compare your options
Three ways to file your I-130
What you get, what it costs, and where each option leaves you.
Swipe to compare all three
| Feature | Do it yourself | Immiva | Traditional immigration attorney |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay to prepare it | Free | $149 | $1,500–$3,500 |
| The form itself | YesThe blank USCIS form, free to download | YesYour I-130, filled in from your answers | YesFilled in for you |
| Form I-130A for spouses | NoA second form you fill separately | YesGenerated from the same answers | YesFilled in for you |
| Error checking | NoNone. You find out from the rejection notice | YesUp to 23 checks, shown before you pay | YesA person reads it |
| Marriage evidence | NoGeneric checklists you find online | YesBuilt from your answers | YesTailored to you |
| What it costs you upfront | YesNothing | Yes$149, and only after you see the report | NoA retainer before anything starts |
| How long it takes you | NoDays of reading instructions | YesUsually one sitting | NoWeeks of back and forth |
Your complete I-130 packet
The petition, Form I-130A where it applies, the pre-filing report, your document list, and filing instructions.
$149One price for this application. The USCIS filing fee is separate and paid to the government.
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Common questions
F2A visa questions, answered
What green card holders ask before they petition.
F2A is the family preference category for the spouse and the unmarried children under 21 of a lawful permanent resident. The green card holder starts it by filing Form I-130. Unlike the spouse of a U.S. citizen, the spouse here needs a visa number, and only a limited number are given out each year.
The State Department publishes a Visa Bulletin each month. Find the F2A row and your country’s column. If your priority date, which is the date USCIS received your I-130, is earlier than the date shown, a visa number is available. The bulletin has two charts, and the dates change every month, so check the current one rather than an old article. Open the visa bulletin tool
We do not quote a number, because the wait depends on the F2A priority dates for the month and on your country, and both move. There are two waits: USCIS decides the I-130, then your spouse waits for the priority date to be reached. USCIS posts current I-130 times on its Check Case Processing Times page. Read about I-130 processing time
Only if the F2A date is current under the chart USCIS tells applicants to use that month, and only if your spouse is in the United States and qualifies to adjust status. USCIS names either the Dates for Filing chart or the Final Action Dates chart on its website, and it can change from month to month. When the date is not current, you file the I-130 alone. See concurrent filing
Often not without a separate status. Because F2A is a numbered category, adjusting status from inside the country generally needs lawful status to have been kept, with limited exceptions. An approved I-130 does not give your spouse permission to stay or work. If your spouse is in the U.S. on a visa that is ending, talk to an immigration attorney before relying on the petition.
Your spouse and your unmarried children under 21 become immediate relatives. They no longer wait for a visa number, and the petition is converted to that category. This is why many green card holders apply for citizenship once they are eligible. See the citizenship application
No. A green card holder can petition only for a spouse, an unmarried child under 21 (F2A), and an unmarried son or daughter who is 21 or older (F2B). A parent, a sibling or a married child needs a U.S. citizen petitioner.
Immiva's fee is $149, paid once, after you have seen the report. It covers the I-130, the I-130A when your case needs it, the pre-filing report, your document list and the filing instructions. The USCIS filing fee is separate and goes to the government.
I-130 guides
Read this before you file
Relationships, evidence, waiting times, and what happens after approval.
- I-130 Petition for Alien Relative: 2026 Complete GuideWho can file, who you can sponsor, evidence, fees, and timing. Written in plain English.Complete Guide
- I-130 for Spouse: Bona-Fide Marriage Evidence ExplainedWhat USCIS officers look for, ranked by evidence strength, and how to handle short-marriage scrutiny.Spouse
- I-130 Documents Checklist 2026Every supporting document USCIS expects, organized by relationship type and petitioner status.Evidence
- I-130 Processing Time 2026 by RelationshipRealistic timelines for each petition type, from immediate relatives to F4 siblings.Processing
- I-130 RFE Response: How to Reply Without Re-FilingWhat a Request for Evidence means, how to respond, and how to avoid one in the first place.RFE
- I-130 Approved? Here’s What Happens NextConsular processing, adjustment of status, and the path from approved petition to green card.Next Step
- I-130A Supplement: How to Complete the Spouse Beneficiary FormLine-by-line help for the I-130A that USCIS requires with every spousal petition.I-130A
- I-130 Priority Dates & the Visa Bulletin ExplainedHow priority dates work, how to read the visa bulletin, and when your category becomes current.Visa Bulletin
Related pages
What comes next
Where the F2A petition leads, and what citizenship changes.