The F24 visa is the State Department’s classification code for an unmarried son or daughter, age 21 or older, of a lawful permanent resident who is waiting for a family-based immigrant visa. It sits inside the F2B family preference category under INA section 203(a)(2)(B), and it appears on visa bulletin charts, receipt notices, and consular paperwork whenever that particular relationship is involved.1U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 502.2 – Family-Based IV Classifications The current wait from filing to a visa number is roughly eight to nine years, and staying unmarried the entire time is a condition of the petition surviving.
Who Qualifies
Two people have to qualify. The petitioner must be a lawful permanent resident and must hold that status from the day the petition is filed through the end of the process.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card for Family Preference Immigrants The beneficiary must be 21 or older and unmarried.
The beneficiary also has to fit the statutory definition of a “child” of the petitioner. That includes more than biological offspring:3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1101 – Definitions
- Biological children born in wedlock, or born outside marriage with a bona fide parent-child relationship to a petitioning father.
- Stepchildren, if the marriage creating the step-relationship happened before the child turned 18.
- Adopted children, if the adoption was finalized before age 16 and the child lived with and was in the legal custody of the adoptive parent for at least two years.
The Unmarried Requirement Runs the Whole Way
If the beneficiary marries at any point before receiving the immigrant visa, the petition is automatically revoked under federal regulation.4eCFR. 8 CFR 205.1 – Automatic Revocation No grace period. No appeal. Given that F2B waits stretch across most of a decade, this is where a large number of cases quietly die. Divorce before the marriage was legally valid, or annulment, can sometimes restore eligibility, but a completed marriage revokes the petition the moment it happens.
How Long the Wait Is
F2B has an annual numerical cap, which produces a backlog you measure in years rather than months. The State Department publishes the Visa Bulletin every month, and the Final Action Dates chart shows which priority dates are current.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card for Family Preference Immigrants
As of the June 2026 Visa Bulletin, the worldwide F2B final action date is September 22, 2017. Petitions filed in late 2017 are only now reaching the front of the line. Applicants born in Mexico, the Philippines, and a few other countries wait even longer because of per-country limits. The Dates for Filing chart sometimes lets applicants submit documents earlier than the Final Action Dates chart would allow, and USCIS announces each month which chart controls adjustment of status filings.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin Check the bulletin monthly once you are within a year or two of your date being current.
Filing the I-130
The process starts when the green card holder files Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, either online or by mail to the USCIS lockbox that serves the sponsor’s address.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative The form asks for a five-year history of the petitioner’s addresses and employment along with detailed information about the beneficiary.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form I-130 – Petition for Alien Relative
The petition needs evidence of the sponsor’s LPR status (a copy of the Permanent Resident Card) and evidence of the relationship. A birth certificate naming both parents establishes a biological parent-child link. A step-relationship needs the marriage certificate that created it, plus proof any prior marriages were legally ended. An adoption needs the decree and proof of the two-year custody and residence requirement. Foreign-language documents need a certified English translation, with the translator certifying both accuracy and competence.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 7 Part A Chapter 4 – Documentation Certified translations run roughly $25 to $40 per page.
After filing, USCIS mails Form I-797, a Notice of Action with a receipt number.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797 Types and Functions The filing date on that notice becomes the beneficiary’s priority date, and that date is the beneficiary’s place in line. Once the petition is approved, it transfers to the National Visa Center for the next phase.
Fees
- I-130 filing fee, paid to USCIS at the start. Amounts differ for online and paper filings, and USCIS revises its schedule periodically; check the current amount on the USCIS fee calculator.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
- Immigrant visa application fee: $325, paid to the NVC once the priority date is close to current.11U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services
- Affidavit of support review fee: $120, also to the NVC.11U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services
- Medical exam, paid to the panel physician, typically $150 to $600 depending on location and vaccinations needed.
None of these are refundable, and they don’t include certified translations, document procurement, or travel to the interview.
If the Beneficiary Was Under 21 When the Petition Was Filed
A beneficiary who was under 21 at filing may age past 21 before a visa becomes available. The Child Status Protection Act provides a formula: take the beneficiary’s age on the date a visa number becomes available, subtract the number of days the I-130 was pending before approval, and if the result is under 21, the beneficiary is still treated as a child and stays in the faster F2A category.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1153 – Allocation of Immigrant Visas
CSPA also requires the beneficiary to take a concrete step toward permanent residence within one year of visa availability. Filing Form I-485, submitting the DS-260, or paying the NVC immigrant visa fee each satisfies the “sought to acquire” step.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) Miss the one-year window without extraordinary circumstances and the protection is gone. If CSPA doesn’t preserve child status, the petition automatically converts to F2B and the original priority date carries over.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1153 – Allocation of Immigrant Visas
If the Petitioner Naturalizes
If the sponsoring green card holder becomes a U.S. citizen before the beneficiary gets the visa, the petition automatically converts from F2B to F1 (unmarried adult children of citizens). The priority date carries over, but the F1 backlog is often longer than F2B, so the automatic upgrade can actually delay the case.14U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 502.1 – IV Classifications Overview
Beneficiaries can opt out of the conversion and stay in F2B if that category would produce a visa sooner. The opt-out request goes through USCIS.14U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 502.1 – IV Classifications Overview Many families don’t learn this exists until the automatic conversion has already happened, so raise it with the sponsor before the citizenship interview if the beneficiary’s F2B date is close.
Affidavit of Support
Before the visa can issue, the sponsor files Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, showing income at 125% of the federal poverty guidelines. For 2026, a sponsor in the 48 contiguous states with a household size of two needs at least $24,650 in annual income, and each additional household member raises the threshold. Alaska and Hawaii have higher figures.15U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. HHS Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support
The affidavit is a binding contract. The sponsor agrees to reimburse any government agency that pays means-tested public benefits to the immigrant, and that obligation lasts until the beneficiary naturalizes, earns 40 qualifying quarters of Social Security work credit, dies, or permanently leaves the country. If the sponsor’s income is short, a joint sponsor with sufficient income can co-sign.
Medical Exam and Vaccinations
Every immigrant visa applicant has to pass a medical exam before the interview. Applicants abroad use a panel physician designated by the U.S. embassy or consulate, and the exam covers a medical history review, physical exam, chest X-ray, and blood tests.16U.S. Department of State. Medical Examinations FAQs Applicants also need to show vaccinations against a list of diseases set by CDC, including measles, mumps, rubella, polio, tetanus, and hepatitis B.17U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Vaccination Requirements Bring whatever vaccination records you already have to avoid paying for duplicates.
Consular Interview or Adjustment of Status
Once the NVC has every document and fee, and the priority date is current, the case moves to a final decision, and the route depends on where the beneficiary lives.
Beneficiaries outside the United States go through consular processing. They fill out the DS-260 online, the NVC forwards the file to the appropriate embassy or consulate, and the beneficiary attends an interview with a consular officer who decides whether to issue the visa. A successful applicant gets a visa packet to present at the U.S. port of entry.
Beneficiaries already in the United States on a valid status may be able to adjust status by filing Form I-485 instead of traveling abroad, but the I-485 can’t be filed until a visa number is available in F2B.18U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Adjustment of Status Applicants who entered without inspection or have certain immigration violations may not qualify to adjust and would need to process abroad, where departure can trigger reentry bars. Get advice on that question well before the priority date is current, not after.