U.S. Immigration under F-3 Category: Parents Sponsoring Married Children Over 21

The family immigration visa, known as F visa, allows U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents to bring their family members to the U.S. for reunions. U.S. Immigration under F-3 Category is ranked as the third priority level for visas.

However, the U.S. government limits the number of visas issued annually for this category, and the waiting time can be quite long.

To help you and your family reunite in the U.S. soon, the following article from ImmiPath will reveal how to prepare the necessary documents, the application process for sponsorship, and the costs associated with the F-3 visa for parents sponsoring married children over 21. Check it out now!

1. What is the F-3 Visa for U.S. Immigration?

The F-3 visa for U.S. Immigration is a family-based immigrant visa that allows U.S. citizens to sponsor their married children and their dependents, such as spouses and unmarried children under 21, to come to the United States for permanent residency.

If the application is approved, F-3 visa holders and their families are permitted to work legally in the U.S. without needing a separate work permit. They are also allowed to study full-time or part-time without any restrictions.

2. Conditions for Applying for the U.S. F-3 Visa

To meet the conditions for a U.S. F-3 visa, you must meet the following requirements:

• Your Parents must reside in the U.S. You need to provide proof of your relationship with your parents, such as birth certificates or adoption documents.
• As an F-3 visa applicant, you must be at least 21 years old.
• You must be married and provide a valid marriage certificate.

Your parents in the U.S. also need to meet some of the following requirements:

• They must be U.S. citizens and have a valid address in the United States.
• The children on the F-3 visa must live abroad. Proof of relationship should be provided with birth certificates or marriage certificates.

3. The Process of Applying for a U.S. F-3 Visa

The process for applying for a U.S. F-3 visa is somewhat complex. U.S. citizens must file a petition to sponsor their married children over 21 years old and accompanying dependents such as spouses or unmarried children under 21 years old to come to the U.S.

You can not start the F-3 visa application process until the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approves your petition.

ImmiPath provides guidance on the basic steps to follow for the F-3 visa application process: 

3.1 Step 1: Submit the USCIS Petition for a U.S. F-3 Visa

This is the first step in the process of applying for a U.S. F-3 immigration visa. The sponsor, or U.S. citizen, must first file a petition with USCIS by submitting Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative.

The sponsor must also pay a processing fee. The Department of Homeland Security reviews and processes the petition.

Note that, in addition to your child’s name, you must also list the names of all family members in the petition.

USCIS will notify you of the decision on the petition within a few months. If your petition is denied, the reasons for the decision will be explained. Otherwise, your case will be forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC) for further processing.

The National Visa Center (NVC) will send you a document package in your country containing a case number and instructions on the visa application process. In the following steps, you will need the case number provided by NVC to complete some of your forms.

Because the issuance of F visas, including the F-3, is limited each year, you will not be able to start the F-3 visa application process until your petition has been approved.

In other words, once your petition is approved, you must wait for your priority date to become current. An NVC file will then be sent to you, and you can begin the visa application process.

3.2 Step 2: Complete and Submit Form DS-260

All U.S. immigrant visa applicants, including those applying for the F-3 visa, must fill out Form DS-260.

You can log in to the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) website and access the form using the case number provided by NVC.

After completing the form, a confirmation page will appear, which you must save. In the next steps, you will need to submit this confirmation page to NVC as part of your documentation.

3.3 Step 3: Take Medical Examination and Vaccinations

You will need to undergo a medical examination and receive certain vaccinations before entering the United States.

You have to visit medical centers or hospitals designated by the U.S. Embassy, and complete and sign several forms. These forms will also be part of the documentation you need to provide to the NVC.

You need to prepare and submit the following documents to the NVC:

• Valid Passport: Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your intended date of arrival in the U.S.
• Medical Examination Documents: Documentation related to your medical examination.
• 2 Passport-Style Photos: Recent photographs in the format required.
• DS-260 Confirmation Page: The confirmation page from the DS-260 form.
• Supporting Documents: Such as identification documents, marriage certificates, adoption certificates (you can also refer to our articles on IR-3 and IR-4 visas).
• Criminal Record Certificate: A certificate of no criminal record.
• Divorce or Death Certificates: If you are married, you will need to provide documents such as divorce decrees or death certificates to prove that any previous marriages have ended.
• Military Records: If you have served in the military, provide your military records.
• Form I-864, Affidavit of Support: Signed by the sponsor or U.S. citizen.

3.4 Step 4: Attend the Interview with the Consular Officer

If all your documents are in order, the NVC will schedule an interview at the embassy. You must be present at the embassy on the appointed date and answer the consular officer’s questions carefully.

At the end of the U.S. F-3 immigration interview, the Consular Officer will decide whether to grant you the visa based on your answers. Therefore, it is crucial to respond to the questions carefully and honestly.

3.5 Step 5: Receive Documents from NVC and Travel to the U.S.

Once your F-3 U.S. visa application is approved, the visa will be stamped in your passport.

The NVC will then send you another set of documents, which you will receive through the embassy. It is important to remember that you must not open this packet under any circumstances.

When you arrive in the U.S., you must present the packet to the immigration officer at the U.S. entry border, who will then make a final decision on whether to allow you entry into the United States based on the information in the packet.

4. Costs for Applying for the U.S. F-3 Visa

The cost of applying for an F-3 U.S. immigrant visa varies depending on whether you choose to do it yourself or hire an immigration lawyer. However, ImmiPath recommends seeking assistance from an immigration consulting center to ensure that your documents are processed quickly and without any omissions that could delay your family’s reunion.

All F-3 visa applicants must pay the USCIS immigration fee before arriving in the United States. If this fee is not paid, the green card application for the beneficiary and any dependent applicants will not be approved.

ImmiPath invites you to review some of the costs associated with the F-3 visa sponsorship process below:

Category	Cost
Fees for submitting documents to USCIS	535 USD/application
The cost of reviewing financial sponsorship applications submitted to NVC	120 USD/application
The cost of reviewing civil documents submitted to NVC	325 USD/person
Health examination cost at Cho Ray Hospital, IOM	Adults: 275 USD Children 2-14 years old: 240 USD Children < 2 years old: 165 USD
Immigration fee (USCIS immigrant fee) paid to USCIS	220 USD/person
Criminal Record No. 2 Fee (submitted to the Provincial Department of Justice where you have permanent residence)	200,000 VND/person
Document Translation Fee	Depends on the provider and the number of pages to be translated
Visa Delivery Fee	140,000 VND
Additional Costs	​​You will also need to pay other additional fees, such as fees for lawyers or immigration companies if you use them to file your sponsorship application, travel, and accommodation expenses for attending interviews, airfare to the U.S. if your visa is approved, etc

5. Waiting Time for a U.S. F-3 Visa

The processing time for the U.S. F-3 visa can vary significantly for each applicant. Due to the annual cap on F visas, processing can take over 10 years.

In addition, the high volume of F-3 visa applications makes it difficult for officials to process all applications promptly, leading to longer processing times.

On average, processing an F-3 visa application typically takes 12 to 13 years. This category has a notably long timeline before your case is handled.

However, during the waiting period, Vietnamese applicants can use the time to prepare finance, improve their English skills, and more.

6. Common Questions About U.S. F-3 Visa Immigration

6.1. Can I Work in the U.S. with an F-3 Visa?

If your F-3 visa application is successful, you will receive a U.S. green card. This means you can immigrate to the U.S. and stay there permanently. You will also be able to work and study in the U.S. without any immigration restrictions, and there is no need to apply for a separate work visa.

6.2. Can I Apply for U.S. Citizenship with an F-3 Visa?

Individuals granted an F-3 visa can come to the U.S. and obtain permanent resident status. The F-3 visa does not automatically grant you U.S. citizenship, but it can serve as a pathway to achieving it.

After living in the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident for more than 5 years, you will be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship, provided you meet the eligibility criteria.

If you are married to a U.S. citizen, you may apply for U.S. citizenship after just 3 years of living in the U.S.

The above information provides an overview of U.S. immigration under the F-3 visa category, which we hope will be helpful for those interested in parent-sponsored immigration for married children over 21 years old.

If you have any further questions about F-3 visa sponsorship or would like to learn about other U.S. visa types, feel free to comment below this post. The ImmiPath consulting team will assist you with all the experience, helping you choose the most suitable U.S. immigration path.