F2B Case Tracker: How to track Priority Date, Visa Bulletin and US settlement documents

F2B Case Tracker: How to track Priority Date, Visa Bulletin and US settlement documents

F2B is one of the family sponsorship categories with a long waiting period. For people with F2B records, tracking records should not stop at just checking USCIS Case Status.

There are at least three groups of information that need to be monitored in parallel:

Priority Date.

Document status.

Visa Bulletin.

When the application reaches the consular processing stage, users also have to pay attention to NVC, CEAC and interview schedule.

WHAT IS F2B?

F2B belongs to Family-Based Second Preference.

This is for the unmarried son or daughter, 21 years of age or older, of a legal permanent resident of the United States.

USCIS distinguishes between F2A and F2B in the Family-Based Second Preference group.

F2A is for spouses and unmarried children under 21 years of age of permanent residents.

F2B is for an unmarried son or daughter 21 years of age or older of a permanent resident.

Because F2B family preferences have limited visa numbers, applicants must monitor Priority Date and Visa Bulletin to know when visa numbers may become available.

PRIORITY DATE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MARKET OF F2B

Priority Date can be simply understood as the date the application's position in the visa queue is established.

For family preference records, the Priority Date is usually tied to the date the petition was filed.

This makes Priority Date one of the most important data F2B people need to keep.

Don't just remember:

“My F2B filed in 2013.”

Should be saved exactly:

Priority Date.

Receipt Number.

The date USCIS receives the application.

Approval date.

F2B area.

Where beneficiaries are calculated quota.

If users only remember the year, it is very difficult for users to accurately compare it with Visa Bulletin.

WHY IS JUST MONITORING USCIS NOT ENOUGH?

USCIS Case Status can indicate what status the petition is in.

For example:

Case Was Received.

Case Was Actively Reviewed.

Case Was Approved.

But USCIS status doesn't answer the question on its own:

“When will I get a visa?”

For F2B, you also have to look at visa limits and Priority Date.

This is a very important point.

An F2B petition may have been approved by USCIS but the beneficiary must continue to wait for visa availability.

So:

USCIS Approval is not synonymous with Visa Available.

THIS IS WHY F2B NEED BULLETIN TRACKER VISA

The Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin monthly.

Visa Bulletin provides dates for each family preference category and each chargeability area.

Including F2B.

Users need to compare:

My Priority Date.

F2B area.

Chargeability area is suitable.

Final Action Date.

And in related cases, Dates for Filing.

The important point is to understand which table you are looking at and what purpose that table is used for.

FINAL ACTION DATE AND DATES FOR FILING ARE NOT THE SAME

Visa Bulletin may have two important family-sponsored tables.

Final Action Dates.

Dates for Filing.

These two tables serve different purposes.

Final Action Date relates to when a visa number can be issued to an eligible application.

Dates for Filing reflect when immigrant visa applicants can begin preparing and submitting documents to NVC according to Department of State guidance.

Therefore, F2B people should not just see a date on the Visa Bulletin and then conclude that the application has reached a visa.

MUST COMPARE PRIORITY DATE WITH THE CORRECT TABLE

For example, a profile has a specific Priority Date.

What needs to be done is not to look:

“Is the date on the Visa Bulletin close to the Priority Date?”

Which must determine:

What month are you looking at?

Which face?

Chargeability anyway.

Viewing Final Action Dates or Dates for Filing.

What is the purpose of comparison?

This is why a tracker is more valuable than a simple Visa Bulletin display page.

F2B MAY HAVE TO WAIT A VERY LONG TIME

F2B is a preference category with a limited number of visas.

Therefore, the date on the Visa Bulletin may advance, stand still, or in some cases retrogress.

Users should not consider each Visa Bulletin increase as a commitment that applications will continue to increase steadily in the following months.

Department of State allocates student visas