F3 Case Tracker: How to track Priority Date, Visa Bulletin and US settlement records

F3 Case Tracker: How to track Priority Date, Visa Bulletin and US settlement records

The F3 filing usually does not end when USCIS approves the I-130.

Once the petition is approved, the application must continue through the visa availability stages and, for consular processing, may continue with the NVC, CEAC and consulates.

This is why F3 people should not just monitor USCIS Case Status.

A full tracking system needs to connect:

Priority Date.

USCIS.

Visa Bulletin.

NVC.

CEAC.

Documentarily Complete.

Interview.

Visa Decision.

WHAT ASPECT IS F3?

F3 is Family-Based Third Preference.

This is for the married son or daughter of a US citizen.

USCIS identifies F3 as belonging to the family-sponsored preference group and this group is subject to a limit on the number of immigrant visas.

Therefore, F3 is different from the Immediate Relative group.

F3 applications may have to wait for a visa number based on Priority Date and Visa Bulletin status.

HOW IMPORTANT IS F3'S PRIORITY DATE?

Priority Date is one of the most important information of the F3 profile.

This is the date users need to keep accurate for comparison with Visa Bulletin.

Don't just write:

“F3 2012.”

You should save the exact date, month and year.

Examples of profile information that should be managed include:

F3.

Priority Date.

Receipt Number.

The date USCIS received the I-130.

Approval date.

NVC Case Number if available.

Invoice ID if existing.

DQ date if completed.

Interview date if scheduled.

When Priority Date is saved correctly, the new system can help users track records over time.

WHY IS USCIS APPROVED STILL NOT HAVING A VISA?

This is one of the things F3 people easily misunderstand.

USCIS Approval means the petition has been approved by USCIS.

But F3 is a preference category subject to visa restrictions.

The Department of State explains that USCIS approval of a petition does not mean an immigrant visa number will immediately be available.

Visa availability also depends on:

Preference category.

Priority Date.

Country of chargeability.

Number of visas allocated.

Needs of other records.

Therefore:

USCIS Approved does not mean Visa Available.

THIS IS WHY F3 MUST FOLLOW BULLETIN VISA

The Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin monthly.

In the Visa Bulletin, F3 has a separate line in the Family-Sponsored table.

Users need to correctly determine:

F3.

Chargeability area.

Final Action Dates.

Dates for Filing.

You should not just look at one day and conclude that your application has come.

VISA BULLETIN F3 AUGUST 2026

According to Visa Bulletin August 2026, the Final Action Date of F3 is:

15 MAY 2012 for All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed.

15 MAY 2012 for China-mainland born.

15 MAY 2012 for India.

01 JUL 2001 for Mexico.

22 FEB 2006 for the Philippines.

This is data for August 2026 only.

Visa Bulletin is updated monthly, so users should not take a milestone of the current month as a fixed date for the future.

In particular, the Priority Date must be compared with the correct country column.

FINAL ACTION DATE AND PRIORITY DATE

If person F3 has a Priority Date, the check is not just:

“Is my date close to the Visa Bulletin date?”

It is necessary to determine whether the Priority Date is before the Final Action Date applied to the record.

The Department of State explains that for Final Action Dates, visa numbers are issued to applications with a Priority Date earlier than the published date.

Therefore, the tracker needs to do this comparison explicitly.

DATES FOR FILING HAVE DIFFERENT MEANINGS

Visa Bulletin also has a Dates for Filing table.

This table reflects the time when immigrant visa applicants can begin preparing and submitting the necessary documents to NVC according to NVC's instructions, when the Priority Date meets the conditions of the table.

So:

Final Action Date is not the same as Dates for Filing.

An application may be eligible to begin some documentation steps but have not yet reached the point where the visa number has been issued.

This is one of the reasons F3 people should monitor both tables instead of just looking at one day.

F3 MAY HAVE TO WAIT MANY YEARS

F3 belongs to preference category