F3
Married children of citizens
The queue is moving faster than the calendar
Over the 12 months to September 2026, the all-areas cut-off advanced 38.7 months. That is 3.23 months of queue per month of real time. The queue closed ground on the calendar over that year.
Across the whole record here, October 2023 to September 2026, the cut-off moved 69.4 months in 35. Past pace is a record of what happened, not a schedule.
Movement, all areas
Final Action Dates across the 36 published months.
By country of chargeability
| Area | Final Action Dates | Dates for Filing | Since August | Pace, 12mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All chargeability areas except those listed | 22 Oct 2014 | 01 Nov 2014 | 29.2mo | 3.23x |
| China, mainland born | 22 Oct 2014 | 01 Nov 2014 | 29.2mo | 3.23x |
| India | 22 Oct 2014 | 01 Nov 2014 | 29.2mo | 3.23x |
| Mexico | 01 Jul 2001 | 15 Jul 2001 | no move | 0.41x |
| Philippines | 22 Feb 2006 | 08 Aug 2006 | no move | 1.81x |
Questions this page answers
- Why does F3 take so long?
- Between October 2023 and September 2026, 35 months of published bulletins, the all-areas cut-off moved 69.4 months, a pace of 1.98 months of queue for every month of real time. Over the most recent 12 months, to September 2026, it moved 38.7 months, a pace of 3.23. The cut-off never moved backwards over that period. The bulletin does not publish a reason for the pace, and this site does not infer one.
- Does a cut-off ever move backwards?
- Yes. A cut-off can retrogress when demand for a category exceeds what remains of the annual limit. Any month where that happened is marked on the table below.
- When will a particular priority date be reached?
- That cannot be answered from the bulletin. Past pace is a record of what happened, not a schedule, and this site publishes no prediction.
Current values from the September 2026 bulletin, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. Movement computed across 36 published months, 12 for the headline pace.