Family reunification

This page explains how a Turkish citizen who has settled in the United States can bring their spouse and children to join them and how long they will have to wait. You will find who can bring whom, the difference between immediate relatives and preference categories, the dates in the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, and follow-to-join rights. For how to read waiting times, see 3.3 How to read the Visa Bulletin; for petition steps, see 3.2 Green card through family.

• U.S. citizen:
  • their spouse
  • their unmarried children under 21
  • their unmarried children aged 21 or older (F1); their children may also be added to the case
  • their married children (F3); their spouse and children may also be added to the case
  • their parents, if they are at least 21 years old
  • their siblings (F4), if they are at least 21 years old
• Green card holder:
  • their spouse and unmarried children under 21 (F2A)
  • their unmarried children aged 21 or older (F2B)
  • They cannot bring their parents, siblings, or married children.
• Temporary visa holder (such as H-1B, L-1, or F-1): their spouse and children come with dependent visas. See 2.7 Spouse and child (dependent) visas.
• “Child” in immigration law: an unmarried person under 21. For a stepchild, the marriage must have taken place before the child turned 18. For adoption, the requirements generally include adoption before age 16 and two years of custody and living together.

• Immediate relatives (the spouse, unmarried child under 21, or parent of a U.S. citizen): a visa is always available. The wait is only the time required for the petition and visa processing.
• Preference categories: your turn comes when your priority date (the date the I-130 was filed) reaches the date listed in the Visa Bulletin.
• October 2026 Visa Bulletin – Final Action Dates for the general column, which includes Turkey:
  • F1 (unmarried children of citizens aged 21 or older): January 22, 2020
  • F2A (spouses and unmarried children under 21 of green card holders): September 22, 2026
  • F2B (unmarried children of green card holders aged 21 or older): August 22, 2019
  • F3 (married children of citizens): October 22, 2014
  • F4 (siblings of citizens): October 22, 2011
• Cases with priority dates before these dates are processed. A date is not an estimate of a waiting period; it changes every month and can also retrogress.
• As of October 16, 2026, the latest published bulletin is the October 2026 bulletin. The November 2026 bulletin has not yet been published. Check the latest bulletin before applying.
• You can view the petition processing time at USCIS using the USCIS processing-times tool.

• In preference categories: the principal applicant’s spouse and unmarried children under 21 may apply through the same case as derivatives. A separate petition is not required.
• For immediate relatives: there are no derivative applicants. A separate I-130 must be filed for each person.
• If a green card holder becomes a citizen:
  • The F2A petition filed for a spouse is upgraded to the immediate relative (IR) category. You send proof of citizenship (the information page of a U.S. passport or a certificate of citizenship) to the NVC.
  • Children are no longer considered derivatives of the spouse’s case. If you did not file separate petitions for your children while you were a green card holder, you must now file a separate I-130 for each of them.
  • Children born abroad after you become a citizen may be U.S. citizens; they apply for a U.S. passport.
• Age-21 risk: for children who turn 21 during the wait, the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) changes the age calculation in some cases. See 3.3 How to read the Visa Bulletin.

• If you received your green card in a preference category (through family or employment), your spouse and children who did not receive green cards at the same time may follow to join without a separate petition and without waiting for an additional visa number.
• Requirements: the family relationship existed when you became a permanent resident and still exists; you received an immigrant visa or adjustment of status in a preference category.
• If you adjusted status in the United States: file Form I-824. Attachments: a copy of the underlying petition or application, a copy of its I-797 notice, and a copy of your green card. If your I-485 has not yet been filed, you may file the I-824 together with the I-485.
• If you received your immigrant visa abroad: write to the NVC.
  • Email: NVCInquiry@state.gov
  • Mail: National Visa Center, ATTN: WC, 32 Rochester Ave., Portsmouth, NH 03801-2909
• People who received green cards in the immediate relative category, such as as the spouse of a citizen, cannot use follow-to-join.
• Refugees and asylees: if you were admitted to the United States as the principal refugee applicant or were granted asylum within the past two years, you may file Form I-730 for your spouse and unmarried children under 21. See 3.7 Green card through refugee or asylum status.

• After filing an I-130 for a spouse, a U.S. citizen may also file Form I-129F so that the spouse can come on a K-3 visa and wait for the decision in the United States. The I-129F filed for a K-3 is free.
• According to USCIS, the I-130 is approved first or at the same time in most cases, so a K-3 is usually unnecessary.
• K-3 is only for spouses of U.S. citizens. The V visa provided for spouses of green card holders applies only to I-130 petitions filed on or before December 21, 2000.
• For details, see 7.1 Marriage to a U.S. citizen or green card holder.

• Form I-130: $675 (paper) or $625 (online). A separate fee for each relative.
• Form I-824 (follow-to-join, general): $590.
• Form I-730 (relative of a refugee/asylee): $0.
• Form I-129F (for K-3): $0.
• Immigrant visa application fee: $325 per person.
• I-864 review fee: $120 (if reviewed by the NVC).
• USCIS immigrant fee: $235.
• Department of State fees are paid separately for each applicant and are nonrefundable.

• USCIS case status — I-130, I-824, I-730
  • Web: egov.uscis.gov (with your receipt number)
  • Processing times: egov.uscis.gov/processing-times
  • Contact Center: +1 800 375 5283 (TTY +1 800 767 1833); from outside the United States +1 212 620 3418
• National Visa Center (NVC) — visa stage of an approved petition
  • Inquiry form: NVC Public Inquiry Form
  • Document upload and payment: CEAC
• U.S. Embassy Ankara — all immigrant visa interviews in Turkey
  • Address: Çukurambar Mahallesi, 1480 Sokak No: 1, 06530 Çankaya / Ankara
  • Phone: +90 312 294 00 00

• Assuming that a spouse’s children can be added as derivatives to an immediate-relative case and failing to file separate I-130s.
• Failing to notify the NVC of an F2A petition after becoming a citizen.
• Forgetting to file separate petitions for children after becoming a citizen.
• Filing a new I-130 and returning to the back of the line even when follow-to-join is available.
• Assuming that the date in the Visa Bulletin is a waiting period.
• Responding late to NVC notices.

• I received a green card; how long will my spouse and children wait? If you received your green card in a preference category and the family relationship existed at that time, they will not wait for an additional visa number through follow-to-join. Otherwise, you file an I-130 in the F2A category; in October 2026, the F2A date is September 22, 2026.
• I am a citizen; can I bring my parents? Yes, if you are at least 21 years old. Parents are immediate relatives, so there is no quota wait.
• How long will it take for my sibling? The F4 date in October 2026 is October 22, 2011. This means petitions with priority dates before October 22, 2011 are being processed.
• What happens if my child marries while waiting? The F2A and F2B categories are for unmarried children. See 3.3 for your situation and consult an immigration attorney.
• Can my spouse visit me on a tourist visa? For visitor visa rules, see 2.1 Tourist and business travel (B-1/B-2).
• I have H-1B status; can my spouse work? For work authorization on dependent visas, see 2.7 Spouse and child (dependent) visas.

• Form I-130 (PDF)
• Form I-130 instructions (PDF)
• Form I-824 (PDF)
• Form I-824 instructions (PDF)
• Form I-730 (PDF)
• Form I-730 instructions (PDF)
• October 2026 Visa Bulletin
• USCIS processing times
• USCIS case status
• NVC inquiry form