Immigration Corner | How can I check my case status?

Dear Mrs Walker-Huntington,

My mom is a US citizen and she filed for me in January 2020 as an unmarried adult daughter.

I still have not received the I-130 approval. Is there anything I can do to find out the progress of the filing?

Thanks.

– V.

Dear V.,

When a US citizen files for a relative who resides outside of the United States, there is a two-step process before an interview is scheduled in the beneficiary’s home country.

The US citizen petitioner files the Petition for Alien Relative (I-130) with the Department of Homeland Security – US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS). When that petition is approved, it is assigned a priority date, and the case is forwarded to the US Department of State – the National Visa Center (NVC) and is processed when a visa becomes available.

As the adult, unmarried daughter of a US citizen, you are in the F1 preference category, and, in November, 2025, the priority date that is current in that category is November 8, 2016. This means it is taking approximately nine years for a green card to be available to persons in the F1 preference category – such as yourself.

Previously, USCIS would process the I-130 in order received and send the case to the NVC where it would await further processing. You could check how long it would take for the I-130 to be processed on the USCIS’ website www.uscis.gov and it would give you average processing times. However, this year USCIS has taken the position that they will process the I-130s close to the time when the NVC says a visa will be available. Thus, people should not expect approval notices until it is almost time for the NVC to begin processing the second step of the green card application process.

You can continue to monitor your case at USCIS website by using your receipt number to ensure that you are aware of any communication that might be sent during the process.

Dahlia A. Walker-Huntington, Esq is a Jamaican-American attorney who practises immigration law in the United States; and family, criminal and international law in Florida. She is a mediator and former special magistrate and hearing officer in Broward County, Florida.