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F21
CATEGORYCategory Code on the Card

Spouses of permanent residents (consular admission)

Spouses of permanent residents (consular admission)

◌ Pending reviewPathway availableCode source confirmedAdmission as a permanent resident following consular immigrant visa processingPrincipal applicantPermanent resident
UNITED STATES OF AMERICAPERMANENT RESIDENTSurname—Given Name—USCIS#—Country of Birth—Date of Birth—Card Expires:—Resident Since—CategoryF21Sex—TEACHING SAMPLE · NOT A VALID DOCUMENT
Cartoon category illustration, not an actual document
01Immigrant Category
Family-based immigration—F2A—Spouses and unmarried minor children of permanent residents
02Method of Obtaining Status
Admission as a permanent resident following consular immigrant visa processing
03Applicant Role
Principal applicant
04Nature of Residency
Permanent resident

Code source:Code source confirmed

This code appears in an official code table or official announcement; this establishes only that the code exists, not that all fields have been verified or that applications are currently open.

Notes on Code and Data Sources

Availability status (code and pathway assessed separately)

Code status

Available in official code tables/announcements

The code's presence in official materials proves only that the code exists; it does not indicate whether the pathway is open.

Underlying pathway status

Pathway available

Both the current official eligibility page and the code-table row have been checked and confirm that applications may be made under this pathway; this does not mean that any individual qualifies or will be approved, and a visa number must still be available.

Pathway:Second preference: Spouses and children of permanent residents。USCIS family preference page: F2A/F2B remain current; subject to annual numerical limits and visa availability. Evidence valid through 2026-12-31.

Verification date2026-10-11; independent of the difficulty-of-obtaining-status score; the absence of a score does not affect this status.

Not all of the following working fields have completed legal review. See the newly added verification for the current status of the pathway; unverified fields, such as translated names and legal authorities, are not thereby elevated to verified status, nor does this constitute individualized legal advice.

02One-Sentence Status Summary

Spouses of permanent residents (consular admission)

05Pathway Family and Related Immigration Pathways

Pathway family (working classification):Family-based immigration—F2A—Spouses and unmarried minor children of permanent residents

Correspondence to specific subpathwaysUnsubstantiated / Pending Review: This edition retains only the working pathway-family classification provided by the source catalog.

Difficulty-of-Obtaining Scorev1

Pathway Assessed:Spouses/minor children of permanent residents · Family Second Preference A (principal applicant, admission through consular processing)

34/ 99
Difficulty 34 / 99Pathway available

Mapping Explanation:Assesses only F21 new arrivals admitted through consular processing (spouses/unmarried children under 21 of permanent residents); this score is not replicated for corresponding adjustment-of-status codes.

  • QEligibility entry threshold×0.425
    Reasons and Evidence
    • Must be the spouse of a lawful permanent resident, or that resident's unmarried child under 21, and the relationship must continue to exist.

    Anchor:A single provable statutory relationship or status (such as a valid marriage to a U.S. citizen).

    Reason:The core eligibility requirement is a single, provable legal relationship.

  • VNumerical-limit competition and waiting×0.2550
    Reasons and Evidence
    • The overall annual limit for family preference categories and per-country percentage limits apply; an approved I-130 and a current priority date are required to receive an immigrant visa (8 U.S.C. 1153).

    Anchor:Subject to a statutory annual cap (allocation through priority dates/the visa bulletin, or a cap on total annual approvals/status grants).

    Reason:Subject to statutory annual caps and the priority-date system; assign 50.

  • EEvidentiary burden×0.1525
    Reasons and Evidence
    • Establish the spousal or parent-child relationship through an I-130 that is approved, pending, or concurrently filed and ultimately approved.

    Anchor:Documentary proof of one core fact (such as the bona fides of a relationship).

    Reason:Documentary proof of one core fact (the relationship).

  • CStatutory financial threshold×0.150
    Reasons and Evidence
    • Family-based immigration requires an I-864 Affidavit of Support (INA 213A), based on the I-864P Federal Poverty Guidelines; government fees also apply (G-1055).

    Anchor:Statutory financial sponsorship requirements in addition to government fees (such as the I-864 income threshold).

    Reason:A statutory financial sponsorship requirement applies in addition to government fees; use the same anchor as the existing assessment for immediate-relative spouses.

  • PProcedural dependencies×0.125
    Reasons and Evidence
    • The permanent resident must first file and obtain approval of I-130, after which the beneficiary proceeds with consular visa processing.

    Anchor:Requires another person to file an application or petition (such as a relative’s I-130) before proceeding with the green card process.

    Reason:Two stages; use the anchor for “another person must file a petition before the green card process can proceed.”

An assessment under this site's editorial rules, not a government score, probability of approval, or individualized legal conclusion. Assessed 2026-10-11; valid through 2027-04-11.Scoring Methodology

06Applicant Role

Source catalog's working classification:Principal applicant

07Method of Obtaining Status

Source catalog's working classification:Admission as a permanent resident following consular immigrant visa processing

08Conditional Resident Status and Permanent Nature of Residence

Unsubstantiated / Pending Review：The source catalog does not specify conditional resident status for each entry.

Residence category (working classification):Permanent resident

09Principal Applicant / Derivative Relationship

This edition includes no documented code relationships; none are inferred from code prefixes or suffixes.

04Time Period and Evidentiary Limits on “Whether It Can Still Be Newly Obtained Today”

Time-period notation:OHSS master table combining current and historical entries (status not identified by OHSS)

Verification of a Newly Added Pathway:Pathway available

Both the current official eligibility page and the code-table row have been checked and confirm that applications may be made under this pathway; this does not mean that any individual qualifies or will be approved, and a visa number must still be available.

USCIS family preference page: F2A/F2B remain current; subject to annual numerical limits and visa availability.

Verification2026-10-11· Valid through2026-12-31 · f2

Status recorded at the time of the original snapshot (not a conclusion about current status)
  • The source does not provide an active status; whether the status can still be newly obtained requires item-by-item verification of the governing legal authority.

Fields that were unverified at the time of the original snapshot remain unchanged. See the newly added pathway verification for current status; other fields are not thereby elevated to verified status.

03Official English and Chinese Working Translation

  • Spouses of alien residents, subject to country limits, new arrivals

    Working Chinese name (translated): Spouses of permanent residents (consular admission)

10Same-Code / Cross-Era Notice

The source does not flag any risk of cross-era confusion.

The same code may have different meanings in different eras. The source and era are preserved for each entry below; entries are not merged across eras, nor does their inclusion indicate current validity.

  • F21OHSS master table combining current and historical entries (status not identified by OHSS)OHSS-0049-F21

    Spouses of alien residents, subject to country limits, new arrivals

    Official Grouping
    Sponsored by Family
    Legal Authority
    INA 203(a)(2)(A).
    Original Snapshot Notes (Not Current Status)

    The OHSS page does not provide an active/status field; the existence of a source does not mean the pathway is currently open; the same code also appears in the current consular immigrant visa table in 22 CFR 42.11.

11General Limitations for Existing Holders

  • Discontinuation of a code does not automatically revoke LPR status previously lawfully obtained; an individual's status still depends on subsequent facts.

This page compiles code reference materials. It does not constitute legal advice or determine any individual's current immigration status.

01Code and Original Source Notation

Normalized code:F21

The source contains no other notation differing from the normalized code.

12Sources, Dates, and Review Status (Entry by Entry)

  • OHSS-0049-F21

    DHS/OHSS COA master table · accessed 2026-08-12

    Original snapshot review status:Official English and working Chinese fields reviewed; whether the pathway is open remains subject to separate verification against legal sources(As recorded at the time; for current status, see the newly added pathway verification below)

    • ✓ Original English text：Verified as matching the official English original
    • · Chinese name：Working Chinese translation, not subjected to word-by-word legal review
    • ✓ Legal Authority：Legal authority checked against the official original text
    • · Status in the original snapshot：Current availability was not officially confirmed in the original snapshot only; see the added pathway verification for current status.
    • ✓ Applicant Role：Role supported by an official label
    • ✓ Method of Obtaining Status：Method of obtaining status supported by an official label
    • · Status category：Listed in the official LPR code table (conditional status not separately verified)

    Verification of a Newly Added Pathway:Pathway available

    Both the current official eligibility page and the code-table row have been checked and confirm that applications may be made under this pathway; this does not mean that any individual qualifies or will be approved, and a visa number must still be available.

    USCIS family preference page: F2A/F2B remain current; subject to annual numerical limits and visa availability.

    Verification2026-10-11· Valid through2026-12-31 · f2

READING NOTES / Scope of Reading

AboutF21, you may want to know

Green Card Knowledge Base / RELATED READING

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