Bringing Family to the US
Bringing Family to the U.S.
A plain-language guide for Filipino American citizens petitioning a fiancé(e), a spouse, or a relative: the routes, the fees, and the waits as of October 2026.
This page is a reference guide compiled from government fee schedules, the State Department's Visa Bulletin, and published legal summaries. It is not legal advice and has not been reviewed by an attorney. Fees, processing times, and country restrictions changed repeatedly in 2026. Confirm every figure on the USCIS and State Department pages listed under Sources before you file.
Many Filipino American families are built across an ocean. The paperwork that makes that possible follows a few standard paths, and the choice among them is mostly settled by two facts: who you are petitioning, and your own status.
This guide is for U.S. citizens. Citizenship matters because only a citizen can file the fiancé(e) petition, and because a citizen's spouse, minor child, and parent are treated as immediate relatives outside the preference queue. The sections below start with who you are petitioning, walk through the K-1 fiancé(e) route step by step, cover the spouse route, show where the wait for Filipino families is measured in decades, and then lay out what it all costs.
Who You're Petitioning
Find the relationship in the left column. The right column shows the Philippines cutoff date from the October 2026 Visa Bulletin for categories that have a queue.
| Who you are petitioning | Route | Who can file | Philippines cutoff, Oct 2026 bulletin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiancé(e) | K-1 visa, then marry within 90 days of entry and apply for a green card | U.S. citizens only | Not in the Visa Bulletin |
| Spouse of a U.S. citizen | Form I-130, then a spouse immigrant visa abroad (CR-1/IR-1) or adjustment of status inside the U.S. | U.S. citizens (permanent residents use F2A) | None: immediate relatives are not in the preference queue |
| Unmarried child under 21 | Form I-130 as an immediate relative | U.S. citizens | None |
| Parent | Form I-130 as an immediate relative | U.S. citizens age 21 or older | None |
| Unmarried son or daughter, 21 or older (F1) | Form I-130, then wait for a visa number | U.S. citizens | 11/1/2013 |
| Married son or daughter (F3) | Form I-130, then wait for a visa number | U.S. citizens | 7/22/2006 |
| Brother or sister (F4) | Form I-130, then wait for a visa number | Adult U.S. citizens | 5/15/2008 |
You cannot file Form I-129F. A permanent resident petitions for a spouse or child under F2A (Philippines cutoff 9/22/2026) and for an unmarried son or daughter age 21 or older under F2B (Philippines cutoff 10/1/2013). Naturalization changes the category, so ask an attorney whether to wait before filing.
The K-1 Fiancé(e) Visa, Step by Step
The K-1 is a nonimmigrant visa that lets a foreign fiancé(e) enter the United States to marry the citizen petitioner within 90 days. The couple then applies for a green card from inside the country.
The petitioner must be a U.S. citizen. Both people must be legally free to marry, and they must intend to marry within 90 days of the fiancé(e)'s arrival. They must generally have met in person at least once in the two years before filing. USCIS may waive that for extreme hardship to the petitioner, or where custom makes a pre-marriage meeting contrary to the couple's culture.
USCIS requires a written waiver request if you have previously filed K-1 petitions for two or more beneficiaries, or if a K-1 petition you filed was approved less than two years ago.
The K-1 visa cannot be extended. The fiancé(e)'s status runs out 90 days after entry, and a wedding that misses the window can end the plan.
Spouse Petitions
If you are already married, the citizen files Form I-130. The fee is $675 on paper or $625 online. From there the spouse takes one of two roads: consular processing, where the case goes to the National Visa Center and then to a U.S. embassy or consulate, or adjustment of status with USCIS if the spouse is already in the United States.
On the consular road, the National Visa Center collects a $325 immigrant visa application fee for each applicant and a $120 fee to review the Affidavit of Support. On the adjustment road, the green card application (Form I-485) is a $1,440 USCIS fee.
The Affidavit of Support (Form I-864)
The sponsor promises to maintain the immigrant at an income of at least 125% of the federal poverty guideline for the sponsor's household. Household size counts the sponsor, dependents, and the immigrants being sponsored. The 2026 figures for the 48 contiguous states and D.C. are below. Alaska and Hawaii are higher, and the guideline updates every year.
| Household size | 125% of the 2026 poverty guideline |
|---|---|
| 2 | $27,050 |
| 3 | $34,150 |
| 4 | $41,250 |
| 5 | $48,350 |
Active-duty military sponsors petitioning for a spouse or child need only 100%. A sponsor who falls short can use a joint sponsor or qualifying assets.
On processing time, law-firm estimates for citizen-spouse petitions in 2026 disagree widely, from about 10 months to several years at some offices, so this page prints no single figure. USCIS's own processing-times tool is the only source to trust.
Visa Bulletin: Where the Philippines Stands
Immediate relatives of citizens are not in the preference queue. Everyone else is, and the queue is organized by category and by country. The State Department lists the Philippines among the oversubscribed countries, which is why Filipino cutoff dates trail the rest of the world in several categories.
| Category | Who | Philippines final action | All other countries final action | Philippines date for filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens | 11/1/2013 | 1/22/2020 | 4/22/2015 |
| F2A | Spouses and children of permanent residents | 9/22/2026 | 9/22/2026 | Current |
| F2B | Unmarried sons and daughters (21+) of permanent residents | 10/1/2013 | 8/22/2019 | 10/1/2014 |
| F3 | Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens | 7/22/2006 | 10/22/2014 | 10/22/2006 |
| F4 | Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens | 5/15/2008 | 10/22/2011 | 3/22/2009 |
Final action dates mean a visa number can be issued only to applicants whose priority date is earlier than the listed date. The priority date is generally the date the petition was filed. The Date for Filing column shows when applicants may begin submitting documents to the National Visa Center. Both columns are from the October 2026 bulletin.
For scale, the cutoff for siblings of adult citizens (F4) sits at 5/15/2008, about 18 years behind the bulletin month. The cutoff for married sons and daughters (F3) is 7/22/2006, about 20 years behind. A gap is a snapshot, not a forecast of how fast the line will move.
The Visa Bulletin names only four oversubscribed countries in the family and employment charts: mainland China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines. The per-country limit is 7% of the total preference numbers and applies to every country the same way, however many families a country has in the United States.
What It Costs
These are government fees only. Translations, police certificates, the medical exam, travel, and attorney fees are extra and vary.
| Stage | Fee | Paid by | Source and vintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form I-129F, fiancé(e) petition | $675 | Petitioner | USCIS fee schedule G-1055, 2026 |
| K-1 visa application (DS-160) | $265 | Fiancé(e) | State Department fees page, 2026 |
| Form I-485, green card after marriage | $1,440 | Foreign spouse | USCIS fee rule, April 2024 |
| Form I-130, spouse or relative petition | $675 paper, $625 online | Petitioner | USCIS fee schedule G-1055, 2026; online discount per USCIS fee rule |
| Immigrant visa application, per applicant | $325 | Applicant | State Department fees page, 2026 |
| Affidavit of Support review, per case | $120 | Petitioner or applicant | State Department fees page, 2026 |
For the K-1 route, the fees to reach the visa are $675 plus $265, a total of $940, before the medical exam and before the green card stage. Fees are set by the agencies and change. Check the current USCIS fee schedule and the State Department fee page before paying.
Timelines
No honest single number exists. The USCIS stage of the K-1 has lengthened through 2026, as this law-firm tracker of USCIS's processing-time tool shows.
| Date checked | I-129F processing time (months) |
|---|---|
| 1/23/2026 | 10 |
| 4/28/2026 | 11 |
| 7/29/2026 | 12 |
| 9/29/2026 | 13 |
The consular stage adds time that varies by embassy and by month. Guides written earlier in 2026 put the whole K-1 process at roughly 8 to 14 months, and the USCIS stage has grown since, so treat any published total with caution and confirm against USCIS's processing-times page.
Before a Filipino Fiancé(e) or Spouse Flies: The CFO Requirement
The Commission on Filipinos Overseas requires Filipino fiancé(e)s and spouses of foreign nationals, including former Filipinos, to complete its Guidance and Counseling Program. The program issues a Guidance and Counseling Certificate and a CFO sticker, and the CFO offers both online and onsite options. This is a Philippine government requirement that sits beside the U.S. visa, not inside it.
Do not pay a broker or a third-party site for a certificate or sticker. Start from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas page listed under Sources.
2026 Conditions That Can Change Your Plan
This is the section that ages fastest. It reflects sources reviewed on 10/3/2026.
The proclamation restricts visa issuance for nationals of listed countries, with full restrictions for some and partial for others. The restrictions turn on the passport of the person being petitioned. The Philippines does not appear in the country lists in the law-firm and university summaries reviewed.
The State Department paused immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries effective 1/21/2026. Philstar reported that the Philippines was not on the list. Law-firm reports say a federal court vacated the policy on 8/21/2026.
Reuters reported on 8/25/2026 that the State Department paused immigrant visa appointments worldwide while consular officers trained on public charge screening. The sources reviewed give no firm restart date. The K-1 is a nonimmigrant visa and the reports concern immigrant visa interviews, but some firms report broader rescheduling, so confirm with the consulate handling the case.
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Sources and Further Reading
Primary sources first. Where a figure rests on a law-firm summary instead of a government page, the page says so inline.
- U.S. Department of State, Visa Bulletin for October 2026 (Philippines cutoff dates, oversubscribed countries)
- U.S. Department of State, Fees for Visa Services (K-visa and immigrant visa fees)
- USCIS Form G-1055, Fee Schedule (I-129F, I-130, and I-485 fees)
- USCIS, Visas for Fiancé(e)s of U.S. Citizens
- U.S. Embassy K-visa guidance (two-year meeting rule and exceptions)
- Commission on Filipinos Overseas, Filipino spouses and partners of foreign nationals
- Philstar, Philippines spared from U.S. suspension of immigrant visas (January 2026)
- National Immigration Law Center, Q&A on the 75-country visa ban lawsuit
- Law and Border, tracker of USCIS I-130 and I-129F processing times (law-firm tracker of USCIS data)
Founder & Editor
J.F.R. Perseveranda
J.F. (Jonjo) left the Philippines at age nine, spending a lifetime bridging the gap between his Marikina roots and his Chicago/Vallejo upbringing. A proud Hogan Spartan from East Vallejo and resident of LA/SF, he founded PinoyBuilt not just as a digital archive, but as a cultural compass for his three children to navigate their heritage, language, and identity with Pinoy Pride.
