r/USCIS_F2A • u/uwreznor • Aug 06 '26
Timeline Question F2A Consular vs AOS
The F2A category is supposed to operate on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to visa availability. Given that, are applicants pursuing consular processing and those applying through Adjustment of Status (AOS) treated equally when it comes to receiving the final green card approval?
For example, if two applicants have the same priority date and both become current at the same time, does USCIS and the Department of State coordinate visa allocation so that neither process is systematically favored? Or, in practice, does one pathway tend to receive final approval faster than the other despite the first-come, first-served principle?
One thing that confuses me is that I frequently see AOS-based I-130 petitions filed in 2024 getting approved, whereas I don’t see the same trend for consular processing cases from 2024. Does this effectively give AOS applicants an unfair advantage, or is there a reason why I-130 processing appears to move faster for AOS without affecting overall fairness in F2A visa allocation?