Can F2 and H4 be processed , in parallel?

[Aswani]

Hi, I got married in the month of Feb 2017. My husband is on F1 visa and his company is processing his H1B(along with my H4) , this April. We have following queries.

1. Is it advisable to initiate F2 now or wait for H4(will be valid to travel only by Oct 1st 2017)?
2. Will initiation of F2 affect his H1B processing( since both will be in the month of April 2017)?
3. Status of F2 will be valid only till my husband is in F1. If his H1B is picked in lottery , will the status change immediately or only by October 1st.


We are finding the possible ways to be at US together. Kindly help.

[Vishnu007]

F2 or H4 - Depends

If you want to go fast, and on a reliable visa, yes! you can look for F2. But you must show enough funds, and he must be in good standing with his visa rules. When the lottery is picked, his status doesn't change, other than he will receive a notice of action showing his application has been picked. When the petition is finally approved by USCIS, then his status changes, this happens somewhere in between June - July.