Green Card for a Permanent Resident's Child

[Poor_Me]

Hi. I apologize in advance if a similar thread already exists. If so, can you please give me a link to it?
If not - here's the deal. My father is a permanent resident. I'm his daugher and I'm 19. I am currently in the U.S. on the student F1 visa (which has expired but that's no big deal since my I-20 is still good). I filed the form to become a permanent resident last October ( a year and 2 months ago) , and never heard from them ever again. I understand that sometimes it takes decades to get your green card, but I hope that's not the case with me.
My question is - if anyone has been in the same boat as me, that is - you were an under 21 yrs old student, your parent was a permanent resident - how long did it take you to get your green card and how painful was the process?
Thank you soooo much for reading my question and thank you even more for answering it
Regards

 

[Jackolantern]

Under-21 children of permanent residents have a 4 year wait (longer for Mexicans) to become eligible for a green card.

Your problem is that you will almost surely age out of that category and move into the unmarried children over 21 category which now has an 8-year wait (which is about 7 years for you, as you've already waited about a year). Which means you'll almost surely have to leave the US when you graduate from college, unless you get an H1B visa.

However, maybe it's not so bad. If your father becomes a citizen before you turn 21, you can get a green card as an immediate relative of a US citizen, and that should take less than 6 months.

There is also another option ... how did your father get his green card? Who was his sponsor ... a company? A relative? No one? Depending on how and when he got his green card, you may be able to get a derivative green card quickly.

 

[Poor_Me]

Thanks for the reply

Oh, this is not what I hoped for
My dad said something about that since I filed the application before I was 21, I will stay in the category "unmarried children under 21" even after I turn 21. I think he asked them (whoever is in charge of reviewing the application), and that's what they told him. But now that I am reading more and more posts like yours - that kids age out and game over - I am doubting if he understood it right.
Another question that I have is how does the wait time work? Does everyone have to wait for 4 (or 8) years, or do some people get lucky and get their green cards ealier than that?
You also said that I most likely will have to leave the U.S. before I get my green card. But I'm here on I-20, so technically as long as I stay a student I can stay in the U.S. I am supposed to be graduating from college this spring, but I'm seriously considering picking up another major in pre-med and studyin for 3 more years..

P.S. My dad is a professor at a University, and that's how he got his green card.
P.P.S. I am not Mexican.