Family-Sponsored Green Card

One of the guiding principles of American immigration policy is the preservation of family unity. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) establishes numerical ceilings for each of the five family-based admission categories as well as a total family-based admissions ceiling for each nation.

It should be noted that if they satisfy the usual eligibility requirements, an unlimited number of immediate relatives may get Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR, sometimes known as "Green Card") status each year.

Immediate Relatives include the following:

• The spouses of U.S. citizens;
• The spouses of U.S. citizens;
• The parents of U.S. citizens at least 21 years old; and
• Widows or widowers of U.S. citizens who either filed a petition before passing away or who do so within two years of the citizen's passing.

Every year, more foreign people apply for LPR status through family-sponsored preferences than there are available visas for legal immigrants. Due to this, there is currently a queue of foreign people waiting for visas to enter the United States even if they are eligible to do so under the INA.

The DOS publishes its Visa Bulletin each month, which includes "cut-off dates" for each of the four numerically restricted family-based admissions categories. Cut-off dates show the first approval dates for petitions for numerically limited visas that are currently being processed.

Family-Sponsored Preference Categories

First: (F1): Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens

Second: (F2) Spouses and Children, and Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Permanent Residents:

• F2A: Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents
• F2B: Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older) of Permanent Residents

Third: (F3) Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens

Fourth: (F4) Brothers and Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens