U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents can request immigration for certain family members. There are other categories of family-based immigration aside from the spouses of U.S. citizens. Congress has decided which relatives can petition for which relatives, and set limits on the number of people who can immigrate each year in each category. On top of the limits by category of relationship, Congress has set limits on the percentage of immigrants from any one country per year. Short descriptions of each family-based category follow:
Immediate relative – spouse, minor child or parent of U.S. citizen (no annual limit)
- ➼ 1st preference – adult unmarried son or daughter of U.S. citizen
- ➼ 2A – spouse or minor child of lawful permanent resident
- ➼ 2B – adult unmarried son or daughter of lawful permanent resident
- ➼ 3rd preference – adult married son or daughter of U.S. citizen
- ➼ 4th preference – sibling of U.S. citizen
Because of the annual limits per category of family-based immigration, wait lists have developed for some people who would like to immigrate to the U.S. through family. The U.S. Department of State informs us of movement in the wait lists through its monthly Visa Bulletin, published at travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/law-and-policy/bulletin.
In some categories, the wait list is not too long, but for others it can take decades to reach the front of the line.