Family-Based Immigration
Immigrant Visas for Immediate Relatives, Including Spouses
U.S. Citizens may sponsor a spouse, parents, children, and siblings for permanent resident status in the U.S. A permanent resident may petition for immigrant visas for his or her spouse and unmarried children.
The spouse, parents, and unmarried children under age 21 of U.S. citizens are not subject to annual visa number limits. Married children of a U.S. citizen, unmarried children over the age 21 years of a U.S. citizen, siblings of U.S. citizens, and the spouse and children of permanent resident aliens are all subject to numerical limitations. There are only a limited number of such visas issued each year and many more applicants that visa numbers. The result is a waiting list. In some categories, the wait is many years. Immigrant visas subject to the numerical limitations are processed in the order of the filing date of the I-130 petition. The filing date is the applicant’s “priority date.” Once the priority date of the approved I-130 petitions becomes current, the National Visa Center will send the applicant instructions for applying for the immigrant visa at a U.S. Consular post abroad.
Resources on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Website
