Legal immigration to the United States is largely based on any family relationships that an aspiring immigrant might have here. An immigrant visa is required of any foreign national who wishes to reside in the United States. The first step to qualifying for an immigrant visa is for a foreign national to be sponsored by an immediate relative who is either a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident and at least 21 years old. There are no limits on the number of family-based immigration visas that are issued in any given year for immediate family members. Those family members include:
- Unmarried children under the age of 21.
- Orphans who were legally adopted abroad.
- Orphans who will be legally adopted in the United States.
- Parents who are more than 21 years of age.
The Family Preference Category for More Distant Relatives
If the foreign national is a more distant relative or has a qualifying family relationship with a lawful permanent resident, he or she can still be sponsored for an immigrant visa, but there are limits on the number of such visas that can be issued every year. There are four preferences for this category. Those follow with the annual number of visas currently permitted each year:- First Preference: Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens and their minor children (23,400).
- Second Preference: Spouses and unmarried children of who are under 21 years of age and unmarried adult children of permanent residents who are over 21 years of age (114,200).
- Third Preference: Regardless of age, the married children, their spouses and children of U.S. Citizens (23,400).
- Fourth Preference: Brothers and sisters, their spouses and minor children of adult U.S. Citizens (65,000).
