Family-Based (F) Immigrant Visas

Who is eligible?

Family-based immigrants are defined as: brothers and sisters and adult or married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, or spouse of a U.S. permanent resident. There are numerical limitations to these categories of immigrants, meaning there will be a waiting period after your petition is approved and before you can apply for U.S. immigration.

Family First Preference (F1): Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and their minor children, if any.

Family Second Preference (F2): Spouses, minor children, and unmarried sons and daughters (age 21 and over) of LPRs.

Family Third Preference (F3): Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and their spouses and children.

Family Fourth Preference (F4): Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens, and their spouses and minor children, provided the U.S. citizens are at least 21 years of age.

Note: Grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws and cousins cannot sponsor a relative for immigration under the family-based category.

How to apply

The first step in applying for an immigrant visa is for the U.S. citizen or LPR (petitioner) to file a immigrant visa petition, Form I-130, with the office of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).   

Filing the I-130 Petition:

Please review our Changes to Filing I-130 Petitions Overseas webpage on this site for information regarding the procedures to file an I-130 petition for an alien relative.  Changes to the process became effective August 15, 2011.  

Please use this form and instructions from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service website to file the I-130 petition. 

What happens to the approved petition?

Once USCIS approves the petition, it is forwarded it to the National Visa Center (NVC) for further processing. NVC provides detailed instructions to the petitioner and the applicant and eventually (once all instructions have been complied with and all fees have been paid), NVC will send an Appointment Letter notifying the visa applicant of the date and time of the interview.  The Embassy cannot advice you on when NVC might schedule your interview. Once NVC has scheduled the interview, the case file is forwarded to the Embassy in the country where the applicant resides.  Additional information regarding the visa application process by NVC is available on the NVC website.

A petition filed with the Embassy prior to August 15, 2011 is processed by the Immigrant Visa Unit at the Embassy.  

Further information regarding family immigration to the United States is available from the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs website.