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FAMILY-BASED · 01

Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens vs. family preference categories

Immediate relatives are not numerically limited; F1–F4 require waiting in line. One table makes clear who belongs where.

English translation of this site's original Chinese explainer · 5 official sources · read 2026-10-10 UTC · not legal advice

01

Immediate relatives

Immediate relatives of a U.S. citizen include: the spouse; unmarried children under 21; parents (provided the citizen is at least 21); and qualifying widow(er)s of citizens also fall under the no-numerical-limit rule.

Immigrant visas for immediate relatives are not subject to an annual numerical limit, so they are always available and do not require waiting in a queue; other requirements, such as admissibility, must still be met.

Sources for this section · 2

02

Family preference categories F1–F4

F1: unmarried sons and daughters, 21 or older, of U.S. citizens. F2A: spouses and unmarried children under 21 of permanent residents. F2B: unmarried sons and daughters, 21 or older, of permanent residents. F3: married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. F4: siblings of U.S. citizens (the citizen must be at least 21).

These categories are subject to an annual numerical limit, generally 226,000 per year, and require waiting according to the priority date.

Sources for this section · 2

03

Who can sponsor, and who cannot

A permanent resident can file a petition for a spouse and unmarried children, but is not within the scope USCIS lists for petitioning for siblings or married sons and daughters — only a U.S. citizen can do that. The petitioner filing Form I-130 can be a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident, or a U.S. national.

Sources for this section · 2

Frequently asked questions

Do a citizen's parents have to wait in line?

No. Parents of a citizen who is at least 21 are immediate relatives and are not subject to a numerical limit.

Can a green card holder petition for a sibling?

No. The F4 sibling category is only available to U.S. citizens who are at least 21.

Related category codes

Each code page shows its own review status; candidate content is not upgraded to reviewed because of this article.

Related articles

All official sources

  • USCIS · Green Card for Immediate Relatives of U.S. CitizenSupports: Definition of immediate relatives; spouses and children of immediate relatives cannot qualify as derivative beneficiaries and must qualify independently.Official update 2026-01-30 · read 2026-10-10 UTC
  • USCIS · Visa Availability and Priority DatesSupports: Immediate relatives are not subject to numerical limits; annual limits of approximately 226,000 for family-based immigration and 140,000 for employment-based immigration; priority dates, per-country limits, and the two charts.Official update 2025-01-24 · read 2026-10-10 UTC
  • USCIS · Green Card for Family Preference ImmigrantsSupports: Definitions of F1, F2A, F2B, F3, and F4; spouses and unmarried children under age 21 of principal applicants in family preference categories may qualify as derivative applicants.Official update 2025-07-08 · read 2026-10-10 UTC
  • USCIS · Green Card Eligibility CategoriesSupports: Official groupings and brief eligibility requirements for family-based, employment-based, special immigrant, refugee/asylee, T/U, VAWA, and other categories.Official update 2026-09-04 · read 2026-10-10 UTC
  • USCIS · I-130, Petition for Alien RelativeSupports: I-130 is used to establish a qualifying family relationship; filing or approval alone does not confer status; followed by I-485 or consular processing; a separate petition is generally filed for each relative.Official update 2026-10-07 · read 2026-10-10 UTC