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Family Sponsorship for the US

To be eligible to apply for an immigrant visa (IV), a foreign citizen must be sponsored by an immediate family member who is at least 21 years of age and is either a U.S. citizen or U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident, or green card holder.

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If you have family in the US who are US citizens and you have a family member who is willing to sponsor you to immigrate to the US, this information could help you understand what you need to do to begin the application process.

Who Qualifies or is Eligible for the Family Sponsorship Visa?

You qualify for the Family Sponsorship Visa if you are an individual or family looking to sponsor family members to immigrate to the United States for permanent residence.

What is the Family Sponsorship Visa?

A family sponsorship visa is a visa that allows US citizens to sponsor family members to move to the US and live there permanently. There are two types of family sponsorship visas for immigrants: immediate relative immigrant visas and family preference visas.

Immediate Relative Immigrant Visas

These visa types are based on a close family relationship with a United States (US) citizen described as an Immediate Relative (IR). The number of immigrants in these categories is not limited each fiscal year. Immediate relative visa types include:

IR-1: Spouse of a US citizen
IR-2: Unmarried child under 21 years of age of a US citizen
IR-3: Orphan adopted abroad by a US citizen
IR-4: Orphan to be adopted in the US by a US citizen
IR-5: Parent of a US citizen who is at least 21 years old

Family Preference Immigrant Visas

There are fiscal year numerical limitations on family preference immigrants, shown at the end of each category. The family preference categories are:

Family First Preference (F1): Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens, and their minor children, if any.
Family Second Preference (F2): Spouses, minor children, and unmarried sons and daughters (age 21 and over) of Lawful Permanent Residents.
Family Third Preference (F3): Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and their spouses and minor children.
IR-4: Orphan to be adopted in the US by a US citizen
IR-5: Parent of a US citizen who is at least 21 years old

What are the Requirements for Family Sponsorship?

When applying for family sponsorship, you will need to meet the following requirements:

The sponsor must be a US citizen or lawful permanent resident who is 21 years of age or older
There must be a family relationship between the sponsor and the immigrants
Provide proof of relationship
Provide proof of legal name change (if applicable)
Provide proof of any terminated previous marriages (if applicable)
Provide two passport-style photographs (if applicable)

How to Apply for Family Sponsorship

When you are applying to sponsor a family member to the United States, you will need to do the following:

Complete the petition form for an alien relative
If your relative already lives in the United States, they can apply to change their status and become a green card holder (lawful permanent resident)
If your relative lives outside of the United States, your petition will go to the National Visa Center, where it will then be forwarded to the appropriate U.S. consulate for your relative
Your family member will then need to wait for communication from the U.S. consulate with instructions on how to proceed with the application while they wait for a visa to become available, as some visa categories are limited per year

Family Sponsorship Processing Time

There are many factors that can impact visa processing times:

The service center responsible for processing the file
Visa interview wait times (if applicable)
Whether the applicant can qualify for an expedited interview appointment
Whether expedited processing or premium processing are available
Providing insufficient or incomplete documents can lead to delays in processing time or even denials

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Family Sponsorship Visa FAQs

Can my family sponsor me to live in the United States?

Yes, your family can sponsor you to live in America if your family is a US citizen or lawful permanent resident (green card holder). These individuals can sponsor relatives from their home country to relocate to the United States.