​The so-called relative immigration is based on the provisions of the U.S. Immigration Law, which allows foreign relatives of U.S. citizens or green card holders to apply for U.S. green cards through their relatives. The procedures for family immigration applications vary depending on where relatives are located: one is the situation where the applicant’s spouse is in the United States, and the other is the situation where the applicant’s spouse is overseas. In either case, US citizens or green card holders are required to submit immigration applications for their relatives first. After the immigration application is approved, foreign relatives can further apply for adjustment of status and obtain permanent resident status.

Immediate Family Immigration

Immediate family members of U.S. citizens can apply for IR visas without participating in the lottery and are not subject to immigration quotas. In some cases, conditional residence (CR) visas can be issued. IR visa includes the following five categories:

    1. IR1 visa-spouse

    2. IR2 visa-unmarried children under 21 years of age

    3. IR3 Visa – Orphans adopted abroad

    4. IR4 Visa-Orphans to be adopted in the United States

    5. IR5 Visa – Parents of U.S. Citizens Over 21 Years Old

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Immigrant visas for non-immediate relatives

Applicable to a wider range of family members, but the annual distribution is limited, which may lead to a long wait of five years or more before approval. There are four types of kinship immigrants. Each category has its own quota:

    1. F1 visa-unmarried children of U.S. citizens over 21 years old

    2. F2 visa-spouse of legal permanent resident, children under 21 and unmarried children over 21

    3. F3 visa-married children of U.S. citizens and their spouses and children under 21 years of age

    4. F4 visa-brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens and their spouses and children under 21 years of age