US Citizens and Permanent Residents Can Petition for their Relatives Green Cards, But the Wait Time Could Be Really Long

US citizens and permanent residents can petition their relatives residing either abroad or in the US for permanent resident visas (green cards). The visas are however categorized based on whether the petitioner is a US citizen or a permanent resident, the relationship between the petitioner and the beneficiary, as well as the age and marital status of the beneficiary.

There are nearly 4 million people currently in the waiting list for family-based green card against an annual cap of 226,000 family-based green cards.

Immediate Relatives of US citizens have an unlimited number of visas available each fiscal year, and for this category there is no waiting list. Immediate relatives include spouse of a US citizen, unmarried children of a US citizen, orphan adopted abroad by a US citizen, orphan adopted in the US by a US citizen, and parents of a US citizen.

All others are placed in the Family Preference category, and only a total of 226,000 green cards can be issued each fiscal year in this category. Relatives included in the Family Preference category include:

• Family First Preference (F1): Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens, and their minor children. For this, a maximum of 23,400 green cards are available each fiscal year.
• Family Second Preference (F2): Spouses, minor children, and minor unmarried sons and daughters (age 21 and over) of Lawful Permanent Residents. For this, a maximum of 114,200 green cards are available each fiscal year.
• Family This Preference (F3): Married sons and daughters of US citizens, and their spouses and minor children. For this, a maximum of 23,400 green cards are available each fiscal year.
• Family Fourth Preference (F4): Brothers and sisters of US citizens, and their spouses and minor children, provided the US citizen is at least 21 years old. For this, a maximum of 65,000 green cards are available each fiscal year.

Data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shows the waiting list to currently be as follows:

• Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens (F1): 204,174
• Spouses, minor children, and minor unmarried sons and daughters (age 21 and over) of Lawful Permanent Residents (F2):  480,135
• Married sons and daughters of US citizens (F3): 644,276
• Siblings of US citizens (F4): 2,540,888

It is estimated that wait times for some of the above categories such as for siblings of US citizens could be as long as 100 years.