Who You Can Petition For: Family-Based Green Cards

TL;DR Key Takeaways

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Every family relationship that is not an immediate relative falls into one of four preference categories, and each has its own yearly cap. Here is how they break down:

First preference (F1) covers unmarried sons and daughters, 21 or older, of U.S. citizens. Second preference splits in two: F2A is spouses and unmarried children under 21 of permanent residents, and F2B is unmarried sons and daughters, 21 or older, of permanent residents. Third preference (F3) covers married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. Fourth preference (F4) covers brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens, when the citizen is at least 21.

Because each category has a limited number of visas each year, and because demand far outpaces supply for many countries, preference relatives wait, sometimes years, sometimes more than a decade. The category your relative lands in is the single biggest factor in how long the journey takes, and a family immigration lawyer can help you understand the category, priority date, and next step before you file.

Comparison Table

The difference between these two groups matters more than almost anything else, so it is worth seeing side by side.

One group is limited only by paperwork speed; the other is limited by a quota and a line. Knowing which side your relative is on tells you, more than any other single fact, what kind of wait to prepare for.

Comparison Table

Your own status sets the boundaries of who you can bring. The two petitioner types have very different reach.

This is why naturalizing, becoming a citizen, often unlocks family options that were closed before. A green card holder who has been waiting to sponsor a parent or a married child suddenly can, the moment they take the oath. If you are a green card holder hoping to sponsor a relative outside that narrow circle, becoming a citizen first may be the key, and family-based petition the rules for each shift accordingly. We can help you weigh that timing, because sometimes waiting to file until after naturalization is faster overall than filing now in a slower category.

Comparison Table

If you are a permanent resident, these two codes will follow you, and they are easy to mix up. F2A is for your spouse and your unmarried children under 21. F2B is for your unmarried sons and daughters who are 21 or older. The practical difference is the wait: F2A tends to move faster and stay relatively current, while F2B often waits considerably longer because demand is heavier and the annual supply of visas is the same. There is one more wrinkle worth knowing, and it catches families off guard every year: if an F2B child marries, the petition does not simply move to another category, it ends entirely, because permanent residents cannot petition for married children at all. That single life event can close the door for years. This is exactly why timing and good advice matter so much here, and why we walk through these scenarios carefully before anyone files.

How-To Steps

A spousal petition is the most common family case we see, and the process follows a clear sequence of filing the petition, proving the marriage is genuine, and finishing either at a consulate abroad or through adjustment of status inside the country. The heart of a spousal case is showing that the marriage is real, with shared finances, a life built together, and honest documentation. Because this path has its own detailed steps and evidence standards, we cover the full spousal process in its own guide, so you can follow it carefully without missing a piece.

How-To Steps

If you are a U.S. citizen who is at least 21, you can petition for your mother or father as an immediate relative, which means no waiting line for a visa. It is one of the more straightforward family paths, though it still requires careful proof of the parent-child relationship and your own citizenship. Permanent residents cannot petition for parents at all, which surprises many people, so this is a citizen-only door. For many U.S. citizens, a Petition For Parents: Bringing Your Mother or Father Home case begins with two key pieces of proof: your citizenship and the legal parent-child relationship.

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Yes, a U.S. citizen who is at least 21 can petition for a brother or sister, but this is the longest road in the family system. Siblings fall into the fourth preference category (F4), which carries the heaviest backlog of all, often well over a decade, and longer still for siblings born in countries with high demand. It is a real path, and many families do reunite this way, but it asks for patience measured in years. If your sibling is your only family tie to the U.S, starting a Green Card For Siblings: Petitioning A Brother Or Sister case is worth starting early so your family can plan around the F4 wait with more clarity.

FAQ

Sponsoring your child sounds simple, but the rules shift the moment they turn 21 or marry.

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If your relative is in a preference category, two terms will shape your life: the priority date and the visa bulletin. Your priority date is the day USCIS receives your petition, and it is your place in line that travels with the case from beginning to end. The monthly visa bulletin tells you when a visa is finally available for your category and country of birth. When your priority date becomes current on the bulletin, your relative can take the next step toward the green card. Until then, you wait and watch, checking each month to see whether the line has moved. Immediate relatives skip this entirely, but for everyone else, learning to read the bulletin turns a confusing, open-ended wait into something you can actually track and plan around. We watch it alongside you and tell you the moment your date arrives.

Pricing

Two financial realities shape every family petition. First, the filing fees: the I-130 petition costs $625 online or $675 by paper in 2026, and later stages, like the green card application itself, carry their own fees. Second, the sponsor must prove enough income to support the relative, generally at or above 125% of the federal poverty guidelines, through the Affidavit of Support (Form I-864). If your income falls short, a joint sponsor can sometimes step in. The exact figure depends on your household size, so it is worth checking the current guidelines before you count on qualifying on your own.

Comparison

If you are engaged rather than married, you face a choice between bringing your partner as a fiancé or marrying first and sponsoring them as a spouse. The K-1 fiancé visa brings your partner here to marry within 90 days of arrival, and tends to reunite couples faster, but it leaves them without work or travel permission for several months afterward, and the green card still has to be applied for once you are married. The CR-1 spousal route means marrying first, abroad or here, so your partner arrives already a permanent resident, able to work, drive, and travel from day one, though the overall wait before arrival is longer. Neither is simply better; the right choice depends on how quickly you need to reunite versus how much you value arriving with full rights immediately. We help couples weigh the trade-off against their real timeline and living situation, because the answer is different for almost every couple.