Family Members Related to Current U.S. Citizens A current United States citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident may be able to sponsor specific family members who meet eligibility requirements for immigration to the U.S. Visit our Immigrant Visa For Family Members page for more information. A United States citizen or Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) may be able to sponsor certain family members to obtain lawful residence in the United States. The type of immigrant visa available to the foreign national will be determined by the family relationship to the U.S. Citizen or legal permanent resident. Note: Grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, and cousins cannot sponsor a relative for residency in the United States. Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens Under this category, there are immediate immigrant visas available for the following types of relatives: Spouse; Unmarried child under the age of 21, including a: Foreign orphan legally adopted in a foreign country; Foreign orphan who will be legally adopted in the U.S.; and Parent of a U.S. Citizen who is at least 21 years of age Family Members with Preference Visa Categories Under these categories, family members are on queue waiting for a visa number to become available. Waiting times for immigrant visas vary and depend on the preference category. F1 Visa (Family First Preference) Available to unmarried sons/daughters of U.S. Citizens, as well as their minor children F2 Visa (Family Second Preference) Available only to family members of legal permanent residences. See below for more information. F3 Visa (Family Third Preference) Available to married sons/daughters of U.S. Citizens, as well as their minor children and/or spouses. F4 Visa (Family Fourth Preference) Available to siblings of U.S. Citizens who are at least 21 years of age, as well as their minor children and/or spouses. Fiance(e) Visas K-1 Fiance(e) Visa 90-day nonimmigrant visas for fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens K-2 Visa 90-day nonimmigrant visas for children of K-1 visa holders K-3 Visa For spouses of U.S. citizens whose petition for permanent residency has not been approved and forwarded to the U.S. consulate in the spouse’s home country Family Members Of Legal Permanent Residents Permanent residents (Holders Of Green Cards) may file a petition for certain family members. There are two visa preference categories. Family members are in a queue waiting for a visa number to become available. Waiting times for immigrant visas vary and depend on the preference category. Family Members With Visa Preference Categories FB-2A Second Preference Spouses and unmarried children under 21 years old of permanent residents FB-2B Second Preference Adult sons and daughters over 21 years old of permanent residents V Visas The V visa is a nonimmigrant visa created to allow families to stay together while waiting for the processing of immigrant visas. The V visa allows the families to come to the United States and wait while their immigrant visa number becomes available. Spouses or children of lawful permanent residents are eligible for V visas if the permanent resident filed a petition for the spouse or child under 21 years old before December 21, 2000, and the petition is still pending. Schedule Your Consultation Today Attorney Gabriela M Pinto Vega has over ten (10) years of experience in immigration law, including family visa petitions. We can assist you with a family visa petition and, if needed, will aggressively advocate on your behalf before an immigration court. Contact our office through our website or call us at 818-322-6540.