If you are a U.S. citizen, you have the ability to sponsor certain family members for a green card. This includes your spouse, parents, and unmarried children who are under 21 years old. These immediate family members make up the vast majority (69%) of all family-sponsored green cards issued each year, and they are not subject to annual limits or caps.
Family-Sponsored Green Cards with Annual Caps
However, there are other types of family-sponsored green cards that are limited by annual caps. These categories include the following:
Relatives of U.S. Citizens:
- Unmarried adult children (21 and older) and their minor children (F1)
- Married children, their spouses, and minor children (F3)
- Siblings, their spouses, and minor children (F4)
Relatives of Lawful Permanent Residents (Green Card Holders):
- Spouses and unmarried minor children (F2A)
- Unmarried adult children (F2B)
It’s important to note that family members such as cousins, aunts, uncles, or grandparents cannot directly sponsor a green card. The U.S. immigration system limits family-sponsored green cards to the relationships mentioned above.
Who Gets Their Green Card Inside the U.S. vs. Abroad?
Around half of the family-sponsored green card recipients—spouses, parents, and minor children of U.S. citizens—are already living in the United States when they become permanent residents. This is usually because they came to the U.S. on a temporary visa, such as a student or work visa, and then later applied for permanent residency.
On the other hand, many other family-sponsored immigrants are living outside the U.S. when they apply for a green card. They typically wait for their green card processing to be completed while still living abroad.
Family-based immigration remains a crucial part of U.S. immigration policy, with the majority of family-sponsored green cards going to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. While the system does include caps on certain categories of family-sponsored green cards, the process for sponsoring close family members like spouses, parents, and children under 21 remains one of the most straightforward paths to permanent residency.
