Marriages & Family Based
Preferences :
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Marriages within the U.S.
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Marriages outside the U.S.
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In many circumstances an alien within the U.S. may
adjust their status to that of lawful permanent resident
through marriage and without leaving the U.S.
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There are two primary ways to sponsor your alien spouse
if he/she is currently out of the country or you were
maried overseas. |
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Family Based Preferences
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In order to sponsor a relative it is imperative to make
certain that a qualifiying family relationship exists
between the sponsor and alien beneficiairy. Family based
preferences are distinguished into two categories,
"Immediate Relatives" and other close family
relationships as defined in Preference categories 1
through 4 below. These categories are important because
they determine what groups receive priority to receive a
limited number of immigration allotements per year.
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Immediate Relatives
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Include Spouses, Children (unmarried and unders 21), and
Parents of U.S. Citizens. Immediate relatives are exempt
from numerical limitations and have first priorityon
family preference visas. |
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1st Preference
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Include Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens.
1st Preference relatives are limited to 23,400 visa
allotments per year, plus any unused visas from the 4th
Preference category. |
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2nd Preference
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Include Spouses and Unmarried Sons and Daughters of
Lawful Permanet Residents. 2nd Preference relatives
receive an allotment of 114,200 per year plus any unused
visa from the 1st preference category. |
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3rd Preference
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Include Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens. 3rd
Preference relatives are limited to 23,400 visa
allotments per year, plus any unused visas from the 1st
and 2nd preference categories. |
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4th Preference
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Include Brothers and Sisters of U.S. Citizens. 4th
Preference relatives are limited to 65,000 visa
allotments per year, plus any unused visas from the 1st,
2nd, and 3rd preference categories. |
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