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Pathway

U.S. Green Card through an Immediate Relative

United States Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

If you are a U.S. citizen, you may be able to sponsor your spouse, unmarried child under 21, or parent for a green card. You must be at least 21 to sponsor a parent. These family categories have no annual visa cap, although all application requirements still apply.

Sponsor
A U.S. citizen sponsoring a spouse, unmarried child under 21, or parent if the citizen is at least 21
Requirements
Proof of the family relationship, financial support, and the remaining immigration requirements
Important detail
No annual visa cap, but approval still requires the full immigration process

Summary

U.S. citizens can sponsor certain close relatives for permanent residence. The strongest immediate-relative categories are spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of U.S. citizens age 21 or older.

You normally start with Form I-130 to prove the family relationship. Your relative then applies for an immigrant visa abroad or, if eligible, a green card from inside the United States.

Prove the family relationship, then complete the residence process
  1. Check the family category A U.S. citizen can sponsor a spouse, an unmarried child under 21, or a parent if the citizen is at least 21.
  2. Document the relationship Use Form I-130 with citizenship, parent-child, or genuine-marriage evidence.
  3. Apply for permanent residence Check whether to apply inside the U.S. or abroad, and complete the financial support, entry, and visa requirements.

These categories have no annual family visa cap, but approval is not automatic. I-130 approval gives no status or work permission. Residence is usually conditional if the marriage is under two years old when residence begins.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

The case generally requires:

Applying for a green card inside the United States is called adjustment of status. Eligibility depends on how the person entered, any temporary permission to enter known as parole, their immigration status, unauthorized work, past immigration proceedings, and any applicable exceptions. Being an immediate relative removes some restrictions, but not all.

What This Route Allows

Receiving the immigrant visa and then entering the United States, or approval of Form I-485, grants lawful permanent residence. A spouse whose marriage is less than two years old when permanent residence begins normally receives two-year conditional residence and later must jointly file Form I-751 or qualify for a waiver.

After residence begins, the family member may live and work permanently in the United States, subject to maintaining residence and later card-renewal or condition-removal requirements.

What This Route Is Not

I-130 approval is not a visa, status, work permit, or guarantee of a green card. A U.S. citizen cannot use this immediate-relative category for siblings, married children, or adult unmarried children; those relationships may instead fit the family-preference categories.

As of January 1, 2026, Presidential Proclamation 10998 fully or partially suspends immigrant-visa issuance and entry for nationals of numerous countries, with limited exceptions. Earlier categorical exceptions for immediate-relative immigrant visas were removed for covered nationals. For someone already in the United States, the rules for applying for a green card inside the country differ from the restrictions on getting a visa abroad and entering.

Next Steps

  1. Document citizenship, identity, and the qualifying family relationship.
  2. Before filing, check whether to apply inside the U.S. or at an embassy or consulate abroad. Leaving after an unlawful stay or a removal order can create further immigration problems.
  3. Review entry requirements, past travel and immigration applications, previous marriages, criminal records, any fraud concerns, and financial support rules, including the public-charge assessment.
  4. Prepare the I-864 using the current income guidelines and rules about where the sponsor must have their main home.
  5. Check the current proclamation, embassy or consulate, and interview-location rules before relying on an overseas timeline.

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Other routes in United States.

Sources