The United States Government has outlined two family-based immigrant visa categories available to foreign nationals seeking to move to the country permanently through qualifying family relationships.
The US Department of State said foreign citizens seeking permanent residence in the country through family connections must obtain an immigrant visa and meet the requirements for their respective category.
According to the department, there are two main types of family-based immigrant visas: Immediate Relative and Family Preference.
The Immediate Relative category is available to people with close family relationships to US citizens. It covers spouses, unmarried children under 21 and parents of US citizens who are at least 21 years old.
One major advantage of the Immediate Relative category is that there is no annual numerical limit on the number of immigrants who can be admitted through it.
The second category is the Family Preference visa, which covers certain more distant family relationships with US citizens as well as specified relationships with lawful permanent residents, commonly known as green-card holders.
Unlike Immediate Relative visas, Family Preference visas are subject to annual numerical limits. This means applicants in these categories may have to wait until an immigrant visa becomes available.
The US government said the Family Preference category includes unmarried sons and daughters aged 21 or older of US citizens, spouses and unmarried children of lawful permanent residents, married sons and daughters of US citizens, and brothers and sisters of adult US citizens.
The State Department’s September 2026 Visa Bulletin shows that family-sponsored preference visas remain subject to numerical limits and priority dates, with availability determined according to the relevant category and applicant’s country of chargeability.
For Nigerians and other foreigners hoping to relocate to the United States through family sponsorship, the distinction between the two categories is important.
Those who qualify as immediate relatives of US citizens are not subject to the annual numerical cap applicable to family-preference categories. However, applicants under the preference categories may face waiting periods before a visa becomes available.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services also states that US citizens and lawful permanent residents can generally petition for eligible relatives by filing Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative.
The US Department of State’s official family immigration guidance is the source for the two-category classification and the rules concerning numerical limits.
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