U.S. Immediate Relative Green Card
United States
Residency
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See if you're a match →This green card route is for the spouse, unmarried child under 21, or parent of an adult U.S. citizen. It generally requires a qualifying family relationship, a U.S. citizen sponsor, financial sponsorship, and normal admissibility checks.
- Type
- Family residence
- Sponsor
- People joining a qualifying family member in the United States
- Core requirements
- Relationship records and the sponsor's status
- What to know
- The sponsor's status and documents matter a lot
- Duration
- Leads to U.S. lawful permanent residence.
- Renewal / path
- Citizenship may follow after residence and presence rules are met.
Summary
The immediate-relative green card is one of the most direct U.S. family immigration routes. It applies to the spouse of a U.S. citizen, the unmarried child under 21 of a U.S. citizen, or the parent of a U.S. citizen who is at least 21.
Unlike many family preference categories, immediate-relative immigrant visas are not numerically capped.
Eligibility
You may fit this pathway if:
- You are the spouse of a U.S. citizen, the unmarried child under 21 of a U.S. citizen, or the parent of a U.S. citizen age 21 or older.
- The U.S. citizen is willing and able to sponsor you.
- The family relationship can be documented.
- You are otherwise admissible to the United States, or eligible for a waiver if an issue applies.
- If applying inside the United States, your entry and current immigration history support adjustment of status.
Duration, Renewal, and Long-Term Path
- Duration: Leads to U.S. lawful permanent residence.
- Renewal: Citizenship may follow after residence and presence rules are met.
What This Route Allows
This is a route to lawful permanent residence, commonly called a green card. A green card generally allows you to live and work permanently in the United States.
What This Route Is Not
This is not the same as every U.S. family route. Adult children, married children, siblings of U.S. citizens, and relatives of lawful permanent residents usually fall under family preference categories, which work differently and may involve visa-number waiting.
Next Steps
- Confirm the exact family relationship.
- Gather civil records, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce records, adoption records, or name-change documents.
- Confirm whether the case would be filed from inside the United States or through consular processing abroad.
- Review financial-support requirements, because many family green card cases require an affidavit of support.
- Speak with an immigration professional if there are overstays, prior removals, criminal history, misrepresentation concerns, or other admissibility issues.