Of of the main objectives of the Immigration system is to bring family members together. High priority is given to family members of US citizens and permanent residents in immigrating to the United States. In addition, their are special removal relief that is only available to close family members of US citizens.

The highest priority is placed on immigration of immediate relative of United States Citizens.  Their are an unlimited number of visas allotted to immediate relatives.  They include:

• Spouses and minor children of US citizens
• Parents and adult US citizens when the citizen is at least 21 years of age
• Certain Widows and widowers of deceased citizens and their children

Immediate relatives have certain advantages in the immigration process:

• They can avoid the long wait for a visa
• They are not barred for obtaining a visa for working illegally, a failure to maintain a legal non-immigration status or a violation in the terms of a prior visa does not bar such a relative from obtaining permanent residency status.

For More Reading:

• How To Prepare for your Immigration Interview