The United States Government has outlined two major family-based immigrant visa categories available to foreign nationals seeking permanent residence through qualifying family relationships.
According to the US Department of State, the categories are Immediate Relative visas and Family Preference visas, each with different eligibility requirements and visa availability rules.
The information was contained in the department’s September 2026 Visa Bulletin, published on its website.
The department said foreign nationals seeking to relocate permanently to the US through family sponsorship must obtain an immigrant visa and satisfy the requirements applicable to their category.
The Immediate Relative category covers certain close family members of US citizens, including spouses, unmarried children under the age of 21, and parents of US citizens who are at least 21 years old.
Unlike other family-sponsored immigrant visas, Immediate Relative visas are not subject to an annual numerical limit.
This means qualifying applicants in the category are not placed under the same annual quota system that applies to Family Preference applicants, although they must still meet all other immigration requirements.
The Family Preference category covers certain family relationships involving US citizens and lawful permanent residents, commonly known as green-card holders.
The category is divided into five classifications: F1, F2A, F2B, F3 and F4.
The State Department said F1 covers unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens, while F2A covers spouses and children of lawful permanent residents. F2B is for unmarried sons and daughters aged 21 or older of permanent residents.
F3 covers married sons and daughters of US citizens, while F4 is for brothers and sisters of adult US citizens.
Unlike Immediate Relative visas, Family Preference visas are subject to annual numerical limits. Applicants may therefore have to wait until a visa becomes available based on their priority date.
The department stated that the fiscal year 2026 limit for family-sponsored preference immigrants is 226,000.
The September bulletin gives the final action date for F1 applicants from all chargeability areas except those separately listed as 22 January 2020.
For F2A applicants, the final action date is 22 August 2026, while the F2B date is 22 August 2019.
The final action date for F3 is 22 October 2014, while F4 stands at 22 October 2011 for the same group of chargeability areas.
The bulletin also provides separate final action dates for applicants chargeable to China, India, Mexico and the Philippines, reflecting country-specific visa limits and demand.
For Nigerians seeking permanent residence in the US through family sponsorship, understanding the distinction between the two categories is important.
Immediate Relative visas are not subject to the annual numerical cap, while Family Preference visas are limited by annual quotas and are therefore affected by priority dates and visa availability.
The State Department further cautioned that visa availability can change during the fiscal year. It said retrogression could become necessary if demand increases significantly or available annual visa limits are reached.
