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Understanding the US Visa Quotas for Family-Based Immigration

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Family-Based Immigration

For immigrants seeking to settle in the United States as well as for citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States seeking to sponsor family members for immigration, it can be difficult to understand the alternatives and rules that apply to visas. There may be different sorts of visas available in family-based immigration applications, depending on the sponsor’s status and relationship with the people who will be coming to the U.S. Along with choosing the right visa types, family members must also understand the quotas that determine the number of visas that can be awarded annually. To learn more, you can reach out to Vanderwall Immigration

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Cap on issuing Visas:

The severe annual limits on family-based immigration visas in the United States can result in protracted wait times for some immigrants applying for visa approval, sometimes lasting years or even decades. Immediate-related visas and family preference visas are the two categories under which these visas fall.

According to reports, almost 495,000 family-based visas are allowed to be awarded annually by law in the US, while all other visas are subject to a per-country cap. According to this cap, the total number of visas granted to nationals of one country each year cannot be more than seven percent of the total number of immigrants admitted to the United States.

The United States issues various family preference visa classes with various annual limits. Up to 24,500 F1 visas may be granted annually to adult children of U.S. citizens who are not married. Up to 88,100 F2A visas are available for spouses and unmarried minor children of Green Card holders; 75% of these visas are exempt from the per-country restriction. Up to 27,200 F2B visas, which are for unmarried adult sons and daughters of Green Card holders, may be given each year. Married adult children of U.S. citizens may receive up to 24,200 F3 visas, while siblings of U.S. citizens may receive up to 66,300 F4 visas.

Final thoughts:

There is no annual cap on the number of immediate relative visas granted, which are available to spouses, parents, and unmarried minor children of U.S. citizens. Contrarily, there are numerical restrictions on family preference visas, which are available to certain other relatives of U.S. citizens as well as the immediate family members of Green Card holders. To understand more, reach out to a green card lawyer today.