Family reunification
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Family reunification refers to a type of permanent immigration to the United States whereby an immediate relative or other family member of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident legally immigrates to the United States. Visas issued for family reunification are the most common among all of the visa classifications.[1]
Overview
Family reunification is divided into two broad categories:[2]
- immediate relatives of U.S. citizens
- family-sponsored immigration
Immediate relatives are legally defined as the spouses, minor children, and parents of U.S. citizens. Unlike many other categories of immigration, there is no annual numerical cap on the number of immediate relatives that may immigrate to the United States.[2]
Family-sponsored immigration is split into four preference categories:[3]
- First preference: unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens
- Second preference: spouses and children of lawful permanent residents
- Third preference: married adult children of U.S. citizens
- Fourth preference: adult siblings of U.S. citizens
This type of family reunification is subject to an annual cap. In 2014, the cap allowed up to 480,000 individuals per year to enter the United States under family-based preferences.[2]
Statistics
The following table presents data from the U.S. Department of State on the number of visas issued for family-based immigration between 2012 and 2016.
| Number of family-based visas issued, 2012-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
| Immediate relatives | 235,616 | 205,435 | 185,130 | 243,432 | 315,352 |
| Family sponsored preference | 189,128 | 189,020 | 197,760 | 208,840 | 215,498 |
| Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, "Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visas Issued at Foreign Service Posts, Fiscal Years 2012 - 2016" | |||||
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, "Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visas Issued at Foreign Service Posts, Fiscal Years 2012 - 2016," accessed January 10, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Library of Congress, "Family Reunification Laws," accessed January 10, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, "Visas: Documentation of Immigrants and Nonimmigrants--Visa Classification Symbols," accessed January 10, 2017
